Robert Meiklejohn MacDougal (born March 5, 1977) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player who was a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

. He is a

switch hitter In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers, although there are some exceptions. Characteristics Right-han ...

and throws right-handed. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. His pitch selection include a fastball in the 95-98 mph range, a slider,

curve In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line, but that does not have to be straight. Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point. This is the definition that ...

, and a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

used only occasionally.

Amateur career

Born in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, MacDougal graduated from

Mesa High School Mesa High School is a public high school in Mesa, Arizona, United States. Mesa High School currently accommodates grades 9–12 as part of Mesa Public Schools. Mesa High School is the oldest high school in Mesa, Arizona, and is home of the Jack ...

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...

, and attended

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...

, where he pitched for the

Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball The Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball team represents Wake Forest University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). They won the 1955 College World Series. They are coached by Tom Walte ...

team. In 1997, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

, was named a league all-star, and returned to the league in 1998 to play with the

Chatham A's The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in ...

. He was selected in the 22nd round (651st overall) of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft and the 17th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

, but did not sign on either occasion.

Professional career

Kansas City Royals

Following his senior season at Wake Forest, MacDougal was drafted by the

in the first round (25th overall) of the

1999 Major League Baseball draft The 1999 Major League Baseball draft, was the annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 2 and 3, 1999. A total of 1,474 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds. First round selections Supplemental fir ...

, as a compensation pick from the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

for the signing of José Offerman. He signed on July 1, 1999. MacDougal made his major league debut as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

, but suffered a fractured skull late in the season when he was struck in the head by a bat that had escaped from the hand of

Carlos Beltrán Carlos Iván Beltrán (; born April 24, 1977) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1998 to 2017 for the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, New York Mets, San F ...

. He lost feeling in his right arm and was unable to pitch for three months. In , the Royals turned him into a closer. That season, he was 3–5 with 27 saves and a 4.08 ERA in 68 relief appearances. He also made the American League All-Star team for the only time in his career. MacDougal struggled with

flu Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

-like symptoms in

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in , causing him to lose weight and, as a result, to lose velocity off his

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

, which had been clocked as high as 103 miles per hour. He lost his job as the Royals' closer to Jeremy Affeldt and spent much of the 2004 season in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

. However, early in , he was reinstalled as the closer after Affeldt himself was injured. MacDougal battled injuries again in , starting the season on the DL and not returning to the field until mid-July. After only about a week after his first appearance of the year, he was traded to the

for minor-league pitchers Tyler Lumsden and Dan Cortes on July 24, 2006.

Chicago White Sox

The addition of MacDougal was to be a move to bolster the White Sox bullpen as they vied for playoff contention, and while the team ended up missing the playoffs, MacDougal was quite effective in his 25 appearances, going 1–1 with an ERA of 1.80. Combining his appearances with both teams, he finished the year with a 1.55

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

. MacDougal's 2006 performance earned him a new three-year, $6.45 million deal with the White Sox on December 8, 2006. However, he was not able to carry his success from the end of the 2006 season into . MacDougal finished the season 2–5 with a 6.80 ERA in 54 relief appearances. He also spent more time on the DL with right-shoulder inflammation, and was also optioned to the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

in June due to his struggles. On April 21, 2009, MacDougal was designated for assignment by the White Sox, and was released on April 29.

Washington Nationals

MacDougal signed a minor league deal with the

on May 3, 2009. On December 12, 2009, MacDougal was non-tendered by the Nationals, making him a free agent. On February 18, 2010, MacDougal signed a minor league contract with the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

with an invite to spring training. He was released on March 23. The next day, MacDougal signed a minor league deal to return to the Nationals. On July 1, 2010, he decided to opt out of his contract to become a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

St. Louis Cardinals

On July 7, 2010, MacDougal signed a minor league deal with the

, making his debut for Triple-A Memphis that night, giving up two runs on two hits in one inning pitched. MacDougal made his Cardinals debut on July 28, 2010, earning the win in a 7–6 victory over the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

. In 17 games with the Cardinals, he was 1–1 with a 7.23 ERA.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On January 28, 2011, he signed a minor league contract with the

, and made the Major League club to start the season. MacDougal pitched in 69 games with the Dodgers, working 57 innings and had a record of 3–1 and a team-leading 2.05 ERA. He re-signed with the Dodgers after the season for a one-year, $1 million contract that included a 2013 option. He pitched in seven games for the Dodgers in 2012, recording a 7.94 ERA. MacDougal was designated for assignment on May 3, removing him from the 40-man roster. He was released on May 11.

Later career

On May 15, 2012, the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

signed MacDougal to a minor league contract. He pitched in 19 games for the AAA

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

, going 1–2 with one save and a 7.85 ERA. On July 11, he was released by the Cubs. On July 29, the Washington Nationals re-signed MacDougal to a minor-league deal. He joined the AAA

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

, where he had a 1–1 record an ERA of 4.22 in 12 games. In April 2013, the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

signed MacDougal to a minor-league deal. He joined the AAA

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

. He was released by the Reds on June 8, going 0–1 in 17 appearances with the Bats, striking out 20 in innings with a 5.49 ERA. On June 25, MacDougal signed a deal with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

and reported to Triple-A

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley () is a geography, geographic and urban area, metropolitan region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh and Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a co ...

. The

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

signed MacDougal on a minor-league deal on May 10, 2014. He had been pitching for the independent Camden Riversharks.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdougal, Mike 1977 births Living people Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball players Cotuit Kettleers players Chatham Anglers players American League All-Stars Kansas City Royals players Chicago White Sox players Washington Nationals players 21st-century American sportsmen St. Louis Cardinals players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Nevada Spokane Indians players Wilmington Blue Rocks players Wichita Wranglers players Omaha Golden Spikes players Gulf Coast Royals players Omaha Royals players Charlotte Knights players Louisville Bats players Syracuse Chiefs players Memphis Redbirds players Harrisburg Senators players Iowa Cubs players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Camden Riversharks players Tacoma Rainiers players Mesa High School alumni