Scott Feldman Drafted by the Astros in the 41st round in 2002, he was drafted by junior college San Mateo University of California. He was a draft-and-follow and did not end up signing with the Astros. After he was drafted, he wasn’t much of a scout because the Astros had claimed the rights to Feldman. So in 2003, Feldman was drafted by the Rangers in the 30th round “as a favor to my agent.” Shortly thereafter, his elbow began to ache, eventually necessitating Tommy John surgery.
That progress never put Feldman on the prospect’s radar, working in the minor league bullpen. He looked just outside the Rangers’ bullpen in his late 2005, beating the majors. Feldman spent his 2006 and his 2007 seasons bouncing back and forth between triple-A and long relief runs at the Bigs.
The Rangers decided to try Feldman as a starter in 2008 and continued to attract attention in the rotation when needed. Feldman started 25 games that year, but had not yet secured a rotation spot. By his late April 2009, however, he had taken the place of an injured incumbent and never looked back. Feldman posted a 4.08 ERA in 31 starts that year, and his 17 wins ranked fifth in MLB. Feldman’s breakout in 2009 included 11 strikeouts and his six scoreless outs, leading to a nod to the 2010 Rangers’ season opener.
Feldman has been in and out of the Rangers’ rotation in 2010 and 2011, working through knee surgery and the recovery process. Rangers declined his option for the club in 2013 and Feldman became his agent free for the first time. He found a spot in the rotation on his one-year contract with the rebuilding Cubs.
After a strong start to the 2013 season, the Cubs traded Feldman to the Orioles, famously bringing back Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop. Returning to free agency after that season, Feldman signed a three-year, $30 million contract to join another rebuilding club, the Astros. He earned an opening day start for the club in 2014.
Feldman has done solid work for the Astros, barring a few injuries. In the final year of his contract, he was dealt to the Blue Jays at the trade deadline. He signed his one-year contract with the Reds for 2017 and got off to a good start in the season opener. Feldman underwent season-ending knee surgery in August of that year.
Scott tried rehabilitating his knee to play in 2018 or 2019, but as he says, “it wasn’t meant to be”. I looked back on how lucky I was to play professional baseball from 2003 to 2017. All the wonderful people I have been able to be by my side every day for 15 years. Teammates, coaches, clubhouse people, front office, ownership. ”
Feldman went on to have a very impressive MLB career, especially for a guy who didn’t have such ambitions in high school. He won 78 games, made 204 starts, and logged nearly 1,400 innings. He was required to pitch in the Rangers’ 2011 postseason, including five games in the World Series against the Cardinals. Feldman provided the team with a lot of value by swallowing the innings and always showed good control. Born in Kailua, Hawaii, Feldman was one of the best pitchers to come out of that state.
As MLBTR’s Steve Adams pointed out in Feldman’s free agent profile in 2013, his father was an FBI agent and a veteran. Feldman discussed his close relationship with his father in his 2014 interview with MLB.com’s Bryan McTaggart shortly after his father passed away after a long battle with brain cancer. . As McTaggart noted, Feldman pitched just two days after him and pitched seven shutout innings.
For those wondering what Scott is up to now, he wrote: He hires a few classes, the right people to work with, rebuilds a long-distant Northern California community, tries to give back, and plans what happens next. Scott has been involved with Stop Soldier Suicide and a mental health and wellness company called Most Days.
We look forward to having Scott on board and chatting with MLBTR readers. Click here to join live chat!
