Josh Fogg

Joshua Smith Fogg (born December 13, 1976) is a former American league baseball player who has been a pitcher for nine Major League Baseball seasons. Fogg played college baseball for the University of Florida, and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the third round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his Major League debut for the White Sox on September 2, 2001, and has also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Colorado Rockies and the Cincinnati Reds.

Early years

Fogg was born in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1976. He attended Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and played for the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs high school baseball team.

College career

Fogg accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Andy Lopez's Florida Gators baseball team from 1995 to 1998. As a senior in 1998, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, having received first-team honors from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Fogg was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2013.

Professional career

Chicago White Sox

He began his career with the Chicago White Sox for which he appeared in 11 games in 2001. He was traded along with Sean Lowe to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Todd Ritchie.

Pittsburgh Pirates

In 2002, Fogg pitched in 33 starts as a rookie for the Pirates, finishing tied for first with 12 wins alongside his teammate Kip Wells and finishing second in innings pitched on the team. He finished 7th in Rookie of the Year balloting.

2003 was a down year as Fogg suffered an abdominal injury. He would only appear in 26 starts and finished with 10 wins. Although he reached double digit wins, his ERA finished at 5.26 while allowing 22 home runs in only 143 innings.

In 2004, Fogg notched 11 wins, double digit wins for the third consecutive season and allowed a career low 17 home runs in 32 starts.

2005 saw Fogg demoted to the bullpen for a time as he struggled throughout the season. He pitched in 34 games, 28 of them starts and finished with a record of 6-11 while having an ERA over 5.

Colorado Rockies

Fogg signed with the Rockies in 2006, that season he went 11-9 with a 5.49 ERA in 31 starts. In Coors Field, he was 6-4 despite having an ERA over 6.00 in 15 starts.

The most impressive start of Fogg's career came on June 30, 2006, against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington. While pitching for the Rockies, Fogg threw a two-hit complete game shutout while facing the minimum 27 batters. All three Mariners who reached base (Adrián Beltré and Kenji Johjima on singles and Raúl Ibáñez on a walk) were erased on double plays by infielders Garrett Atkins, Clint Barmes, Jamey Carroll, and Todd Helton.

In 2007, Fogg finished with a record of 10-9 in 30 games. During the 2007 season, Fogg acquired the nickname "Dragon Slayer" after he pitched and won against many of the best pitchers in the majors including Brandon Webb and Curt Schilling.

Fogg pitched in 3 games in the 2007 playoffs, going 2-1, his loss came in the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, who pounded Fogg for 6 runs on 10 hits in less than 3 innings.

Cincinnati Reds

On February 21, 2008, Fogg signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds. In his lone season with the Reds, his record was 2-7 with a career worst 7.58 ERA in 22 games for the Reds.

Second stint with Colorado

After the 2008 seasons, Fogg signed a minor league deal with the Rockies. He was called up after only making 8 starts in AAA.

Once called up by the Rockies, he pitched mostly out of the bullpen, appearing in a total of 24 games with 1 start.

Philadelphia Phillies

On January 29, 2010, Fogg signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets with an invite to spring training. He was released on March 20.

Fogg signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on March 31, 2010, but was released on July 2 after sporting an ERA over 10 in just 3 starts. Soon after his release, he retired from baseball.