Derek Lilliquist

Derek Jansen Lilliquist (born February 20, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher and pitching coach.

Derek Lilliquist graduated from Sarasota High School in Sarasota, Florida, in 1984.

He played college baseball for the Georgia Bulldogs.

In 1986 and 1987, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

While playing for the University of Georgia (UGA), Lilliquist was selected as Baseball America's Pitcher of the Year and was an All-American in 1987.

In the major leagues, he functioned primarily as a relief pitcher.

In 1987, Lilliquist was an All-American selection according to both the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America (BA).

He was also BA's Pitcher of the Year for that season.

He helped lead to UGA to their first-ever Southeastern Conference title and trip to the College World Series.

In three seasons at UGA, Lilliquist posted a 31–12 won–loss record and 3.30 earned run average (ERA).

The Atlanta Braves selected Lilliquist as the sixth overall pick in the 1987 Major League Baseball draft and assigned him to the Gulf Coast League Braves in the Rookie League of Minor League Baseball that same season.

There he made two starts, totaling 13 innings pitched (IP), allowing just three hits and no runs.

He was promoted to the Durham Bulls of the Carolina League, where he made three starts, totaling 25 IP, two complete games and a 2.88 ERA.

The next season, the Braves again promoted him, this time to the AAA Richmond Braves of the International League, where he spent the entire season.

Lilliquist started all 28 games in which he appeared, posting a 3.38 ERA in a professional-high 170 2⁄3 IP.

While striking out just 80 batters, he also allowed just 36 bases on balls (BB).

He played for the Atlanta Braves (1989–1990), San Diego Padres (1990–1991), Cleveland Indians (1992–1994), Boston Red Sox (1995) and Cincinnati Reds (1996), and has coached for the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals.

Facing the San Diego Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego in his MLB debut on April 13, 1989, Lilliquist pitched the Braves to a 4–1 victory.

In 7 1⁄3 IP, he allowed just the run on three hits while earning the win.

For the season, he pitched his MLB career-high 165 2⁄3 innings and allowed a 3.97 ERA.

However, he also allowed 202 hits for an average of 11.0 hits per nine innings pitched (H/9).

He finished second in the National League (NL) in bases on balls per 9 innings pitched (BB/9) with 1.847 and fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

On May 1, 1990, at Atlanta in Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Lilliquist became one of the few pitchers to have a multi-homer game when he hit two home runs off Ron Darling in a Braves' 5–2 victory over the New York Mets.

His batting statistics for the Braves that season included eight hits in 23 at bats for a .348 batting average, two home runs and three runs batted in with a .609 slugging percentage.

However, his pitching had declined since his rookie year.

With a 6.28 ERA and two wins and eight losses in 11 starts, the Braves traded Lilliquist to the San Diego Padres for Mark Grant on July 12, 1990.

Lilliquist's only career MLB complete game and shutout occurred on August 12, 1990, in a 9–0 defeat of the Houston Astros.

He allowed four hits while striking out three.

With the Padres that season, he fared better, posting a 4.33 ERA.

Spending most of the 1991 season in the minor leagues, the Padres assigned Lilliquist to the Las Vegas Stars of the Pacific Coast League.

Here, he allowed 142 hits in 105 IP and 33 games for 5.38 ERA, contributing as both a starter and reliever.

With the Padres, he allowed 14 earned runs in 14 1⁄3 IP for an 8.79 ERA.

The Cleveland Indians claimed Lilliquist off waivers from the Padres on November 22, 1991.

With Cleveland in 1992, he posted career lows in earned run average (2.25), hits per nine innings (5.7), and walks plus hits per inning pitched (0.924) while appearing in a career-high 71 games.

He converted to full-time relief duty in 1992.

Here, he posted some of his career-best numbers, including ERA, H/9, and walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP).

In 71 games, he pitched 61 2⁄3 innings, allowed just 39 hits for 5.7 H/9, 0.924 WHIP and a 2.25 ERA.

His 71 appearances placed fourth in the American League (AL) among pitchers.

He also finished 22 games and saved six.

Continuing on his success in 1993, Lilliquist appeared in 56 games, posting a 2.25 ERA, 1.297 WHIP while saving ten games and finishing 28.