Tim Stauffer

Timothy James Stauffer (born June 2, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher.

He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins and New York Mets.

Stauffer attended and played baseball at Saratoga Central Catholic High School in Saratoga Springs, New York.

As a senior in 2000, as of June 7, he had a 1.10 earned run average, 163 strikeouts and 14 walks in 82 innings pitched.

At the plate, he was hitting .610 with 12 home runs, 53 runs scored and 50 RBI in 95 at bats.

Stauffer attended the University of Richmond through his junior year, where was twice named the Atlantic 10 Conference Pitcher of the Year.

Stauffer played for the Keene Swamp Bats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League in the summer of 2001, where he set an NECBL record with a 7–0 win/loss mark.

As a sophomore in 2002, Stauffer established Atlantic 10 records for wins (15) and strike-outs (140).

He posted a 1.54 ERA and was named a first-team All-American.

In 2002, he played for the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod League, was named a league all-star, and is featured in the book The Last Best League: One Summer, One Season, One Dream by Jim Collins.

In 2003, Stauffer broke his own Atlantic 10 strike-out record with 146 and posted a 9–5 record with a 1.97 ERA and 10 complete games.

He was again selected to the All-America Team.

Stauffer was selected in the first round by the San Diego Padres as the fourth overall pick of the June 2003 draft.

Stauffer had been bothered by shoulder soreness since the end of the college season, and an MRI in July showed weakness in the shoulder joint.

He and his agent went to the Padres with this information during negotiations, and as a result he signed with the Padres for a bonus much less than a fourth overall pick would normally receive.

The Padres scouting director Bill Gayton said about the disclosure, "Their honesty and integrity is second to none. They didn't have to do that."

Stauffer rested his arm in 2003, and began 2004 with the Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore Storm.

He was quickly promoted through Double-A and reached the Triple-A Portland Beavers in June, posting a 3.54 ERA in 14 starts with the club.

He was being projected as a number 3 starter, soon to reach the major leagues.

Stauffer began the 2005 season in Triple-A.

He made his Major League debut on May 11 against the Cincinnati Reds and earned his first win in a 6-inning, 2-run outing.

He pitched to a 3–6 record with a 5.33 ERA with the Padres in 2005, and was returned to Triple-A after a July 31 relief appearance.

Stauffer spent most of 2006 and 2007 with Triple-A Portland.

He was called up to the Padres for a single appearance on August 21, 2006, in order to temporarily fill a spot in a pitching rotation hampered by injuries.

He posted a 15–17 record and 4.98 ERA in 46 starts over his 2006 and 2007 Triple-A seasons.

His third and fourth call-ups came on July 29, 2007, and August 26, 2007, where he again made spot starts before being sent back to Triple-A.

After the 2007 season, Stauffer elected to have surgery to repair a tear in the labrum of his right shoulder.

The surgery and rehab cost him the entire 2008 season, and Stauffer began 2009 with the Double-A San Antonio Missions after a month of extended spring training to build arm strength.

Stauffer was called back up to the big leagues on July 11, 2009.

He made 14 starts for the Padres in the second half, posting a 4–7 record and 3.58 ERA.

In 2010, Stauffer started the season working out of the Padres bullpen and posted a 0.49 ERA in 9 appearances.

He got his first opportunity to start on May 9, taking the place of Kevin Correia, but Stauffer required an emergency appendectomy on May 11, sidelining him for nearly two months.

When he rejoined the club, he worked out of the bullpen until September when he made six more starts.

Stauffer finished the season with a 6–5 record and 1.85 ERA, with 61 strike-outs and 24 walks in 82 2⁄3 innings pitched.

Stauffer was the Padres Opening Day pitcher in 2011 and was a mainstay of the rotation.

He started 31 games and finished the season with a 9–12 record and 3.73 ERA, with 128 strike-outs versus 58 walks over 185 2⁄3 innings.

In early 2012, Stauffer and the Padres agreed on a one-year $3.2 million contract to avoid arbitration.

Stauffer was again the planned Opening Day starter, but he suffered an elbow strain in spring training and went on the disabled list.

He only made a single start in May before going back on the DL.

In August, he had surgery on the flexor tendon in his right elbow.