Minnesota Twins Pitcher, Carlos Silva, was born April 23, 1979 in Bolívar State, Venezuela. He is a 1996 graduate of U.E. General Ezequiel Zamora Bolivar (VZ) High School. Silva was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 1, 2002, with the Philadelphia Phillies. Carlos played 2 years with the Phillies before being traded to the Twins in 2004 in a deal that exchanged Eric Milton, a left-handed starter, for Silva and 2 other players.
In 2003, Carlos performed very inconsistently with the Phillies. He had ERAs of 1.86 in April, 3.31 in June and 1.69 in September. He also had ERAs of 9.31 in May, 6.17 in July and 5.50 in August. He was a workhorse, however. Sixteen of his 35 relief appearances after the break were for more than one inning.
With the Twins, Carlos made a successful conversion from relief to starting pitcher, for one of the biggest surprises in the 2004 season. He posted a 14-8 mark in 203 innings pitched and finished second in the rotation behind Cy Young award winner Johan Santana.
Carlos throws a mid-nineties fastball that has a heavy sinking action, a breaking ball and a changeup. He is known for his relatively quick pace, as he takes very short breaks between pitches. An extreme ground ball pitcher, he has excellent command of his pitches, walks few batters and has the ability to prevent home runs. He's an average fielder who rarely comes to the plate.
Carlos Silva had a late season-ending knee surgery, but is expected to report for Twins Spring training. He is quoted as saying, "It don't matter (if I start or pitch in relief), I just want to be in the big leagues. I'd like to make the ballclub as the water boy, too. It's fun to be in the big leagues. -"Carlos Silva to the Associated Press (May 6, 2004) |
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