Danny Herrera

Note: This page is for 2000s pitcher Danny Herrera; for others with a similar name, click here.

Daniel Ray Herrera

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 6", Weight 165 lb.
• School University of New Mexico, Pratt Institute
• High School Permian High School
• Debut June 3, 2008
• Final Game September 27, 2011
• Born October 21, 1984 in Odessa, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Danny Herrera made his Major League debut in 2008. He played in four major league season and, a rarity at the time, his best pitch was the screwball.

Herrera was 4-7 with a 5.33 ERA as a freshman in college, then was 8-5 with a 6.20 ERA the next year. He led the Mountain West Conference in wins and made the All-Conference team. While his ERA was high, he played in a high-scoring park in a high-offense conference.

Danny Ray led the MWC in ERA (2.24) and innings pitched (128) in 2006. He only walked 29 and went 10-0 on the hill to finish second in the conference in wins. He was an All-Conference pick and split pitcher of the year honors with Jake Arrieta. He was a third-team All-American pick by Baseball America and was a second-team All-American according to Louisville Slugger. Herrera signed with the Texas Rangers and scout Rick Schroeder as a 45th round pick in the 2006 amateur draft.

Herrera split his first pro campaign between the AZL Rangers (0-1, 2 Sv, 2.08, 11 K, 0 BB in 8 2/3 IP) and the Bakersfield Blaze (4-2, 1 Sv, 1.35, 12 BB, 61 K, 39 H in 53 1/3 IP). Baseball America rated him as having the best control in the Rangers chain and being the best pick of the second day of the 2006 draft.

Herrera split 2007 between the Blaze (2-0, 1 Sv, 3.27) and the Frisco RoughRiders (5-2, 3.78 in 34 games, 64 K in 52 1/3 IP). He had a 2.53 ERA in 10 relief appearances for the Surprise Raptors that fall. In the winter, he was traded with Edinson Volquez to the Cincinnati Reds for Josh Hamilton.

Herrera began 2007 with the Charlotte Knights, going 3-0 in 10 games before moving up to the Louisville Bats. With Louisville, he was 0-1 with 3 saves and a 1.27 ERA in 16 contests, allowing 14 hits and 4 walks in 21 1/3 IP. He was called up to Cincinnati to replace the injured Kent Mercker. Danny debuted against the Phillies, coming in for the 7th inning with a 3-1 deficit, two men on and none out, replacing Aaron Harang. Herrera got Shane Victorino on a grounder, intentionally walked Chase Utley then struck out both Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell. Despite this fine debut, Herrera was then returned to the minors, replaced by Homer Bailey. Overall, he appeared in 7 game sin his firts season, with no decisions and an ERA of 7.36.

His best season came in 2009 with the Reds when he made 70 appearances out of the bullpen, going 4-4, 3.06 as a middle reliever and sometimes set-up man. In 2010, his regressed slightly, ending at 1-3, 3.91 in 36 games, and pitching just 23 innings as the Reds used him less as a traditional middle reliever and more as a specialized LOOGY - which negated the effectiveness of his screwball, to a large extent, since the pitch was particularly tough on right-handed batters. He failed to make the big league team at the start of the 2011 season, and on May 23rd was picked up off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched just twice for Milwaukee, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits in 1 2/3 innings, was sent back to the minors, and on September 1st was dealt to the New York Mets along with minor leaguer Adrian Rosario as the two players to be named later in the earlier acquisition of veteran closer Francisco Rodriguez. He pitched well in his one moth with the Mets, with an ERA of 1.13 in 16 games (representing just 8 innings, as he was once again used as a full-time lefthanded specialist). However, his only decision was a loss, and he never returned in the majors after that. In his four seasons, his overall record was 5-8, 3.72 in 131 games. He struck out 71 batters in 101 2/3 innings. He never received credit for a save, but recorded 20 holds.

Danny was really a bit of a throwback. At 5'6", he was one of the shortest pitchers of his era, and did not throw very hard at a time when that was what most team were looking for out of their bullpen. Because he was lefthanded, he eventually ended up as a specialized lefty, but at an earlier time, he could probably have thrived as a reliever giving a different look to batters thanks to his screwball, a pitch almost no one was using and which meant he was not really vulnerable to righties.

After making just 3 appearances for the Buffalo Bisons, the Mets' AAA affiliate in 2012, he washed out of organized baseball, but he put in four more years in the independent leagues, suiting up with the Long Island Ducks, Somerset Patriots and Camden Riversharks of the Atlantic League from 2013 to 2016.

In retirement, he chose a completely different career path, as his wife encouraged him to get into art school. he took classes at the Pratt Institute in New York, NY. He had to start from scratch, but found out he had some talent, and now makes his living as an artist, a lot of his work being baseball-themed, although with some fringe inspiration: for example, his "Self-portrait as a baseball card" shows him posing on a mound holding the baseball in a screwball grip - so far, so good, except that a giant hand also holds his realistic head in a similar grip. His inspiration is eclectic, ranging from traditional Native American motifs to still lives to science fiction, in addition to portraits of favorite players from the present and future.

Sources: 2005-2007 Baseball Almanacs, 2007 Rangers Media Guide, MILB.com, University of New Mexico bio, Review of Herrera's collegiate career

Further Reading

• Michael Clair: "This former screwballer has found his second act", mlb.com, May 20, 2022. [1]