Mark Hamburger

Mark John Hamburger

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 195 lb.
• School Mesabi Range Community College
• High School Mounds View High School
• Debut August 31, 2011
• Final Game September 26, 2011
• Born February 5, 1987 in St. Paul, MN USA

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Biographical Information

Mark Hamburger made it to the majors in 2011.

Hamburger was undrafted out of college, but was signed by scout Mark Wilson for his hometown Minnesota Twins as a free agent after an open tryout at the Metrodome. In his pro debut in 2007, he was 2-1 with a 1.20 ERA in eight outings for the GCL Twins. He began 2008 with the Elizabethton Twins (1-2, 4.17, 13 Sv, 40 K in 36 2/3 IP) then was dealt to the Texas Rangers for Eddie Guardado on August 25. Assigned to the Clinton Lumber Kings, Hamburger allowed one run in four innings and picked up three saves, then tossed 1 1/3 shutout innings in the playoffs. He led the Appalachian League in saves and appearances and was named the league's All-Star relief pitcher.

With the 2009 Hickory Crawdads, Mark fell to 2-9, 4.75 with a save and a .282 opponent average, plus missed two weeks late in the year with a calf strain. He began 2010 with the Bakersfield Blaze and was 3-2 with 18 saves and a 1.77 ERA before being called up to the Frisco RoughRiders. He went 1-0 with 3 saves and a 3.20 ERA following the promotion. Overall, he was 4-2, 2.20 in 50 appearances between the two teams, with 21 saves and 69 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings. In 2011, he started at Frisco then moved to the AAA Round Rock Express after 11 games. He was 8-4, 3.39 in 42 games with 4 saves, as he was used for longer outings than the preceding season, racking up 82 1/3 innings and 70 strikeouts.

Hamburger was called up to the Rangers to make his major league debut on August 31, 2011. He pitched a perfect inning in relief against the Tampa Bay Rays in his debut. Relieving Mark Lowe, he retired John Jaso, Sean Rodriguez and Desmond Jennings. His major league career consisted of just 5 games, all that season, with no decisions and a 4.50 ERA in 8 innings.

Primary Source: 2010 Rangers Media Guide

Related Sites

• Mark Hamburger on mlb.com