Carlos Zambrano
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2001-2012)
Carlos Zambrano was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2001 to 2012 for the Chicago Cubs and the Miami Marlins, a span of 12 seasons. Across 354 career appearances, he went 132-91 with a 3.66 ERA and 1,637 strikeouts. He also batted .238 with 24 home runs. Carlos Zambrano was a 3-time All-Star and a 3-time Silver Slugger. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 16362.1.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'4" / 275 lb
- MLB Debut
- 2001-08-20
- Last Game
- 2012-09-21
- Awards
- 3× All-Star · 3× Silver Slugger
Full name: Carlos Alberto Zambrano
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | CHN | NL | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 15.26 | — | 0.0 |
| 2002 | CHN | NL | 4 | 8 | 32 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 108.1 | 94 | 44 | 63 | 93 | 3.66 | 4.28 (+15%) | 270.1 |
| 2003 | CHN | NL | 13 | 11 | 32 | 32 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 214.0 | 188 | 74 | 94 | 168 | 3.11 | 4.40 (+29%) | 5214.8 |
| 2004 | CHN | NL | 16 | 8 | 31 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 209.2 | 174 | 64 | 81 | 188 | 2.75 | 4.46 (+38%) | 4896.6 |
| 2005 | CHN | NL | 14 | 6 | 33 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 223.1 | 170 | 81 | 86 | 202 | 3.26 | 4.29 (+24%) | 3473.6 |
| 2006 | CHN | NL | 16 | 7 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 214.0 | 162 | 81 | 115 | 210 | 3.41 | 4.53 (+25%) | 2175.2 |
| 2007 | CHN | NL | 18 | 13 | 34 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 216.1 | 187 | 95 | 101 | 177 | 3.95 | 4.47 (+12%) | -578.9 |
| 2008 | CHN | NL | 14 | 6 | 30 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 188.2 | 172 | 82 | 72 | 130 | 3.91 | 4.32 (+10%) | 437.6 |
| 2009 | CHN | NL | 9 | 7 | 28 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 169.1 | 155 | 71 | 78 | 152 | 3.77 | 4.32 (+13%) | 3114.3 |
| 2010 | CHN | NL | 11 | 6 | 36 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 129.2 | 119 | 48 | 69 | 117 | 3.33 | 4.08 (+18%) | 1226.0 |
| 2011 | CHN | NL | 9 | 7 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 145.2 | 154 | 78 | 56 | 101 | 4.82 | 3.94 (-22%) | -2360.5 |
| 2012 | MIA | NL | 7 | 10 | 35 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 132.1 | 123 | 66 | 75 | 95 | 4.49 | 4.01 (-12%) | -1506.6 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 132 | 91 | 354 | 302 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 1,959.0 | 1,709 | 797 | 898 | 1,637 | 3.66 | — | 16,362 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 384 | 693 | 75 | 165 | 26 | 3 | 24 | 71 | 1 | 10 | 240 | .238 | .248 | .388 | .636 | -1,372 |
Career AVG .238 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 9.3% below league average.
Career OBP .248 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 25.1% below league average.
Career SLG .388 vs. league average .417 across their career seasons — 7.0% below league average.
Career OPS .636 vs. league average .748 across their career seasons — 15.0% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | CHN | NL | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2002 | CHN | NL | 32 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | .033 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2003 | CHN | NL | 32 | 75 | 9 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 26 | .240 | .264 (-9%) | .332 (-25%) | .422 (-8%) | .754 (-16%) | -213.6 |
| 2004 | CHN | NL | 31 | 70 | 8 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 29 | .229 | .266 (-14%) | .335 (-23%) | .427 (-33%) | .762 (-29%) | -344.0 |
| 2005 | CHN | NL | 34 | 80 | 8 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 25 | .300 | .264 (+13%) | .330 (-9%) | .418 (+10%) | .749 (+2%) | -14.5 |
| 2006 | CHN | NL | 37 | 73 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 27 | .151 | .269 (-44%) | .336 (-52%) | .431 (-8%) | .768 (-27%) | -375.0 |
| 2007 | CHN | NL | 37 | 81 | 9 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 29 | .247 | .268 (-8%) | .335 (-26%) | .422 (-18%) | .758 (-22%) | -302.8 |
| 2008 | CHN | NL | 38 | 83 | 9 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 24 | .337 | .263 (+28%) | .333 (+1%) | .416 (+33%) | .749 (+19%) | 236.0 |
| 2009 | CHN | NL | 35 | 69 | 7 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 28 | .217 | .262 (-17%) | .332 (-32%) | .417 (+11%) | .750 (-8%) | -138.7 |
| 2010 | CHN | NL | 42 | 52 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 15 | .231 | .257 (-10%) | .325 (-22%) | .402 (-28%) | .728 (-25%) | -219.3 |
| 2011 | CHN | NL | 25 | 44 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 14 | .318 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2012 | MIA | NL | 35 | 34 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .176 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 384 | 693 | 75 | 165 | 26 | 3 | 24 | 71 | 1 | 10 | 240 | .238 | — | — | — | — | -1,372 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | NLDS1 | CHN | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| 2007 | NLDS1 | CHN | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 |
| 2003 | NLCS | CHN | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 |
| 2003 | NLDS2 | CHN | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 29.0 | 35 | 14 | 8 | 27 | 4.34 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (738 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 192 | 331 | 40 | 77 | 13 | 34 | .233 |
| Away | 192 | 362 | 35 | 88 | 11 | 37 | .243 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 174 | 962.0 | 866 | 408 | 423 | 811 | 3.82 |
| Away | 180 | 997.0 | 843 | 389 | 475 | 826 | 3.51 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-09-21 | MIA | NYN | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012-09-16 | MIA | CIN | L | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012-09-07 | MIA | WAS | — | 0.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012-09-04 | MIA | MIL | — | 0.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012-09-02 | MIA | NYN | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012-08-24 | MIA | LAD | — | 1.0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012-08-22 | MIA | AZ | — | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012-08-21 | MIA | AZ | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012-08-17 | MIA | COL | — | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2012-08-13 | MIA | PHI | — | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 354 | 302 | 168 | 290 | 25 | 29 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | CHN | P | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 | CHN | P | 32 | 16 | 8 | 26 | 0 | 4 |
| 2003 | CHN | P | 32 | 32 | 19 | 46 | 4 | 2 |
| 2004 | CHN | P | 31 | 31 | 18 | 29 | 2 | 2 |
| 2005 | CHN | P | 33 | 33 | 21 | 34 | 2 | 4 |
| 2006 | CHN | P | 33 | 33 | 12 | 33 | 4 | 4 |
| 2007 | CHN | P | 34 | 34 | 20 | 28 | 1 | 1 |
| 2008 | CHN | P | 30 | 30 | 21 | 20 | 3 | 1 |
| 2009 | CHN | P | 28 | 28 | 19 | 23 | 3 | 2 |
| 2010 | CHN | P | 36 | 20 | 10 | 19 | 3 | 1 |
| 2011 | CHN | P | 24 | 24 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 5 |
| 2012 | MIA | P | 35 | 20 | 12 | 18 | 2 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 354 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Silver Slugger | P |
| 2008 | Player of the Week | Week of 2008-09-13 |
| 2008 | Silver Slugger | P |
| 2007 | Pitcher of the Month | July |
| 2006 | Pitcher of the Month | July |
| 2006 | Silver Slugger | P |
| 2004 | Pitcher of the Month | September |
Salary History
Carlos Zambrano's recorded salaries total $114,950,000 over 10 seasons, 2003 to 2012. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Zambrano's career ran from 2001 to 2012. No salary is recorded for 2001 and 2002.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | MIA | NL | $19,000,000 |
| 2011 | CHN | NL | $18,875,000 |
| 2010 | CHN | NL | $18,875,000 |
| 2009 | CHN | NL | $18,750,000 |
| 2008 | CHN | NL | $16,000,000 |
| 2007 | CHN | NL | $12,400,000 |
| 2006 | CHN | NL | $6,500,000 |
| 2005 | CHN | NL | $3,760,000 |
| 2004 | CHN | NL | $450,000 |
| 2003 | CHN | NL | $340,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $114,950,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Cy Young Award | NL | 5th | 3.0 | 160 | 0 |
| 2006 | Cy Young Award | NL | 5th | 6.0 | 160 | 0 |
| 2004 | Cy Young Award | NL | 5th | 8.0 | 160 | 0 |
| 2004 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 28th | 2.0 | 448 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Carlos Zambrano (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Carlos Zambrano
Carlos Zambrano: the record in brief
Carlos Zambrano played a first major league game on August 20, 2001 and a last one on September 21, 2012. The team column moves through the Chicago Cubs (2001 to 2011) and the Miami Marlins (2012). Zambrano, a pitcher by primary position, batted from both sides and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds. The birth record reads June 1, 1981, in Puerto Cabello, Carabobo, Venezuela. Zambrano's full given name, per the bio, is Carlos Alberto Zambrano.
Zambrano pitched in 354 games, starting 302, and finished with a 132-91 record and 3.66 ERA. The same table counts 1,637 strikeouts, 10 complete games, and 5 shutouts. Against a 4.29 league ERA for the same years, Zambrano was 14.7% better. Zambrano won 18 games in 2007, the most of any season listed. The strikeout high was 210 in 2006. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.75 in 2004, when the league's was 4.46.
Frequently Asked Questions about Carlos Zambrano
- What years did Carlos Zambrano play?
- Carlos Zambrano played in Major League Baseball from 2001 to 2012.
- Was Carlos Zambrano a pitcher?
- Yes. Carlos Zambrano pitched in the major leagues, recording 132 wins and 1637 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Carlos Zambrano hit?
- Carlos Zambrano hit 24 career home runs with 165 hits.
- What teams did Carlos Zambrano play for?
- Carlos Zambrano played for 2 teams: the Chicago Cubs (2001–2011) and the Miami Marlins (2012).
- Did Carlos Zambrano win a Cy Young Award?
- No. Carlos Zambrano did not win the Cy Young Award.
- What awards did Carlos Zambrano win?
- Carlos Zambrano won 3 Silver Slugger awards (2006, 2008, and 2009). He was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
- What were Carlos Zambrano's career stats?
- In 354 games, Carlos Zambrano went 132-91 with a 3.66 ERA, 1,637 strikeouts, and 1,959.0 innings pitched. At the plate he had 165 hits and 24 home runs.
- How much did Carlos Zambrano earn in his career?
- Carlos Zambrano's recorded salaries total $114,950,000 over 10 seasons, 2003 to 2012. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Zambrano's career ran from 2001 to 2012. No salary is recorded for 2001 and 2002.
- What was Carlos Zambrano's salary?
- Carlos Zambrano's last recorded salary was $19,000,000, in 2012. His highest recorded salary was $19,000,000, in 2012, and his lowest was $340,000, in 2003. The Salary History table lists each season from 2003 to 2012.
- What position did Carlos Zambrano play?
- Carlos Zambrano played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Carlos Zambrano and how much did he weigh?
- Carlos Zambrano was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 275 pounds.
- What was Carlos Zambrano's career ERA?
- Carlos Zambrano finished with a 3.66 career ERA, going 132-91 with 1,637 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Carlos Zambrano have?
- Carlos Zambrano recorded 1,637 career strikeouts.
- Is Carlos Zambrano in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Carlos Zambrano has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.