Neftalí Feliz Stats

Neftalí Feliz was born on Monday, May 2, 1988, in Azua de Compostela, Azua, Dominican Republic. Feliz was 21 years old when he broke into the big leagues on August 3, 2009, with the Texas Rangers. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Neftalí Feliz baseball stats page.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"I was aware of it (the 2002 rookie saves mark set by former Seattle closer Kazuhiro Sasaki), but I was happier because it was a big win. I'm glad everything's turned out the way it's turned out because I've been able to contribute. I'm happy for that." – Neftali Feliz (Wilson, Jeff. The Dallas Morning News: Spotlight on: Rangers closer Neftali Feliz. 24 September 2010.)

Neftalí Feliz

Neftali Feliz Autograph on a 2009 Topps Heritage Baseball Card (#545)

Neftali Feliz Autograph on a 2009 Topps Heritage Baseball Card (#545)

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Birth Name:   Neftalí Feliz (Twitter: @NefFeliz)
Nickname:   Neffi
Born On:   05-02-1988  (Taurus)
Place of Birth Data Born In:   Azua de Compostela, Azua, Dominican Republic
Year of Death Data Died On:   Still Living (1,000 Oldest Living)
Place of Death Data Died In:   Still Living
Cemetery:   n/a
High School:   Escuela Sofia Benitez (Azua, Dominican Republic)
College:   None Attended
Batting Stances Chart Bats:   Right   Throwing Arms Chart Throws:   Right
Player Height Chart Height:   6-03   Player Weight Chart Weight:   235
First Game:   08-03-2009 (Age 21)
Last Game:   Still Active
Draft:   Undrafted Free Agent / Signing Bonus = $100,000

Neftalí Feliz

Neftalí Feliz Pitching Stats

2009 21 Rangers 20 0 3 1 0 1.000 1.74 0 0 2 31.0 117 13 6 6 2 8 0 39 0 3 0 9
2010 22 Rangers 70 0 59 4 3 .571 2.73 0 0 40 69.1 269 43 21 21 5 18 1 71 5 5 0 3
2011 23 Rangers 64 0 56 2 3 .400 2.74 0 0 32 62.1 252 42 19 22 4 30 1 54 2 0 1 0
2012 24 Rangers 8 7 0 3 1 .750 3.16 1 0 0 42.2 175 28 15 15 5 23 0 37 0 2 0 0
2013 25 Rangers 6 0 2 0 0 .000 0.00 0 0 0 4.2 21 5 0 0 0 2 0 4 0 1 0 0
2014 26 Rangers 30 0 22 2 1 .667 1.99 0 0 13 31.2 122 20 7 7 5 11 0 21 1 0 0 0
2015 27 Rangers 18 0 12 1 2 .333 4.58 0 0 6 19.2 91 24 10 10 2 9 3 16 2 0 0 0
2015 27 Tigers 30 0 12 2 2 .500 7.62 0 0 4 28.1 121 33 24 24 3 9 3 23 2 1 0 2
2016 28 Pirates 62 0 6 4 2 .667 3.52 0 0 2 53.2 218 40 21 21 10 21 1 61 3 1 0 29
2017 29 Brewers 29 0 21 1 5 .167 6.00 0 0 8 27.0 115 23 18 22 8 15 2 21 0 0 0 0
2017 29 Royals 20 0 10 1 0 1.000 4.74 0 0 0 19.0 81 17 10 11 1 8 0 16 1 1 0 2
2021 33 Phillies 2 0 0 0 1 .000 36.00 0 0 0 1.0 9 4 4 4 1 1 0 2 0 1 0 0
2021 33 Dodgers 3 0 1 0 0 .000 0.00 0 0 0 3.0 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
10 Years 362 7 204 21 20 .512 3.55 1 0 107 393.1 1,601 293 155 163 46 155 11 366 16 15 1 45

Neftalí Feliz

Neftalí Feliz Hitting Stats

2009 21 Rangers 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2010 22 Rangers 70 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2011 23 Rangers 64 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2012 24 Rangers 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2013 25 Rangers 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2014 26 Rangers 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2015 27 Rangers 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2015 27 Tigers 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2016 28 Pirates 62 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2017 29 Brewers 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2017 29 Royals 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2021 33 Phillies 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
2021 33 Dodgers 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
10 Years 362 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000

Neftalí Feliz

Neftalí Feliz Fielding Stats

2009 Rangers P 20 0 93 5 0.3 4 1 3 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .800 1.16
2010 Rangers P 70 0 207 5 0.1 5 3 2 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 0.65
2011 Rangers P 64 0 186 14 0.2 13 9 4 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .929 1.89
2012 Rangers P 8 7 128 4 0.5 4 0 4 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 0.84
2013 Rangers P 6 0 15 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
2014 Rangers P 30 0 96 6 0.2 6 4 2 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.69
2015 Rangers P 18 0 59 2 0.1 2 0 2 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 0.92
2015 Tigers P 30 0 85 5 0.2 5 4 1 0 2 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.59
2016 Pirates P 62 0 161 6 0.1 6 1 5 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.01
2017 Brewers P 29 0 81 7 0.2 7 2 5 0 2 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.33
2017 Royals P 20 0 57 4 0.2 3 3 0 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .750 1.42
2021 Phillies P 2 0 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
2021 Dodgers P 3 0 9 1 0.3 1 1 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 3.00
P Totals 362 7 1,180 59 0.2 56 28 28 3 6 n/a n/a n/a .949 1.28
10 Years 362 7 1,180 59 0.2 56 28 28 3 6 n/a n/a n/a .949 1.28

Neftalí Feliz

Neftalí Feliz Miscellaneous Stats

2009 Rangers 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.88 11.32 2.32
2010 Rangers 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.94 9.22 2.34
2011 Rangers 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.80 7.80 4.33
2012 Rangers 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 2.0 0.0 1.61 7.80 4.85
2013 Rangers 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.00 7.71 3.86
2014 Rangers 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.91 5.97 3.13
2015 Rangers 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.78 7.32 4.12
2015 Tigers 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.56 7.31 2.86
2016 Pirates 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.90 10.23 3.52
2017 Brewers 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.40 7.00 5.00
2017 Royals 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.00 7.58 3.79
2021 Phillies 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.00 18.00 9.00
2021 Dodgers 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 3.00 0.00
10 Years 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 2.0 0.0 2.36 8.37 3.55

Neftalí Feliz

Neftalí Feliz Miscellaneous Items of Interest

2009 Texas Rangers 30 $400,000.00 - -
2010 Texas Rangers 30 $402,000.00 Stats Stats
2011 Texas Rangers 30 $457,160.00 - Stats
2012 Texas Rangers 30 $502,000.00 - -
2013 Texas Rangers 30 $2,900,000.00 - -
2014 Texas Rangers 30 $3,000,000.00 - -
2015 Texas Rangers 30 $4,125,000.00 - -
2015 Detroit Tigers 39 "     "     - -
2016 Pittsburgh Pirates 30 $3,900,000.00 - -
2017 Milwaukee Brewers 37 $5,350,000.00 - -
2017 Kansas City Royals 43 "     "     - -
2021 Philadelphia Phillies 96 $1,150,000.00 - -
2021 Los Angeles Dodgers 25 "     "     - -

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Did you know that Neftali Feliz was the first rookie pitcher in Major League history to record forty saves during a season? On September 25, 2010, Feliz earned his thirty-eighth save of the season, breaking the single-season record for saves by a rookie previously held by Kazuhiro Sasaki of the Seattle Mariners, who had thirty-seven in 2000.

Neftali Feliz was easily one of the most hyped prospects of his time when he made his Major League debut. Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects (Aaron Fit, 01/25/2010, Source), had him listed as the #1 overall prospect for the Texas Rangers, the #1 rated fastball amongst Rangers' pitchers, the #1 rated starter amongst all Rangers' pitchers, and the fifth best pitching prospect across all the teams. During his first full season, Feliz set a new record (see fact above), threw the third fastest recorded pitch in Major League history, was named to the 2010 All-Star Game, and won Rookie of the Year (only the second by a Ranger, the first was Mike Hargrove - thirty-six years earlier). Baseball America rookie analysis (seen below) was spot on:

Background: Originally signed by the Braves for $100,000 out of the Dominican Republic, Feliz came to the Rangers in a five-prospect package for Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay in July 2007. At the time, he hadn't pitched above Rookie ball, but Feliz since has made a name for himself as one of the most exciting young pitchers in baseball. Texas also received Elvis Andrus, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison and Beau Jones in one of the best trades in franchise history. Feliz reached Double-A Frisco at age 20 and led the minors with 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings in his first full season in the Rangers system in 2008. He opened last season working as a starter at Triple-A Oklahoma, moving to the bullpen in late June to prepare him for a big league callup, which came in early August. Feliz electrified the home crowd in his major league debut, becoming the first Ranger ever to strike out four straight batters to start his career and touching 100 mph six times in 30 pitches over two perfect innings. He took the American League by storm over the next two months, dominating in 20 relief appearances.

Strengths: An exceptional athlete with a fluid arm action, Feliz generates premium velocity with minimal effort, and scouts constantly comment that it looks like he's playing catch from the mound. His fastball explodes on hitters, sitting at 93-98 mph and touching triple digits. His fastball also has good late life and he commands it well, making it a true 80 pitch on the 20-80 scouting scale. Feliz made great strides with his changeup in 2009, and it now ranks as his No. 2 pitch. He maintains his arm speed on his changeup, and it can be a plus offering though it's as hard as some pitchers' fastballs at 89-90 mph. His athletic, physical frame should help him hold up under a starter's workload. He has a confident, aggressive mound presence and doesn't get rattled easily.

Weaknesses: Feliz is still working on improving his feel for his breaking ball. In Triple-A, one of every three or four was a quality big league pitch, and he actually was more consistent and comfortable with it after his callup. At its best, the pitch is an 82-85 mph power curveball with 11-to-5 break, but it tends to flatten out at times and will probably turn into more of a slider. When he worked as a starter, Feliz had a tendency to work at 92-93 mph with his fastball in the early innings, then peak in the high 90s in the middle to late innings. In relief, he had to learn to dial up his stuff from the start of his outings. Feliz still is refining his command, particularly with his secondary stuff.

The Future: Because of his ability to hold his exceptional fastball velocity deep into games, Feliz profiles as a potential No. 1 starter if he can improve his breaking ball. The Rangers plan to break him in as a starter in 2010, but if he struggles they could move him back into the bullpen, where he could be a shutdown closer.

The first Texas Rangers pitcher to come within a single strikeout of a World Series championship, was Neftali Feliz. The ace closer entered Game 6 of the 2011 World Series with a two-run lead in the ninth inning, Rangers ahead in the Series 3-2. Feliz struck out Ryan Theriot to start the inning, but gave up a double to Albert Pujols then walked Lance Berkman. Allen Craig went down on strikes leaving him one out away from a ring. David Freese dug in with two on, two outs, but quickly fell behind 1-2 - a single strikeout away at that point. Feliz fired a 98-mph fastball, Freese blasted it to right field, Nelson Cruz appeared to have it in his sights, but the ball slipped away, hit the wall, Freese had a triple, and the Cardinals had tied it, sending the game to extra innings where they eventually won, forced a Game 7, then took the Series away from the Rangers.