KingFish
02-23-2002, 04:16 PM
WINTER HAVEN, Florida (Ticker) -- C.C. Sabathia, the Cleveland Indians' best pitcher as a rookie last season, signed a four-year contract on Saturday.
Financial terms were not disclosed for the lefthander. The contract includes a club option for the 2006 season.
The 21-year-old Sabathia was the youngest player in the major leagues last season, but pitched with the poise of a veteran, compiling a 17-5 record with a 4.39 ERA in 33 starts.
Sabathia posted the most wins by an Indians rookie since Gene Bearden won 20 in 1948 and led all first-year players in triumphs, starts and strikeouts (171).
"C.C. Sabathia is not only a special talent, but a special person," Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said. "He is emblematic of the kind of individual we want representing the Cleveland Indians franchise both in the present and in the future."
Sabathia finished second in the voting for American League Rookie of the Year behind Most Valuable Player Ichiro Suzuki of Seattle. The 20th overall pick in the 1998 draft, Sabathia also became the youngest pitcher ever to win an AL Division Series game when he defeated the Mariners.
Note: The following stories are the most recent wire transmissions from SportsTicker and other ESPN.com sources. Versions of some of these stories appear elsewhere on the service.
Financial terms were not disclosed for the lefthander. The contract includes a club option for the 2006 season.
The 21-year-old Sabathia was the youngest player in the major leagues last season, but pitched with the poise of a veteran, compiling a 17-5 record with a 4.39 ERA in 33 starts.
Sabathia posted the most wins by an Indians rookie since Gene Bearden won 20 in 1948 and led all first-year players in triumphs, starts and strikeouts (171).
"C.C. Sabathia is not only a special talent, but a special person," Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said. "He is emblematic of the kind of individual we want representing the Cleveland Indians franchise both in the present and in the future."
Sabathia finished second in the voting for American League Rookie of the Year behind Most Valuable Player Ichiro Suzuki of Seattle. The 20th overall pick in the 1998 draft, Sabathia also became the youngest pitcher ever to win an AL Division Series game when he defeated the Mariners.
Note: The following stories are the most recent wire transmissions from SportsTicker and other ESPN.com sources. Versions of some of these stories appear elsewhere on the service.