Rich Harden

James Richard "Rich" Harden (born November 30, 1981) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He has pitched for the Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.

Early years

Harden attended Claremont Secondary School in Victoria, British Columbia. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 38th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft, but instead attended Central Arizona College, which he graduated in 2001. While there he played baseball alongside future MLB All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler.

He led all Division I Junior College pitchers with 127 strikeouts in 2001, and his ERA of 2.14 was the 5th lowest in the nation. In his first professional season as a 19-year-old with the Vancouver Canadians in Single-A, Harden had a 2–4 record in 18 games (14 starts), a 3.39 ERA, allowed only 47 hits and struck out 100 batters in 74 innings.

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

Harden was drafted by the Athletics in the 17th round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft, and signed by the team on May 28, 2001, shortly after graduating.