Scott Elarton

Did You Know?

• On January 14, 2014, Elarton was named pitching coach for the Gulf Coast League Pirates.
• He later served as pitching coach for the Pirates' High-A affiliate, the Bradenton Marauders.
• Elarton was later named a special assistant to the general manager in the Pirates' front office.

Playing career

Scott Elarton was just 18 when the Houston Astros picked him 25th overall in the first round of the 1994 MLB draft. Instead of going to college, he jumped straight into the minors, making his pro debut that same year with the Gulf Coast League Astros. In five starts there, he went 4-0, didn't allow a single run, and struck out 28 batters over 28 innings. That earned him a promotion to Single-A Quad Cities, where he posted a 4-1 record and a 3.79 ERA in nine starts. He stayed with Quad Cities for the 1995 season, going 13-7 with a 4.45 ERA across 26 starts.

Before the 1996 season, Baseball America ranked Elarton as Houston's fifth-best prospect. That year, he moved up to High-A with the Kissimmee Cobras, putting together a 12-7 record and a 2.92 ERA in 27 starts. He also threw three complete games, including one shutout, and struck out 130 batters. In 1997, he split time between Double-A Jackson and Triple-A New Orleans, combining for an 11-8 record and a 3.84 ERA over 29 starts.

Elarton made his big-league debut on June 20, 1998, at age 22, facing the Cincinnati Reds. He allowed four earned runs on five hits and struck out nine, but didn't get a decision. Most of his 1998 season was spent as a reliever, and he finished with a 2-2 record, two saves, and a 3.32 ERA in 28 games (only two starts). In the 1998 postseason, during Game 3 of the NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, he gave up a game-winning home run to Jim Leyritz, taking the loss in a 2-1 defeat. The Astros lost the series in four games.

Elarton began the 1999 season in the bullpen but moved into the starting rotation in early July. He ended the year with a 9-5 record, one save, and a 3.48 ERA in 42 appearances (15 starts). In the 1999 NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, he made two relief appearances, posting a 3.86 ERA with four strikeouts. The Astros again lost the series in four games. After the season, Elarton had shoulder surgery to repair a partial rotator cuff tear.

He started the 2000 season on the disabled list and went through minor league rehab. Despite the injury, he turned in the best season of his career, going 17-7 with a 4.81 ERA in 30 starts for a struggling Astros team that finished 72-90. Pitching at the hitter-friendly Enron Field, he won twice as many games as any other pitcher on the staff and was named the team's Pitcher of the Year.