barry zito

3-time All-Star signed 7-year contract with Giants Dec. 29, 2006, becoming highest profile free agent pitcher in franchise history...28-year-old southpaw has fashioned outstanding start to career, going 102-63 with 3.55 ERA in 222 Major League starts since 2000 debut...his .618 winning percentage is 12th-best among active pitchers, while he has limited opponents to just .232 batting avg. against -- 4th-lowest mark among current hurlers with at least 1,400 innings...2002 American League Cy Young Award winner has registered at least 10 wins and 200 innings in each of his 6 full seasons in majors, surpassing 14-victory barrier 5 times and 220-frame marker on 4 occasions...in fact, beginning with his 1st full campaign in 2001, has averaged nearly 16 wins, 35 starts and 223.0 innings per year...has never missed start in his career, while pacing majors with 208 opening assignments since 2001 (Greg Maddux is 2nd with 206)...during 6-year stretch from 2001-06, ranks 3rd in big leagues for innings pitched (1,337.2), 4th for wins (95) and 9th for strikeouts (1,018)...workhorse is 1 of only 4 ML pitchers to log at least 200 innings over that span, joining Mark Buehrle, Freddy Garcia and Livan Hernandez...helped his Oakland Athletics teams to 5 playoff berths in 7 years by being game's best 2nd-half pitcher, going 59-27 with 3.26 ERA in 108 career starts after All-Star Break...59 post-Break victories are most by any pitcher since 2000, eclipsing such stalwarts as Tim Hudson (57 wins), Andy Pettitte (56), Maddux (55) and Bartolo Colon (54)...has led AL in starts 4 times, while also ranking among junior circuit's top 10 in ERA during 4 different campaigns...in 108 lifetime starts with at least 4 runs of support, is 85-4 (.955)...originally selected by A's in 1st round (9th pick overall) of 1999 First-Year Player Draft, leaves club with name etched throughout Oakland-era leaderboard...is 4th in Oakland annals for wins, strikeouts (1,096) and starts, while placing 5th for winning pct. and innings pitched (1,430.1)...also ranked 2nd with 11 career double-digit strikeout games, behind only Vida Blue's 21 such efforts.