Background and career
Aaron Michael Harang (born May 9, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Atlanta Braves.
Harang graduated from Patrick Henry High School, then went on to San Diego State University. He was first drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 22nd round of the 1996 amateur draft, but did not sign with the team. In 1998, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
After college, Harang was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 6th round of the 1999 draft and signed with them. He played for the rookie-level Pulaski Rangers in 1999, finishing with a 9–2 record and 2.30 ERA in 16 appearances (10 starts), including one complete game shutout. He was selected as the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year and made the postseason all-star team. In 2000, with the Charlotte Rangers, he was 13–5 with a 3.32 ERA in 27 starts and was selected as a Florida State League All-Star.
In 2000, Harang was traded with minor leaguer Ryan Cullen to the Oakland Athletics for Randy Velarde. He played with the AA Midland RockHounds in 2001, starting 27 games with a 10–8 record and 4.14 ERA. Harang made his Major League debut for the Athletics on May 25, 2002, against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He pitched seven shutout innings in his debut, with 10 strikeouts, to record the win. He started 15 games for the team that season, and also made 1 relief appearance. He finished 5–4 with a 4.83 ERA. In 2003, he started 6 games, with a 1–3 record and 5.34 ERA.
During the 2003 season, Harang was traded to the Reds with Joe Valentine and minor leaguer Jeff Bruksch for José Guillén. In 2004, he went 10–9 with a 4.83 ERA for the Reds. In 2005, Harang led the Reds with 11 wins, 211+2⁄3 innings pitched, 163 strikeouts, and 19 quality starts. He was the first Reds pitcher to pitch 200 innings in a season since Elmer Dessens in 2001. He received votes for NL Pitcher of the Month in May after going 3–1 with 1.93 ERA over five starts.
In 2006, Harang started on Opening Day for the Reds on April 3 against the Chicago Cubs and allowed 9 runs (6 earned) over 5 innings. In his third start of the season, Harang pitched 7 shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, facing off against reigning Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter. Harang allowed 4 hits and got 4 strikeouts, also driving in the only run of the game as the Reds won 1–0. Harang pitched a complete game shutout against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 23, allowing five hits as the Reds won 11–0. Harang led the National League in 2006 with 6 complete games and 216 strikeouts, topping Jake Peavy by only 1 strikeout. He also tied for the league lead with 16 wins and 35 starts. However, he received no votes for the Cy Young Award, won by Brandon Webb. Harang was the 11th National League pitcher since 1956 to lead the National League in both wins and strikeouts, with all other league leaders also winning the Cy Young Award. On February 6, 2007, Harang signed a four-year, $36.5 million contract extension with the Reds. On July 23, he pitched 10 innings, throwing 121 pitches, becoming the first Reds pitcher to pitch 10 innings since 1989. However, he received a no-decision because the Reds did not win the game until the 12th inning. On September 3, he became the victim of the 3,000th strikeout recorded by Pedro Martínez. Harang ended the season with an NL-leading 4.19 strikeout-to-walk ratio and tied for the lead with 12 wild pitches. In 2008, he led the majors in giving up 19 home runs at home. His homefield, Great American Ballpark, allow the second-most home runs that season. Harang hit his first career home run on July 24, 2009, a three-run shot to left field off of Randy Wells of the Cubs. However, Harang lost that game to Wells and the Cubs. He missed the end of the 2009 season after undergoing an emergency appendectomy in August. He ended the season with a 4.21 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 6–14 record. In September 2010, Harang was removed from the starting rotation due to ineffectiveness and having been on the DL for two months due to back spasms. In a ceremonial "goodbye," he started the final game of the season against the Brewers, but exited in the third inning with a blister on his finger. Harang was left off the Reds 2010 playoff roster. On November 3, 2010, the Reds bought Harang out of his 2011 contract option, making him a free agent.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
