Topic: Sidney Ponson

Sidney Alton Ponson (born November 2, 1976 in Noord, Aruba) is a starting pitcher with the Kansas City Royals. Ponson stands at 6'1" tall and weighs 260 pounds. He bats and throws right-handed. When he made his Major League debut for the Orioles in 1998, he became the third player from Aruba to play in the major leagues. After the 2003 season, he was decorated with a Order of Orange-Nassau, in the grade Knight, along with fellow baseball players Eugene Kingsale and Calvin Maduro. He was picked up by the Orioles as an amateur in 1993.

Ponson has played most of his career with the Baltimore Orioles. In 2003, he went 14-6 with a 3.77 ERA for the Orioles. Because Baltimore was not in contention for a playoff spot and Ponson was in the last year of his contract, the Orioles traded Ponson to the San Francisco Giants at the trading deadline for three players: Kurt Ainsworth, Damian Moss, and prospect Ryan Hannaman. At the end of the 2003 season, Ponson re-signed a 3 year, $22.5 million contract with the Orioles.

In 2004, Ponson was the opening day starter for Baltimore. However, he started off disastrously; his record was 3-12 by the All-Star Break. He rebounded for a strong second half, going 8-3 to finish with an 11-15 record and a 5.30 ERA.