Rolando Arrojo

From SoSH

Luis Rolando Arrojo Avila (born July 18, 1968) was a member of the Cuban National Team that took the gold in the 1992 Olympics. One of the top pitchers in the country -- Fidel Castro once called him the best of his generation -- Arrojo won all ten of his starts in international competition but was paid just $11 a month. As a member of the Cuban team, Arrojo made numerous trips to the U.S. and decided to defect during a 1996 tournament in Albany, Georgia.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Awards 3 Moment in the Sun 4 Trivia 5 Transactions 6 External Links

Overall Career

Signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for a $7 million bonus in 1997, Arrojo became the expansion club's ace and first All-Star in 1998 while posting a 14-12 record and 3.56 ERA in his first season. No Cuban had posted as many wins since Luis Tiant won 21 in 1978. But after a frustrating sophomore slump in 1999 (7-12, 5.18), Arrojo was sent to the Colorado Rockies with the Brewers' Jeff Cirillo as part of a four-team deal that brought Vinny Castilla to Tampa Bay. Later that year, Arrojo was traded to the Red Sox in a deal that sent once-promising prospect Brian Rose to Colorado. Arrojo would spend parts of three mediocre seasons with the Sox, pitching in 83 games (30 starts) and compiling an overall line of 14-9 with a 4.39 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. While in Boston, Arrojo wore uniform number 44.

Awards

• 1998 American League All-Star

Moment in the Sun

• In 1998, Arrojo was 14-12 with a 3.56 ERA (ninth best in the league) and a 1.287 WHIP in 202 innings. He also pitched 2 complete game shutouts. Arrojo's adjusted ERA+ of 137 in 1998 was fifth in the league.

Trivia

• Arrojo won a gold medal for Cuba at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
• Arrojo was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' first ever All-Star (1998)
• Arrojo was consistent in one respect: from 1998 to 2001, he was among his league's top ten pitchers each year in hit batsmen:
  • 1998: 19 hit batters (led AL)
  • 1999: 14 hit batters (2nd in AL)
  • 2000: 12 hit batters in NL (5th in NL), plus 4 in AL
  • 2001: 12 hit batters (9th in AL)
• Ben Affleck, visiting the Red Sox television broadcast booth on May 29, 2002 in Toronto, cynically noted that Rolando Arrojo had "managed to keep his Arrojo-ness under control" in pitching decently. Affleck also criticized Lou Merloni for complaining about returning to Pawtucket, Trot Nixon for his difficulty hitting lefties, and Rich Garces for ineffective pitching. The actor later apologized for his remarks.

Transactions

• April 21, 1997: Signed as a non-drafted free agent by Tampa Bay Devil Rays
• December 13, 1999: Traded by Tampa Bay Devil Rays with Aaron Ledesma to Colorado Rockies in exchange for Vinny Castilla
• July 27, 2000: Traded by Colorado Rockies with Rich Croushore, Mike Lansing and cash to Boston Red Sox in exchange for Jeff Frye, Brian Rose, John Wasdin and Jeff Taglienti

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis