Highlighted Year: Rolando Arrojo, 1998

Pitcher, Tampa Bay Devil Rays

 

Age:  33 (July 18)

1^st season with Devil Rays

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’4”    Weight: 215 

Prior to 1998:

A native of Cuba where he was the son of an impoverished sugar cane worker in San Juan de las Yeras, Arrojo taught himself to pitch by throwing rag balls toward a target on the side of a barn and played soccer for exercise. He joined the Villa Clara team in the Cuban National Series, the country’s top baseball league, as a 19-year-old. Appearing in 15 games during his first season (1985-86) he posted an 8-2 record with a 3.15 ERA, 7 complete games, and 49 strikeouts over 91.1 innings pitched. He ended up spending 10 seasons with Villa Clara and produced a 75-34 record with a 3.10 ERA, 59 complete games, 13 shutouts, and 467 strikeouts over 822.1 innings. He also pitched for the Cuban National team that won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics. He had an impressive fastball and an array of off-speed pitches which he threw from a variety of different arm angles. Arrojo defected to the United States while with the Cuban National team for an international tournament in Georgia just prior to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. His wife and children soon joined him by escaping from Cuba and, claiming to be 27 when he was actually at least four years older, he received a $7 million signing bonus from the Devil Rays in 1997, who had a minor league organization a year prior to the club’s AL debut. Assigned to St. Petersburg of the advanced Class A Florida State League, he went 5-6 with a 3.43 ERA and 73 strikeouts over 89.1 innings pitched. He excelled in the Arizona Fall League, posting a 5-0 tally with a 1.35 ERA, which persuaded the Devil Rays to move him directly into the starting rotation for 1998.

1998 Season Summary

Appeared in 32 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 32

Games Started – 32 [19, tied with eight others]

Complete Games – 2

Wins – 14 [15, tied with four others]

Losses – 12 [18, tied with Jeff Fassero]

PCT - .538

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 2 [5, tied with seven others]

Innings Pitched – 202

Hits – 195

Runs – 84

Earned Runs – 80

Home Runs – 21

Bases on Balls – 65

Strikeouts – 152 [16]

ERA – 3.56 [9]

Hit Batters – 19 [1]

Balks – 1 [10, tied with many others]

Wild Pitches – 3

League-leading hit batters were +4 ahead of runner-up David Cone

Midseason Snapshot: 10-5, ERA – 3.06, SO - 96 in 120.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 9 (in 7 IP) vs. Texas 6/1, (in 7 IP) at Boston 6/12

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 3 (in 9 IP) at Minnesota 4/30, (in 9 IP) at KC Royals 5/6, (in 7 IP) at Anaheim 7/16, (in 7 IP) at Detroit 8/30

Batting

PA – 3, AB – 3, R – 0, H – 0, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 0, SO – 2, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .000, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 61

Put Outs – 17

Assists – 40

Errors – 4

DP – 5

Pct. - .934

Awards & Honors:

AL Rookie Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star

2^nd in AL Rookie of the Year voting (61 points - 4 first place votes, 44% share)

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In their inaugural season, the Devil Rays went 63-99 to finish fifth (last) in the AL Eastern Division, 51 games behind the division-winning New York Yankees. The pitching staff led the league in bases on balls issued (643) and fewest saves (28). The Devil Rays got off to a 10-6 start before losing 8 of their next 9 games. They struggled the rest of the way. They drew 2,506,293 fans to Tropicana Field. After his fine first half of the season, Arrojo wore down in the second half, going 1-7 in one stretch.

Aftermath of 1998:

Arrojo’s performance dropped off significantly in 1999 as he posted a 7-12 record with a 5.18 ERA and 107 strikeouts over 140.2 innings. He encountered injury problems, struggled against lefthanded batters, and hitters who found his delivery so baffling in 1998 appeared to adjust to him. In the offseason he was traded to the Colorado Rockies along with infielder Aaron Ledesma for third baseman Vinny Castilla. Experiencing difficulty in adjusting to pitching in Denver, Arrojo started 19 games for the Rockies in 2000 and was 5-9 with a 6.04 ERA when he was dealt to the Boston Red Sox in July as part of a seven-player deal. He went 5-2 with a 5.05 ERA in 13 starts for Boston to finish with a combined 10-11 tally with a 5.63 ERA, 68 walks, and 124 strikeouts across 172.2 innings. Working primarily out of the bullpen in 2001 (9 starts in 41 appearances), Arrojo compiled a 5-4 record and 3.48 ERA with 78 strikeouts over 103.1 innings pitched. Following a lesser performance in 2002 (4-3 record with a 4.98 ERA in 29 appearances, 8 of them starts), he was waived by the Red Sox in the offseason and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2003. Failing to make the club in the spring, he was released and signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees in May. He made four appearances with the Columbus Clippers of the Class AAA International League before his career came to an end. For his major league career, Arrojo posted a 40-42 record and a 4.55 ERA with 6 saves and 512 strikeouts over 700 innings pitched. His first season with Tampa Bay was by far his best and he was plagued by injuries and inconsistency thereafter as he was never again able to perform at the level he attained in Cuba.  

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.