Alexi Ogando | |
---|---|
Pitcher | |
Born: San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic | October 5, 1983|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
Professional debut | |
MLB: June 15, 2010, for the Texas Rangers | |
KBO: April 1, 2017, for the Hanwha Eagles | |
Last appearance | |
MLB: May 4, 2018, for the Cleveland Indians | |
KBO: September 17, 2017, for the Hanwha Eagles | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 33–19 |
Earned run average | 3.50 |
Strikeouts | 408 |
KBO statistics | |
Win–loss record | 10–5 |
Earned run average | 3.93 |
Strikeouts | 74 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
Alexi Ogando Acosta (born October 5,1983) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers,Boston Red Sox,Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians,and in the KBO League for the Hanwha Eagles. He was an MLB All-Star in 2011.
Ogando was born in San Pedro de Macorís,Dominican Republic. He told the Oakland Athletics that his name was Argenis Benitez,and signed with the team for $15,000 as an outfielder in 2002. [1] [2] After playing his rookie season in the Dominican Summer League,Ogando batted .342 with 13 doubles,seven home runs (second in the Arizona League) and 36 runs batted in for the AZL Athletics in 2003. The organization learned Ogando's real name that season. [1] He began the 2004 campaign with the Vancouver Canadians,but after starting the season 0 for 13 and batting .150 in six games,he was demoted back to Arizona. Despite not joining the Arizona League until July 1,he finished second in the league with six home runs and had twenty extra base hits. As a hitter,Ogando was noted for his raw power and bat speed,drawing comparisons to Alex Ríos from his Arizona League Athletics manager Ruben Escalera. [3]
The Texas Rangers acquired Ogando in the rule 5 draft in December 2005 and converted him into a pitcher. [4] He earned an invitation to spring training in 2005;however,when he went to the U.S. embassy to pick up his work visa that January,consulate officials were waiting. They had noticed that an inordinate number of young minor league ballplayers had been married in a short period of time to women who had previously been denied visas,and it raised a red flag. Ogando immediately admitted guilt to his involvement in a human trafficking ring,and was assured that he would likely only receive a one-year exclusion,and that he would be able to reapply the following year. As it turned out,he was banned from entering the United States for five years,limiting him to winter ball,the Dominican Summer League and international tournaments. [5] [6] Further efforts included sending Ogando to workouts in Japan,to see if any Nippon Professional Baseball teams were interested in his services. [7] Japanese interest in Ogando was not high,and he spent three seasons out of the DSL Rangers' bullpen,going 11–3 with a 1.11 earned run average and 114 strikeouts and holding batters to a .209 batting average. The Texas Rangers contacted the United States government,then led by former team owner George W. Bush,and Ogando was eventually pardoned,after speaking out on the dangers of human trafficking. [8]
On February 12,2010,Ogando and Omar Beltré,who was also involved in the human trafficking ring out of the Dominican Republic,were granted visas,and allowed to attend spring training,arriving in the U.S. on February 16. [9] After spring training,he was assigned to the double A Frisco RoughRiders and soon earned a promotion to triple A after dominating the Texas League with a 1.15 ERA in 15.2 innings.
Although he made three starts with Frisco,he pitched exclusively in relief with the Oklahoma City RedHawks. He appeared in 11 games with Oklahoma City before earning a trip to the major leagues. He replaced starting pitcher Rich Harden on the 25 man roster when Harden was placed on the fifteen-day disabled list with a left gluteal muscle strain. [10] He made his major league debut on June 15,pitching one inning and earning the win against the Florida Marlins. [11] Playing in an NL park,Ogando also got his first hit as a batter. Ogando became just the third relief pitcher since 1900 to win his first three major league appearances. [12] Ogando finished the season with a 4–1 record and a 1.30 ERA. [13]
Ogando started the 2011 season as the Texas Rangers' fifth starter following an injury to Tommy Hunter in spring training. [14] He made his first start on April 5,pitching six scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners. [15] He started the season 7–0 with a 2.20 ERA and one of the lowest WHIPs in the major leagues. He lost his first game as a starter in a blowout against the Yankees. On July 10,2011,Ogando was named to the American League All Star team for the first time in his career. Ogando replaced CC Sabathia,who was replacing James Shields,because each was starting against each other on Sunday before the All-Star break. [16] [17]
Ogando's pitching performance saw a dramatic decline in the second-half of the season as his total innings far surpassed his 2010 totals. He finished 2011 with 13–8 record and a 3.51 ERA. [13]
In the playoffs,Ogando was converted back to a reliever and won in game 1 of the 2011 ALCS against the Detroit Tigers. [18] Of Ogando's versatility as a starter and reliever,manager Ron Washington remarked,"what a weapon to have". [19] In game 7 of the 2011 World Series,Ogando relieved Mike Gonzalez,who was injured and left the game with a 3-2 count on the batter,Allen Craig,and recorded the strikeout. [20] [21]
On June 9,2013,Ogando was added to the disabled list for the second time in the 2013 season. [22] He missed most of the 2014 season with injuries,pitching to a 2-3 record and a 6.84 ERA in 25 innings pitched. [23] He was non-tendered on December 2,2014,and became a free agent. [24]
Ogando signed a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox on January 30,2015. [23] He elected free agency on November 6,2015. [25]
Ogando joined the Atlanta Braves on a minor league deal in December 2015. [26] [27] The team purchased his contract on April 2,2016, [28] and designated him for assignment on June 27,and later released. [29]
On July 8,2016,Ogando signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. [30] He opted out of his contract with Arizona on August 3. [31] With the Triple-A Reno Aces,Ogando pitched to a 1–0 record and 13.50 ERA in 51⁄3 innings pitched. [32]
On January 10, 2017, Ogando signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League. [33] Ogando started the 13th game against KBO League Doosan Bears on August 9, 2017 in Jamsil Stadium. He was a winning pitcher, but he did not meet expectations. Despite the expectation of a 61-day return to the first game, but gave up six points, the game was left out of content. [34]
Ogando signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians on December 20, 2017. [35] The deal includes an invitation to the Indians' 2018 spring training camp.
The Indians purchased Ogando's contract on May 4, 2018. Ogando was optioned back to Triple-A Columbus after one appearance, then designated for assignment on May 20. He was outrighted to Columbus on May 25. Ogando declared free agency on October 5, 2018. [36]
Vladimir Guerrero Alvino Sr., nicknamed "Vlad the Impaler", is a Dominican former professional baseball player who spent 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right fielder and designated hitter. He played for the Montreal Expos (1996–2003), Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2004–2009), Texas Rangers (2010), and Baltimore Orioles (2011).
Kevin Austin Millwood is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners.
Julio César Franco Robles is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder and coach. He spent most of his playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), entering the major leagues in 1982 and last appearing in 2007, at which time he was the oldest active big league player. During that stretch, Franco also spent two seasons playing in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and one season playing in the KBO.
Michael Ausley Maddux is an American professional baseball coach and former pitcher. He is the pitching coach for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for nine teams, over 15 seasons, and coached for four teams following his playing career.
Bartolo Colón, nicknamed "Big Sexy", is a Dominican-American professional baseball pitcher for the Karachi Monarchs of Baseball United. He previously played for 11 different Major League Baseball (MLB) teams: the Cleveland Indians (1997–2002), Montreal Expos (2002), Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2004–2007), Boston Red Sox (2008), New York Yankees (2011), Oakland Athletics (2012–2013), New York Mets (2014–2016), Atlanta Braves (2017), Minnesota Twins (2017), and Texas Rangers (2018). Colón also played for the Águilas Cibaeñas of the Dominican Professional Baseball League and the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League.
Wandy Fulton Rodríguez is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros from 2005 to 2012, the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2012 to 2014 and the Texas Rangers in 2015.
Edinson Vólquez is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals and Miami Marlins.
Carlos Argelis Gómez Peña, nicknamed Go-Go, is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays. Gómez is a two-time MLB All-Star and a Gold Glove Award winner.
Yovani Gallardo is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. He was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the second round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft out of Trimble Technical High School in Fort Worth, Texas. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, and Cincinnati Reds. Gallardo was an All-Star in 2010, and won the Silver Slugger Award for pitchers that year.
Raymond Thomas Hunter is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies, and New York Mets.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2010 throughout the world.
Omar Beltre is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers.
The 2011 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2011 season. The 107th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Texas Rangers and the National League (NL) champion St. Louis Cardinals; the Cardinals defeated the Rangers in seven games to win their 11th World Series championship and their second in six seasons.
Juan Ramón Nicasio is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, and Texas Rangers. Nicasio made his major league debut in 2011. In 2017, he led the National League (NL) in appearances.
The Texas Rangers' 2011 season was the 51st season in the overall history of the franchise and the 40th since the team relocated to Arlington, Texas. At the season outset, the Rangers were the defending American League champions.
Dallas Keuchel is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, and Milwaukee Brewers.
Leury García is a Dominican professional baseball utility player in the Atlanta Braves organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox. While primarily used as an infielder and center fielder, Garcia has experience at every position except catcher and first base.
Tanner Burnell Roark is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, and Toronto Blue Jays. He played college baseball at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The 2015 Texas Rangers season was the Rangers' 55th season of the franchise and the 44th since the team relocated to Arlington, Texas. After a disastrous 2014 season in which the Rangers finished last in the entire American League and third worst in all of Major League Baseball (MLB), and despite starting the season with an 8–16 record and being under .500 as late as August 13, the Rangers would clinch the American League West title on the final day of the season. It was the team's sixth division title and seventh postseason appearance in franchise history. They lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in five games in the ALDS, even after taking a 2-1 lead. First year manager Jeff Banister was named the AL Manager of the Year.
Cristofer Jesus Ogando is a Dominican professional baseball relief pitcher for the Charleston Dirty Birds of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays.