Jorge De La Rosa, Pitcher
Date of Birth: 4/5/1981
Birthplace: Monterrey, Mexico
Jorge De La Rosa, pitcher, first signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1998. After just one season in the Diamondbacks' minor league system, his contract was purchased by a team in the Mexican League prior to the 2000 season. A year later, the Boston Red Sox purchased his contract. After playing in Boston's minor league system from 2001 through 2003, they traded him back to the Diamondbacks in November, 2003. A month later, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers.
In 2004, De La Rosa pitched in five games with the Brewers. The following season, he was a relief pitcher for Milwaukee, pitching 42.1 innings in 38 games. After playing in 18 games with the team in 2006, they traded him to the Kansas City Royals. In 26 games with the Royals in 2007, he had a 5.82 ERA and an 8-12 win-loss record. The following April, he was again traded, this time to the Colorado Rockies.
De La Rosa pitched in 28 games for the Rockies in 2008. He ended the season with a 4.92 ERA and a 10-8 record. The following season was his best one. In 2009, he had career highs in games played (33), innings pitched (185.0), wins (16 to 9 losses), and strikeouts (193 to 83 walks). He spent part of the 2010 season on the DL, pitching in just 20 games for the Rockies.
De La Rosa became a free agent after the 2010 season and he signed a two-year contract with the Rockies. The following May, he had Tommy John surgery and he missed most of the 2011 and 2012 seasons. In 2013, he came back strong from the surgery, finishing with a career low ERA of 3.49 and a 16-6 record.
De La Rosa finished the 2014 season with a 14-11 record, 139 strikeouts to 67 walks, and a 4.10 ERA in 184.1 innings in 32 games.
On September 3, 2014, the Rockies rewarded him with a two-year, $25 million contract extension.
De La Rosa pitched in 26 games with the Rockies in 2015. He finished the season with a 9-7 record, 134 strikeouts to 65 walks, and a 4.17 ERA in 149.0 innings.
In 2016, De La Rosa had a 5.51 ERA in 27 games. He finished the season with 8 wins to 9 losses and 108 strikeouts to 53 walks in 134.0 innings.
De La Rosa became a free agent on November 3, 2016. He signed a minor league contract to return to his first team, the Diamondbacks, on February 19, 2017. He pitched only as a reliever in 2017, finishing with a 4.21 ERA in 65 games. He had 3 wins and 1 loss and 45 strikeouts to 21 walks in 51.1 innings. In the postseason, he pitched 2.1 innings in 3 games and he gave up 4 hits and no runs.
De La Rosa elected free agency on November 2, 2017. He signed again with the Diamondbacks on February 23, 2018. He was released on August 4, 2018. He signed with the Chicago Cubs on August 10, 2018. He finished the 2018 season with no wins and 2 losses, 47 strikeouts to 27 walks, and a 3.38 ERA in 56.0 innings in 42 games with the Diamondbacks and 17 games with the Cubs. In the postseason, he pitched 0.1 innings and he gave up no hits. He struck out one batter.
De La Rosa became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He signed a minor league contract with the Rockies on April 5, 2019, and he was released on June 7th. He spent his time with the Rockies on the DL.
De La Rosa hasn't played professional baseball since 2018.
Career pitching statistics for De La Rosa through 2017 include:
- 430 games played
- 1,522.2 innings pitched
- 104-87 win-loss record
- 1,273 strikeouts to 688 walks
- 4.58 ERA
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jorge De La Rosa
ESPN - Jorge De La Rosa