Juan Manuel Rincón (born January 23, 1979) is a Venezuelan professional baseball coach and former relief pitcher. Rincón bats and throws right-handed. He throws a low 90s fastball and a mid to low 80s slider. In his career, Rincón posted a .208 BAA against left-handed hitters and a .248 BAA against right-handed hitters.

Juan Rincón
Rincón with the Minnesota Twins
Pitcher
Born: (1979-01-23) January 23, 1979 (age 45)
Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 7, 2001, for the Minnesota Twins
Last MLB appearance
June 20, 2010, for the Colorado Rockies
MLB statistics
Win–loss record35–29
Earned run average4.03
Strikeouts469
Teams

Career

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Minnesota Twins

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Rincón was originally signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent in 1996. He worked his way up through the Twins farm system and was selected as a Midwest League All-Star in 1999 when he went 14–8 with a 2.92 ERA in 28 starts with the Single-A Quad Cities River Bandits.[1]

Rincón made his major league debut with the Twins on June 7, 2001, against the Cleveland Indians, striking out two in a scoreless inning in relief.[2] He spent eight seasons with the Twins, appearing in 386 games (three starts), ending with a 30–26 record and 3.69 ERA.[3]

On May 2, 2005, Rincón became the fifth baseball player to be suspended for testing positive for illegal performance-enhancing drugs under Major League Baseball's drug policy. He was suspended for ten days without pay as the policy dictates for a first offense.[4]

On June 12, 2008, Rincón was designated for assignment after refusing an outright assignment to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.[5] He was released on June 22.[3]

Cleveland Indians

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Rincón signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians on June 24, 2008.[6] He was 1–1 with a 5.60 ERA in 23 appearances for the Indians.[3]

Detroit Tigers

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On January 20, 2009, Rincón was signed by the Detroit Tigers to a minor league contract.[7] He made the major league roster after spring training, but was designated for assignment on May 13, 2009, to make room on the active roster for Dontrelle Willis.[8] Rincón had three days to accept an outright assignment to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens or become a free agent. On May 17, 2009, Rincon rejected an assignment to Toledo and elected free agency.[9] Rincon posted a 5.23 ERA and was 1–0 in seven appearances with the Tigers.[3]

Colorado Rockies

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On May 25, 2009, Rincón signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies.[10] He appeared in 26 games with the Rockies, going 3–2 with an ERA of 7.52.[3]

Rincón was re-signed by the Rockies to a minor league deal on December 18, 2009.[11] On May 1, 2010, he was designated for assignment to make room for spot starter Esmil Rogers.[12] On May 3, he was assigned to the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox. He became a free agent on October 15 after he refused an assignment to the minor leagues.[13]

Los Angeles Dodgers

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On February 11, 2011, Rincón signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.[14] He was released at the conclusion of spring training and signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, where he went 2–1 with 23 saves and a 2.98 ERA in 42 relief appearances.[1]

Los Angeles Angels

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Rincón signed a split contract with the Los Angeles Angels on February 24, 2012, which did not include an invitation to spring training.[15] Rincón hired Burton Rocks as his agent in 2013 to seek a job as player/coach with a big league organization.[16]

Coaching

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On February 23, 2016, the Toronto Blue Jays hired Rincón to be their new pitching coach for the Gulf Coast Blue Jays, their rookie team, for the 2016 season.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Juan Rincon Minor, Winter & Independent Leagues Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  2. ^ "Cleveland Indians vs Minnesota Twins Box Score: June 7, 2001". Baseball Reference. June 7, 2001. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Juan Rincon Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  4. ^ "Players suspended under baseball's steroids policy". ESPN. June 7, 2006. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
  5. ^ "Rincon rejects Twins' offer of Triple-A assignment". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. June 13, 2008. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  6. ^ Castrovince, Anthony (June 24, 2008). "Tribe inks two to Minor League deals". Cleveland Indians. MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  7. ^ Kornacki, Steve (January 20, 2009). "Tigers sign Juan Rincon to a minor-league contract". Michigan Live. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  8. ^ Beck, Jason (May 13, 2009). "Willis ready for much-anticipated return". Detroit Tigers. MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  9. ^ "Tigers right-hander Rincon becomes free agent". ESPN. Associated Press. May 18, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  10. ^ Greenspan, Eli (May 25, 2009). "Rockies Sign Rincon". MLB Daily Dish. SB Nation. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  11. ^ Axisa, Mike (December 18, 2009). "Rockies Re-Sign Juan Rincon". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  12. ^ Axisa, Mike (May 1, 2010). "Rockies Designate Rincon For Assignment". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  13. ^ Nicholson-Smith, Ben (October 19, 2010). "Tankersley, Others Hit Free Agency". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  14. ^ Jackson, Tony (February 11, 2011). "Dodgers sign RHP Rincon to minor league deal". ESPN. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  15. ^ "Angels, Juan Rincon agree to minor league deal". ESPN. February 26, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  16. ^ Links, Zachary (December 18, 2013). "Central Notes: Rincon, Twins, Viciedo, Konerko". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  17. ^ Couto, Melissa (February 23, 2016). "Blue Jays just not talking". The Hamilton Spectator. The Canadian Press. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
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