The Arizona Diamondbacks signed relief pitcher Hector Rondon of Guatire, Venezuela on Thursday. The terms of the deal were for one year and $3 million according to the Associated Press.
Rondon pitched 62 games for the Astros in 2019. He had a record of three wins and two losses and an earned run average of 3.71. In 60 2/3 innings with the Astros, he gave up 56 hits, 25 earned runs, 10 home runs, 20 walks and four hit batsmen. Rondon also had 48 strikeouts and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.25.
A right hander, Rondon made his first Major League Baseball start in 2019. Unfortunately for Rondon and the Astros it did not go well whatsoever. Rondon pitched two thirds of an inning and gave up six earned runs in a 7-2 Los Angeles Angels win over Houston at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in southern California.
The Diamondbacks become Rondon’s third Major League Baseball team. In addition to the Astros, where he spent the last two seasons, Rondon also spent five seasons with the Chicago Cubs from 2013 to 2017. While with the Cubs in 2016, Rondon won a World Series. In 21 postseason games with the Cubs and Astros, he had a record of one win and one loss and an earned run average of 4.41.
In Arizona, Rondon joins a bullpen that includes closer Archie Bradley of Muskogee, OK, and relievers Yoan Lopez of Neuva Gerona, Cuba, Andrew Chafin of Kettering, OH, Matt Andriese of Redlands, CA, Silvino Bracho of Maracaibo, Venezuela, Junior Guerra of San Felix, Venezuela, Kevin Ginkel of San Diego, CA, Stefan Crichton of Houston, TX and Jon Duplantier of Newark, DE. The Diamondbacks should be relying a lot on their bullpen to be effective in 2020.
The Diamondbacks were in playoff contention for most of 2019. However, Arizona finished four games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for the fifth and final playoff spot in the National League. It will be interesting to see if Arizona can improve on their record of 85 wins and 77 losses, and try to compete against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West in 2020.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
