Jorge Dandys Julio Tapia (born March 3, 1979) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

. He previously played for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

from 2001 to 2005,

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

and

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

in 2006, and the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

in 2007 before being traded to the

Rockies The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

for

Byung-hyun Kim Byung-hyun Kim (; or ; born January 19, 1979) is a South Korean former professional baseball pitcher. He had his most successful years with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox. Kim is remembered for his role in the 2001 World Ser ...

. He had brief stints with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

and

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

in 2008, and also with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009. He bats and throws right-handed.

Career

Montreal Expos

Julio signed with the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

on February 14, 1996. He played in their minor league organization until he was traded to the

for

Ryan Minor Ryan Dale Minor (born January 5, 1974) is an American former professional baseball third baseman, minor league baseball manager and professional basketball player. He played all, or parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1998 to 2 ...

on December 22, 2000.

Baltimore Orioles

Julio's first season in the majors was 2001 with the Orioles, in which he compiled a record of 1 win and 1 loss with a 3.80

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

in 21.1 innings pitched; however, Julio's first full season in the majors was 2002, in which he went 5–6, posting a 1.99

with 25 saves and 55 strikeouts in 68 innings. He finished third in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

Rookie of the Year voting with 1 second-place vote and 11 third-place votes. However, he was unable to duplicate his rookie season success in the seasons that followed and eventually lost his job as the Orioles closer to B. J. Ryan at the end of 2004. Julio began 2005 as the set-up man for Ryan. During April of that season, he allowed just one

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

in innings pitched; despite that, his performance declined and he finished the season 3–5 with a 5.90 ERA in 67 appearances.

New York Mets

On January 21, 2006, Julio was dealt to the

with pitching prospect

John Maine John Kevin Maine (born May 8, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played for the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets and Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted and threw right-handed. Early life and co ...

in exchange for

Kris Benson Kristin James Benson (born November 7, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher who played for several teams between 1999 and 2010. A highly touted prospect, Benson was drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1996. ...

. He began the season in the Mets bullpen, but was traded to the

on May 24, 2006, for

Orlando Hernández Orlando Hernández Pedroso (born October 11, 1965), nicknamed "El Duque" (Spanish for "The Duke"), is a Cuban-born right-handed former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Industriales of the Cuban National Series, the New York Ya ...

Arizona Diamondbacks

Julio was traded to the

on May 24, 2006, for

. He replaced

José Valverde José Rafael Valverde (born March 24, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and New York Mets. He is nicknamed ...

as the Arizona closer and saved 15 games in 19 opportunities before losing the closer job to Valverde in early September. On March 26, 2007, Julio was traded to the

for

Yusmeiro Petit Yusmeiro Alberto Petit (; born November 22, 1984) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Washi ...

Florida Marlins

On March 26, 2007, Julio was traded to the

for

and was named their closer coming out of spring training. But after failing to record a save in three opportunities, he was removed from the closer role in mid-April. On May 12, 2007, in his last outing as a Marlin, he gave up a walk-off

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

Ryan Zimmerman Ryan Wallace Zimmerman (born September 28, 1984) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and third baseman who played 16 seasons for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Zimmerman graduated from Kellam Hig ...

of the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. He was traded to the Colorado Rockies for

the following day.

Colorado Rockies

Julio was traded to the Colorado Rockies for

in May 2007. He pitched in both a

middle relief In baseball, a middle reliever or middle relief pitcher, is a relief pitcher who typically pitches during the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings of a standard baseball game. In leagues with no designated hitter, such as in the National League pri ...

and a set-up role for Colorado, appearing in 58 games and posting an 0–3 record with a 3.93 ERA for the Rockies. He also gave up a two-run homer in the 13th inning to

Scott Hairston Scott Alexander Hairston (born May 25, 1980) is a Mexican-American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs ...

in the 2007 Wild Card Game Playoff. The Rockies rallied to win the game in the bottom for the 13th. Julio was granted

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

from the Rockies on October 27, 2007. He was granted

from the Rockies on October 27, 2007;

Cleveland Indians

On January 31, 2008, Julio promptly signed a

minor-league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

deal with the

, and was invited to their spring training camp. His contract was purchased by the team on March 25, 2008, and he was on their opening day roster. However, after 15 generally ineffective relief appearances, he was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on May 28, 2008, and was later released on June 2. He posted a 0–0 record and 5.60 ERA in those 15 appearances.

Atlanta Braves

Shortly after his release, Julio signed a minor league contract with the

. In the final month of the 2008 season, Julio appeared in 12 games for the Braves, winning three games and posting a 0.73 ERA.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 4, 2008, Julio signed a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. On June 2, 2009, Julio was released by the Brewers, after compiling a 1–1 record and a 7.79 earned run average.

Tampa Bay Rays

Julio was signed by the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

on June 9, 2009, and reported to their Triple-A affiliate

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

. He was later released on August 7, 2009.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On August 30, 2009, Julio signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In November 2009 he filed for free agency.

Bridgeport Bluefish

On April 2, 2010, Julio signed a deal to join the independent

Bridgeport Bluefish The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...

for the 2010 season. Pitching coach Fred Stackson has commented that Julio is gaining consistency with his delivery, especially to right-handed batters. In January 2011, he agreed to a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he did not pitch in 2011. He returned to Bridgeport in 2012.

Pitching style

Julio threw extremely hard, featuring both a four-seam and a

two-seam fastball A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and softball. It is a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball and can also include late-breaking action caused by varying the pressure of the index and middle fingers on t ...

in the 95–100 MPH range - though he has thrown even harder on occasion. He also had a downward-breaking

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

, which comes in at between 86 and 90 MPH, and occasionally threw a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

as well.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
o
Pura Pelota (VPBL stats)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Julio, Jorge 1979 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Atlanta Braves players Baltimore Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Bridgeport Bluefish players Cape Fear Crocs players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Rockies players Durham Bulls players Estrellas Orientales players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Florida Marlins players Gulf Coast Expos players Indianapolis Indians players Jupiter Hammerheads players Leones del Caracas players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Milwaukee Brewers players New York Mets players Richmond Braves players Rochester Red Wings players Baseball players from Caracas Tiburones de La Guaira players Vermont Expos players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States West Palm Beach Expos players World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2006 World Baseball Classic players