Jonathan Albaladejo Santana ( ; born October 30, 1982) is a Puerto Rican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played for 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 ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

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 ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB), as well as the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB). He managed the Tupper Lake Riverpigs of the independent Empire League in the covid-shortened 2020 season and again in 2021.

Career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Albaladejo was selected by the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

in the 34th round (1,021st overall) of the

2000 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections Compensation picks Background The Florida Marlins made Adrián González of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. González, who was rated as ...

, but did not sign. In the following year he was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 19th round (564th overall), and signed on June 6, 2001. He spent a number of years in the minors in the Pirates system as a starting pitcher, and in 2005 was converted to a reliever. The Pirates released him on April 25, 2007.

Washington Nationals

On May 3, 2007, Albaladejo signed a minor league contract with the

, and played most of the season for the Class-AA

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...

, compiling a 4.17

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

in 21 appearances. He moved up to the Class-AAA Columbus Clippers and finished the season extremely well, posting an ERA of 0.78 in 14 appearances. When rosters expanded in September, the Nationals, then leading the league in innings pitched by relievers, brought him up. On September 5, 2007, Albaladejo made his Major League debut. In the top of the third inning, in a game against 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 ...

, Tim Redding was injured by a batted ball and needed to be replaced. Albaladejo entered the game with two men on and one out, and allowed a ground ball (where an inherited runner scored) and a pop up. In the fourth inning, Albaladejo struck out the side, and then was relieved.

New York Yankees

On December 4, 2007, he was traded to the

for relief pitcher Tyler Clippard. The deal is regarded, years later, as one of the worst in Brian Cashman's tenure as Yankees General Manager. He made the Yankees' Opening Day roster in 2008, but only pitched in seven games while recording a 3.95 ERA. He suffered an elbow injury on May 9, 2008, and was ruled out for the season in June. Albaladejo again made the Yankees' major league roster to start the 2009 season. After posting an ERA of 6.00 in 18 appearances through May 22, he was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make room on the roster for pitcher

Chien-Ming Wang Chien-Ming Wang (; born March 31, 1980) is a Taiwanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals. He also played for ...

. In 17 innings at Triple-A, he compiled a 1.59 ERA and 0.65 WHIP, earning a promotion back to the majors when Wang was placed on the disabled list on July 5, 2009. Albaladejo was sent back down to Scranton on July 10, 2009, to make room for

Mark Melancon Mark David Melancon ( ; born March 28, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pira ...

. Though he did not make the postseason roster, he got his first

World Series ring A World Series ring is an award given to Major League Baseball players who win the World Series. Since only one Commissioner's Trophy is awarded to the team, a World Series ring is an individual award that players and staff of each World Series ...

when the Yankees won their 27th franchise World Series title by beating the Phillies. Albaladejo began the 2010 season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. After a poor spring training, Albaladejo transitioned from his

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 ...

to his

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is c ...

, which allowed him more control. He was named International League Pitcher of the Week from July 5–12, and from July 12–18, and pitched in the Triple-A All-Star Game. After saving 31 games in 32 chances with a 0.96 ERA, he was called up to the Yankees on July 20. However, he was optioned back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 24 to make room for

Sergio Mitre Sergio Armando Mitre (born February 16, 1981) is a Mexican-American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, and New York Yankees. In 2022, he was ...

. Albaladejo set an International League single-season record for saves in 2010 with 43 (the previous record was 38). He was named to the International League Postseason All-Star team. He was called up by the Yankees when the rosters expanded at the start of September and pitched innings for the team during the 2010 season, recording a 3.97 ERA. During the offseason, Albaladejo asked the Yankees to release him so he could pursue a career in Japan.

Yomiuri Giants

Albaladejo signed a one-year contract with the

of Japan's

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...

. In 46 games in Japan, he was 2–2 with a 2.45 ERA.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The

signed Albaladejo on December 13, 2011. In 49 games with the club's AAA affiliate in Reno, Albaladejo recorded 25 saves and struck out 60 in innings of work. He was called up by the Diamondbacks at the end of the minor league season, posting an ERA of 9.00 in three games.

Miami Marlins

On December 16, 2012, Albaladejo signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins. He spent the entirety of the 2013 season with their AAA club, the New Orleans Zephyrs, recording a 3.80 ERA and 72 strikeouts in innings. He was granted free agency after the season.

Broncos de Reynosa

On April 1, 2016, Albaladejo signed with the

Broncos de Reynosa The Reynosa Broncos (''los Broncos de Reynosa'') were a Mexican team that played in the Adolfo Lopez Mateos stadium in the city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. The Broncos de Reynosa played in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol and it was part of the Zona Nor ...

of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five t ...

. He was released on April 9, 2016.

Bridgeport Bluefish

On April 19, 2016, Albaladejo signed with the

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 ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

New York Mets

On July 25, 2017, Albaladejo signed a minor league deal with the

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 ...

. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Lancaster Barnstormers

On November 1, 2017, Albaladejo was drafted by the

Lancaster Barnstormers The Lancaster Barnstormers (colloquially known as the Stormers) are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a ...

in the

dispersal draft. On February 26, 2018, he signed with the team for the 2018 season. Albaladejo re-signed for the 2019 season as a

player-coach A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

. He retired as an active player following the season and was later hired as bullpen coach for the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (or Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican Baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They are members of the Mexican Baseball League and play their home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The fran ...