Juan Miguel Padilla (born February 17, 1977) is a former
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), ...
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 ...
.
Amateur career
Despite being taught barely any English in high school, he enrolled at
Tallahassee Community College
Tallahassee Community College (TCC) is a public community college in Tallahassee, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. As of fall 2017, TCC reported 24,639 st ...
to begin his
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...
career. He later transferred to
Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
.
Major league career
Padilla was a 24th round
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
pick of the
Minnesota Twins. He spent six seasons in the Twins'
minor league system before breaking into the majors with the
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
Cincinnati Reds in . Although not highly successful with either team, he was signed by 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 ...
and responded with a 1.49
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 the second half of . Padilla had
Tommy John surgery in March and had to miss the 2006 season.
Padilla was not offered a new contract by the Mets and became a free agent on December 12, 2007. He was later signed to a minor-league contract and given a non-roster invitation to
spring training by the Mets. In July , Padilla was released by the Mets.
Independent ball
Padilla signed with the
York Revolution
The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseba ...
of the independent
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball on July 26, 2008. Padilla did not return for the 2009 season. Padilla has also played for the
Pittsfield Colonials in 2010.
He last played professionally in 2011 for 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 ...
and
Leones de Yucatán
The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team play its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in , , , ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Padilla, Juan
1977 births
Living people
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico
Cincinnati Reds players
Jacksonville Dolphins baseball players
New York Mets players
New York Yankees players
Rochester Red Wings players
Trenton Thunder players
Columbus Clippers players
Norfolk Tides players
New Orleans Zephyrs players
2006 World Baseball Classic players
York Revolution players
Bridgeport Bluefish players
Nashua Pride players
Pittsfield Colonials players
American Defenders of New Hampshire players
People from Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Tallahassee Eagles baseball players