Minervino Alejandro "Minnie" Rojas Landin (November 26, 1933 – March 23, 2002) was a right-handed

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 (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...

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) who played for the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

from through after many seasons pitching in Mexican

semi-pro ''Semi-Pro'' is a 2008 American sports comedy film. The film was directed by Kent Alterman in his directorial debut, written by Scot Armstrong, and produced by Jimmy Miller. It stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tier ...

leagues, the

Mexican 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 te ...

, and the

minor leagues 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 ...

. He debuted as a 32 year old rookie

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

for the Angels in but would only make one additional start for the remainder of his major league career. Instead, he became a valuable member of the Angels'

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

at a time when the role of relief pitchers was evolving in the professional game. Rojas' best major league season was , when he set an Angels franchise record with 27 saves and was named 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 ...

Fireman of the Year. However, his effectiveness was reduced by injuries in , and he missed the second half of the season with

tendinitis Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder (rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow (tennis elbo ...

and other issues in his elbow. In , Rojas pitched briefly in the minor leagues and the Mexican League in an attempt to regain his form, but lingering arm issues led him to retire from baseball without returning to the majors. In 1970, Rojas and his family were involved in a serious automobile accident that killed two of his three children and left him partially paralyzed for the rest of his life. The California Angels organization and players held fund-raisers to help their former teammate, including organizing "Minnie Rojas Day" in 1971.

Baseball career

Minor leagues / Mexican League

Rojas was born in Remedios, Villa Clara,

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. He showed promise as a baseball player in his youth, and after a year of

compulsory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

, he left his native country to play

baseball in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

.''The Windsor Star''
via Google News Archive Search In 1960, he 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 Nor ...

contract with 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 Yor ...

. The Giants did not promote him to the majors after 4 years in their minor league system, so Rojas signed a free agent contract with the independent Jalisco Charros of the

in 1964. In 1965, Rojas won 21 games as a

for Jalisco, attracting the attention of the

. The Angels bought his contract for $2500 and sent him to their AAA affiliate, the

Seattle Rainiers The Seattle Rainiers, originally named the Seattle Indians and also known as the Seattle Angels, were a Minor League Baseball team in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1906 and 1919 to 19 ...

, to begin the 1966 season. He was effective as both a starter and reliever against minor league competition, leading the Angels to call him up to the majors in late May.

California Angels

Rojas made his major league debut on May 30, 1966, when he started a game against 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 F ...

and earned the win. Rojas would only make one additional start in the majors, instead becoming an effective

arm. He appeared in 47 games and earned 10 saves as a 32-year-old

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

. In 1967, Rojas became the Angels' closer and led the

with 27 saves, setting a franchise record that wasn't broken until

Donnie Moore Donnie Ray Moore (February 13, 1954 – July 18, 1989) was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the Chicago Cubs (1975, 1977–79), St. Louis Cardinals (1980), Milwaukee Brewers (1981), Atlanta Braves (1982–8 ...

collected 31 saves in

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

. Rojas also won 12 games in relief that year and was a major reason that the Angels were surprising contenders for the American League pennant until mid-September. He was named the American League's Fireman of the Year and was 24th in the voting for

American League MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...

. During the 1968 season, Rojas developed calcium deposits and

tendonitis Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tennis e ...

in his elbow, probably due to overwork during the many seasons leading up to his major league debut. He was placed on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

in late July and was eventually shut down for the 1968 season without throwing another pitch. Rojas attempted to resume his career in 1969 and threw 18 innings of minor league ball, but his "arm trouble" continued, and he retired from baseball at the age of 35.

Scouting report

Rojas' pitching repertoire consisted mainly of

breaking ball In baseball, a breaking ball is a pitch that does not travel straight as it approaches the batter; it will have sideways or downward motion on it, sometimes both (see slider). A breaking ball is not a specific pitch by that name, but is any p ...

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 ...

s, and a sinking

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

. "He's got three pitches", one opposing batter commented, "slow, slower, and 'come and get it'." Despite his lack of a high-velocity pitch, Rojas was effective during his short MLB career due to excellent

command Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on Apple Macintosh computer keyboards * ...

and pitch movement. He posted a 23–16 record with a 3.00

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 ...

and 43 saves in 157 appearances, allowing only 45 unintentional walks in 261 innings over parts of three seasons.

Accident

Around midnight on March 31, 1970, the Rojas family's

station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

was involved in a serious

hit and run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...

auto accident near

Key Largo Key Largo ( es, Cayo Largo) is an island in the upper Florida Keys archipelago and is the largest section of the keys, at long. It is one of the northernmost of the Florida Keys in Monroe County, and the northernmost of the keys connected b ...

on the

Overseas Highway The Overseas Highway is a highway carrying U.S. Route 1 (US 1) through the Florida Keys to Key West. Large parts of it were built on the former right-of-way of the Overseas Railroad, the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Rail ...

after a fishing trip in the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...

. Rojas' spinal cord was damaged, leaving him partially paralyzed, and his two young daughters, Lourdes and Barbara, were killed. His wife, Maria, and his infant son survived. The Angels organization, led by team

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

and Rojas' friend

Jim Fregosi James Louis Fregosi (April 4, 1942 – February 14, 2014) was an American professional baseball shortstop and manager, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to , primarily for the Los Angeles / California Angels. He also played for the ...

, started a fund to help Rojas and his surviving family. The team also held "Minnie Rojas Day" during a

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

exhibition game at

Anaheim Stadium Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a baseball stadium located in Anaheim, California. Since its opening in 1966, it has served as the home ballpark of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), and was also the home stadium to the Los Angel ...

in March 1971 and donated the proceeds to the Rojas family. Through intense

physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...

, Rojas eventually regained some use of his upper body, but he would not walk again''Herald-Journal''
via Google News Archive Search Rojas died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

on March 23, 2002, at the age of 68.

References

Sources

Baseball Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rojas, Minnie 1933 births 2002 deaths People from Remedios, Cuba Sportspeople from Villa Clara Province California Angels players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Hawaii Islanders players Artesia Giants players Tacoma Giants players El Paso Sun Kings players Fresno Giants players Seattle Angels players People with tetraplegia