Rafael Antonio Orellano Hernandez (born April 28, 1973) is a former pitcher who played for the
Nippon Ham Fighters
The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, HokkaidÅ. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a s ...
of
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 ...
from 1998 to 2000.
Playing career
American minor leagues
The left-handed hurler began his professional baseball career in 1993, playing in the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
minor league system. In 1995, he was ranked the club's 6th-best prospect by ''
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
'' after going 11-3 with a 2.36 ERA for the
GCL Red Sox
The Florida Complex League Red Sox are a professional baseball team competing in the rookie-level Florida Complex League (FCL) of Minor League Baseball. The team is owned and operated by the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Prior ...
and
Sarasota Red Sox
Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...
the year before. After going 11-7 with a 3.09 ERA in 27 starts for the
Trenton Thunder
The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark.
From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the Doub ...
in 1995, he was named Boston's 9th-best prospect for 1996. His career soon soured, however, and he was out of the minor leagues after the 1997 season. He was 32-29 with a 4.70 ERA in 100 career games (81 starts) at that level.
Japan
Orellano signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters for 1998 and appeared in 14 games for the club that year, going 1-3 with a 7.50 ERA in 14 games (4 starts). In 30 innings, he allowed 29 walks and struck out 22 batters. In 1999, he was 1-5 with a 4.99 ERA in 21 games (5 starts) and in 2000, he made a single appearance, allowing two walks, one hit and an earned run in 1/3 of an inning. Overall, he went 2-8 with 58 walks, 49 strikeouts and a 6.17 ERA in 36 games (9 starts) in his NPB career.
BR Minors page
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Personal life
He was born in Humacao
Humacao () is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 12 barrios and Humacao Pueblo (the ...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orellano, Rafael
Living people
1973 births
Gulf Coast Red Sox players
Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
Nippon Ham Fighters players
Sarasota Red Sox players
Pawtucket Red Sox players
People from Humacao, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Japan
Trenton Thunder players
Utica Blue Sox players