Alfredo Simón Cabrera (born May 8, 1981) is a Dominican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) 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 America ...

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. From 2001 through part of 2004 he pitched under the name Carlos Cabrera.

Professional career

Minor leagues

Philadelphia Phillies

Simón was signed on July 9, 1999, by the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. He originally signed under the name Carlos Cabrera, and he pretended to be 21 months younger than he really was. He made his professional debut in 2000 for the La Vega Phillies in the

Dominican Summer League The Dominican Summer League (DSL) is a branch of affiliated Minor League Baseball which is played in the Dominican Republic. The league was founded in 1985. After the demise of the Venezuelan Summer League after the 2015 season, it is the only ...

. In 2004, the Phillies found out his real name and age.

San Francisco Giants

On July 30, 2004, Simón was traded with Ricky Ledée to the

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

for Felix Rodríguez. Simón was assigned to the Single-A

San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark. Games San Jose Giants g ...

. He got off to a bad start, posting a 5.68 ERA in six starts while going 1–2. In 2005, he was promoted to the Double-A

Norwich Navigators Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

. He started for only part of the year, and closed for most of the season, going 3–8 with 19 saves while posting a 5.03 ERA in 43 games (nine starts). In 2006, Simón started the season at San Jose, but was later promoted to the AAA

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

. In 28 combined games (17 starts), he went 2–10 with a 6.62 ERA. Following the season, he filed for

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

Texas Rangers

On November 3, 2006, Simón signed with the Texas Rangers. In December, the

drafted him in the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. On the same day, the Orioles traded him back to the

for Adam Donachie and cash. On March 17, 2007, the Phillies returned Simón to the Rangers. Simón pitched as a starter for the Triple-A

Oklahoma RedHawks Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. He had a bad year, going 5–10 with a 6.43 ERA in 22 starts. Following the season, he filed for free agency.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On January 10, 2008, Simón signed with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. He was released on March 30, before the season started.

Mexican League

After being released, Simón signed with the independent

Sultanes de Monterrey The Sultanes de Monterrey (English: Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball club in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Monterrey, Mexico. Established in 1939 as Carta Blanca, the Sultanes have won ten LMB titles, most recently in 2018. Fro ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He pitched very well with them, going 7–2 with a 2.67 ERA in 15 games (11 starts). During the season, he was signed by the

on September 5.

Major leagues

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles originally assigned Simón to the AAA

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

, but they quickly called him up. On September 6, he made his MLB debut. He finished 2008 with a 6.23 ERA in four games (one start) and no decisions. In 2009, after a strong

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

, he was named to the Orioles' starting rotation. However, he was injured in only his second start and missed the rest of the year after undergoing

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

. Simón failed to make the Orioles out of spring training in 2010, but on April 27, the Orioles promoted Simón from Triple-A Norfolk. The same day, he became the Orioles' closer (due to bad pitching and a subsequent injury to

Mike Gonzalez Mike Gonzalez or González may refer to: * Mike Gonzalez (pitcher) (born 1978), American baseball pitcher * Mike González (catcher) (1890–1977), Cuban baseball catcher * Mike Gonzalez (historian) (born 1943), British historian and literary critic ...

), and he notched his first save against the

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

. He pitched an inning and gave up no earned runs (and two unearned). Coincidentally, the Yankees were the same team Simón earned his first decision against. Simón converted his first five save opportunities before blowing one 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) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

on May 15. In 49 relief appearances, Simón was 4–2 with a 4.93 ERA while converting 17 of 21 save opportunities. After blowing a save on August 9, he did not receive another save opportunity as

Koji Uehara is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), as well as the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). A rig ...

was used most often in the role. On May 21, 2011, Simón was activated from the restricted list.

Jason Berken Jason Thomas Berken (born November 27, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs. College Berken graduated from West De Pere High School. He pl ...

was sent down to make room.

Cincinnati Reds

On April 3, 2012, the

claimed Simón off waivers from the Orioles. He served in the bullpen for the season, posting a 3–2 record with one save and a 2.66 ERA in 36 games. He spent most of the 2013 season as a part of the Reds bullpen. He went 6–4 and posted a 2.87 ERA in 63 appearances. He began the 2014 season in the Reds' starting rotation after an injury to

Mat Latos Mathew Adam Latos ( ; born December 9, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres from 2009 through 2011, the Cincinnati Reds from 2012 through 2014, and the Miami ...

. He immediately excelled in the role, and at the All-Star break he led the National League with 12 wins (against only three losses) to go with a 2.70 ERA. On July 13, 2014, Simón was named to the

2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 85th edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, held at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the home of the Minnesota Twins. This was the third All-Star Game played in the Twin Ci ...

, replacing fellow Red

Johnny Cueto Johnny Cueto Ortiz (; born February 15, 1986) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Chicago W ...

, who was unavailable to pitch due to starting a game the previous Sunday. Simon was mobbed by his teammates in the dugout when the announcement was made during the game. In the All-Star game, Simón pitched a scoreless third inning, allowing one hit and striking out one batter. He would win only three more games after the All-Star break, finishing at 15–10 with a 3.44 ERA in 32 starts, while throwing a career-high innings.

Detroit Tigers

On December 11, 2014, the Reds traded Simón to the

for Jonathon Crawford and

Eugenio Suárez Eugenio Alejandro Suárez (born July 18, 1991) is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, and Seattle Mari ...

. On January 16, 2015, Simón and the Tigers avoided arbitration when the two parties agreed on a one-year contract worth $5.5 million. On August 20, 2015, Simón recorded his first career

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

in the Tigers 4–0 win over the Texas Rangers. He allowed only one hit in the contest, a double to

Rougned Odor Rougned Roberto Odor () (born February 3, 1994), nicknamed "Rougie", is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Balt ...

in the fifth inning, while walking two and striking out five. Despite finishing the season with a league-worst 5.05 ERA, Simón led the Tigers in wins (13) and innings pitched (187).

Second stint with Cincinnati

On March 17, 2016, Simón signed a one-year deal to return to the Reds.

Long Island Ducks

On June 6, 2017, Simon signed with the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "par ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. He became a free agent after the 2017 season. In 12 games (9 starts) he threw 55.1 innings going 2-3 with a 4.55 ERA with 48 strikeouts, 1 save and also throwing one complete game shutout.

Tigres de Quintana Roo

On July 3, 2018, Simon signed with the

Tigres de Quintana Roo The Tigres de Quintana Roo (English: Quintana Roo Tigers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve championships to date: ...

of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He was released on August 16, 2018. In 16 games 19.1 innings of relief he went 1-0 with a 2.33 ERA with 17 strikeouts and 4 saves.

Acereros de Monclova

On June 25, 2021, Simón signed with the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports l ...

of the

. Simón allowed three runs without recording an out in his only appearance with Monclova, and was released by the team the next day.

Pitch selection

Simón is primarily a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

pitcher, throwing several varieties of the pitch. He throws four-seam and two-seam fastballs in the 92–94 MPH range (topping out at 97 MPH), plus a

split-finger fastball A split-finger fastball or splitter is an off-speed pitch in baseball that initially looks like a fastball from the batters perspective, but then drops suddenly. Derived from the forkball, it is aptly named because the pitcher puts the index a ...

in the 83–85 MPH range (topping out at 89 MPH). The split-finger is his favorite pitch with two strikes on the hitter. He also throws a standard

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

that averages about 77–79 MPH, plus an extremely slow curveball that averages about 66–69 MPH. The slow curve has been clocked as low as 49 MPH, leading some analysts to call it an eephus pitch.

Legal incidents

Involuntary manslaughter allegations

In January 2011, Simón allegedly shot and killed Michel Castillo Almonte and wounded his 17-year-old brother during a New Year's Eve celebration in Luperón, Dominican Republic. Simón denied the allegations. Police then announced their intention to file

involuntary manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...

charges. In March 2011, Simón posted bail. On November 8, 2011, Simon was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter.

Rape allegation

In April 2014, Simón was sued for $15 million by a woman who alleged that he had raped her in a Washington, D.C. hotel room about one year earlier, while the Reds were in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

for a series against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

. While no charges were ever filed, a civil suit was still pending as of December 2014.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Alfredo 1981 births Living people Baltimore Orioles players Batavia Muckdogs players Bowie Baysox players Cincinnati Reds players Clearwater Threshers players Connecticut Defenders players Detroit Tigers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Fresno Grizzlies players Gigantes del Cibao players Florida Complex League Phillies players Lakewood BlueClaws players Long Island Ducks players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Mexican League baseball pitchers National League All-Stars Norfolk Tides players Norwich Navigators players Oklahoma RedHawks players People acquitted of manslaughter Baseball players from Santiago de los Caballeros San Jose Giants players Sultanes de Monterrey players World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic 2013 World Baseball Classic players

Professional career

Minor leagues

Philadelphia Phillies

San Francisco Giants

Texas Rangers

Los Angeles Dodgers

Mexican League

Major leagues

Baltimore Orioles

Cincinnati Reds

Detroit Tigers

Second stint with Cincinnati

Long Island Ducks

Tigres de Quintana Roo

Acereros de Monclova

Pitch selection

Legal incidents

Involuntary manslaughter allegations

Rape allegation

See also

References

External links