José Gregorio Quijada (born November 9, 1995) is a Venezuelan 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, ...

in the

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

organization. He has previously 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

Miami 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

Professional career

Miami Marlins

Quijada was signed as an international free agent by the

on September 9, 2013. He made his professional debut in 2014 for the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Dominican Summer League Marlins The Dominican Summer Marlins are a minor league baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The team plays in the Boca Chica North division and is affiliated with the Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball t ...

, going 5–5 with a 2.91 ERA in 74 innings. In 2015, he pitched 8 innings for the

Gulf Coast League Marlins The Florida Complex League Marlins are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Miami Marlins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Marlins. The team plays i ...

, going 0–0 with a 0.00 ERA. He split the 2016 season between the Class A

Greensboro Grasshoppers The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National B ...

and the

Class A-Advanced High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roger Dean ...

, accumulating a 5–2 record with a 2.32 ERA over 50 innings. His 2017 was split between Jupiter and the Double-A

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in th ...

, accumulating a 5–1 record with a 3.23 ERA over 55.2 innings. He split his 2018 season between Jacksonville and the Triple-A

New Orleans Baby Cakes The New Orleans Baby Cakes (formerly the New Orleans Zephyrs) were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They were located in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, ...

, going 2–6 with a 3.00 ERA over 62.1 innings. The Marlins added him to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season. He opened the 2019 season with New Orleans. On April 23, he was promoted to the major league roster for the first time. He made his major league debut on April 24, pitching of an inning in relief. His first decision was a loss to the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

on May 8 that year; he allowed a walk-off solo home run to

Jason Heyward Jason Alias Heyward (born August 9, 1989), nicknamed "J-Hey", is an American professional baseball outfielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, ...

in the 11th inning. He was optioned to New Orleans three days later. On February 3, 2020, Quijada was designated for assignment by the Marlins.

Los Angeles Angels

Quijada was claimed off waivers by the

on February 10, 2020. On September 11, Quijada surrendered a walk-off grand slam to

Charlie Blackmon Charles Cobb Blackmon (born July 1, 1986), nicknamed "Chuck Nazty", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who spent his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Colorado Rockies. He made his MLB debut in 2011. B ...

of the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

. On the year, Quijada pitched to a 7.36 ERA with 6 strikeouts in innings pitched. On July 30, 2021, the Angels recalled Quijada from the Triple-A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in South Jordan, Utah, the team plays its home games at The Ballpark at Am ...

. On October 1, in a game against a

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

team attempting to make the playoffs for the first time in 20 years, Quijada entered the game with baserunners on first and third and no outs. He proceeded to strike out all three batters, thwarting an opportunity for Seattle to take the lead and win the game, greatly hurting the team's chances of making the playoffs. In 2021, Quijada made 26 appearances, posting an 0–2 record, 4.56 ERA, and innings pitched. In 2022, Quijada pitched in 42 games for the Angels, registering a 3.98 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 3 saves in innings of work. For the 2023 season, Quijada made 10 appearances, struggling to a 6.00 ERA with 8 strikeouts and 4 saves before he was placed on the injured list on April 29, 2023. On May 3, it was announced that Quijada would require

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, ...

, ending his season. Quijada was activated from the injured list on July 22, 2024, in order to make his return from surgery. In 22 appearances for the Angels, he compiled a 2-2 record and 3.26 ERA with 24 strikeouts across innings pitched. On March 25, 2025, Quijada was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Angels. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Salt Lake on March 30.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quijada, Jose 1995 births Living people Arizona Complex League Angels players Caribes de Anzoátegui players Dominican Summer League Marlins players Greensboro Grasshoppers players Gulf Coast Marlins players Inland Empire 66ers players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players Jupiter Hammerheads players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Miami Marlins players New Orleans Baby Cakes players Rocket City Trash Pandas players Salt Lake Bees players Sportspeople from Monagas Tiburones de La Guaira players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States 2023 World Baseball Classic players