Nelson Figueroa
Encyclopedia
Nelson Walter Figueroa, Jr. (born May 18, 1974 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American
professional baseball
pitcher
for the Pittsburgh Pirates
of Major League Baseball
. He attended Brandeis University
in Waltham
, Massachusetts
where he pitched for three years and earned a bachelors degree in American Studies. The right-handed starting pitcher and occasional long reliever stands at 6'1", 205 pounds. He features a fastball
touched 91 mph, curveball
, slider
, and changeup
. He is of Puerto Rican descent and played for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic
.
in the 30th round of the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft
and was subsequently traded along with outfielder Bernard Gilkey
to the Arizona Diamondbacks
in for Jorge Fábregas
, Willie Blair
and cash considerations. Figueroa made his major league debut with the Diamondbacks during the season, becoming the first Brandeis University alumnus to reach the major leagues. Figueroa started in three games that year and compiled an 0-1 record and a 7.47 ERA. On July 26, 2000, Figueroa was traded with Vicente Padilla
, Travis Lee
, and Omar Daal
to the Philadelphia Phillies
for Curt Schilling
. Figueroa spent the rest of the 2000 season pitching for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
of the International League
(AAA), compiling a record of 4-3 and an ERA of 3.78.
. Figueroa spent one season in Milwaukee where he regressed to a 1-7 record and 5.03 ERA.
with the Pittsburgh Pirates
on January 6, . Figueroa spent most of the 2003 season pitching for the Nashville Sounds
, the AAA affiliate of the Pirates. He was promoted late in the season and went 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA for Pittsburgh.
After a brief stint with the Pirates in 2004, Figueroa spent rehabilitating a torn rotator cuff that he had played with during the previous season. He signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals
early in and spent the season pitching for the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs
, where he posted a 4.38 ERA in 76 innings of work.
of the Mexican League
. Figueroa went to Taiwan
in September 2007 as a late season addition to the Uni-President Lions
of the Chinese Professional Baseball League
(CPBL). He started 4 games for the Lions, won them all, had 8 walks and 21 strikeouts in 30 innings, had an ERA
of 3.00, and helped the Lions secure the wild-card spot in the playoff series.
In the first round best-of-five series against Macoto Cobras, Figueroa started for the Lions in the first game. He pitched for 8 innings, gave up only 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs while striking out 8 hitters. The Lions won the game with a score of 9-4 with Figueroa the winning pitcher, and advanced to the championship series by sweeping the Cobras in three games.
In the 2007
Taiwan Series
CPBL championship series against the La New Bears
, Figueroa started in three games, the first, fourth, and seventh games, and won them all. He was selected as the series MVP and now holds the record in the Taiwan Series history as the starting pitcher with the most games won.
In the 2009 Venezuelan Winter league round robin, he pitched for Cardenales de Lara (Lara's Cardinals) and pitched a no hit no run for nine innings but the game was still 0-0, he came again in the 10th and received a hit, ending the streak. Cardenales won in 10 innings, 1-0. Figueroa was the winning pitcher.
In his return to Major League Baseball on April 11, 2008, Figueroa had his first start with the New York Mets. He pitched 6 innings, allowed 2 hits, walked two and struck out 6, getting credit for the victory with the Mets going on to win 4-2. In attendance was his family, who cheered him on from Mets closer Billy Wagner's suite. On May 13, 2008, he along with reliever Jorge Sosa
was designated for assignment to make room for activated reliever Matt Wise
. He was eventually sent outright to the minors. Figueroa was brought back to the Mets on August 27, spending September as a member of the Mets' bullpen
. On December 3, he was re-signed by the New York Mets to a minor league contract.
Nelson was called up on April 19, 2009, to start against the Brewers in place of injured Mike Pelfrey, and was designated for assignment following the game. On April 25, 2009, he re-signed with the Mets
and was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo
.
On October 4, 2009, the last day of the 2009 MLB regular season, Nelson Figueroa tossed a four-hitter and struck out seven batters for the first complete game and shutout of his major league baseball career. He had a 2-run triple against the Cardinals. He became the first pitcher to hit a triple since Orlando Hernandez
in 2006.
On May 31, 2010, the Phillies designated him for assignment, and he accepted outright assignment to Triple-A Lehigh Valley
. On June 24, 2010, he was called up when Chad Durbin
was placed on the DL, and was then designated for assignment again in July.
and was assigned to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians
.
. He is a graduate of Lincoln High School, Mark Twain Intermediate School 239 for the Gifted and Talented, and Public School 188, the Michael E. Berdy School in Brooklyn, New York
.
He is also an artist who helped design patriotic t-shirts for Major League Baseball in the aftermath of 9/11. The shirts were sold to raise money for charity. He has a skill with electronics that former manager Jerry Royster
called "just amazing."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. He attended Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
in Waltham
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
where he pitched for three years and earned a bachelors degree in American Studies. The right-handed starting pitcher and occasional long reliever stands at 6'1", 205 pounds. He features a fastball
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
touched 91 mph, curveball
Curveball
The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball causing it to dive in a downward path as it approaches the plate. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to...
, slider
Slider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch that breaks laterally and down, with a speed between that of a curveball and that of a fastball....
, and changeup
Changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. Other names include change-of-pace, Bugs Bunny change-up, the dreaded equalizer, and simply change. The changeup is sometimes called an off-speed pitch, although that term can also be used simply to mean any pitch that is slower than a fastball...
. He is of Puerto Rican descent and played for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
.
Early career
He was drafted 833rd overall by the New York MetsNew York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
in the 30th round of the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft
1995 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign-Background:Outfielder Darin Erstad of the University of Nebraska was the first pick in the 1995 Rule 4 Draft. Erstad compiled a career .356 average in three seasons with the...
and was subsequently traded along with outfielder Bernard Gilkey
Bernard Gilkey
Otis Bernard Gilkey is a former Major League Baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves. Primarily a left fielder, Gilkey occasionally played right field as well. He also played a small number of games as a center field,...
to the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
in for Jorge Fábregas
Jorge Fabregas
Jorge Fábregas is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played for eight teams during a nine-year major league career. He is an alumnus of the University of Miami....
, Willie Blair
Willie Blair
William Allen Blair is a former journeyman right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from -. Blair played baseball for Morehead State University before the Toronto Blue Jays drafted him in the 11th round of the amateur draft.-Playing career:Blair spent four seasons in the Blue Jays...
and cash considerations. Figueroa made his major league debut with the Diamondbacks during the season, becoming the first Brandeis University alumnus to reach the major leagues. Figueroa started in three games that year and compiled an 0-1 record and a 7.47 ERA. On July 26, 2000, Figueroa was traded with Vicente Padilla
Vicente Padilla
Vicente de la Cruz Padilla is a Major League Baseball pitcher, who is a free agent. Padilla previously pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers...
, Travis Lee
Travis Lee
Travis Lee is a former Major League Baseball first baseman.Lee graduated from Capital High School in Olympia, Washington in 1993, where he also played football. Being ambidextrous Lee played as a lefty in baseball and as a QB for the Capital High football team threw with his right...
, and Omar Daal
Omar Daal
Omar Jesús Daal Cordero is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for 11 seasons, from through . Daal played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Montreal Expos , Toronto Blue Jays , Arizona Diamondbacks , Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles...
to the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
for Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling
Curtis Montague "Curt" Schilling is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a...
. Figueroa spent the rest of the 2000 season pitching for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees are a professional minor league baseball club located based in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre area. They currently play in the International League's Northern Division and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees Major League Baseball club...
of the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
(AAA), compiling a record of 4-3 and an ERA of 3.78.
Milwaukee Brewers
In , Figueroa tossed 89 innings for the Phillies and finished the season with a 4-5 record and 3.94 ERA. The right-hander was claimed off waivers on October 11, , by the Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. Figueroa spent one season in Milwaukee where he regressed to a 1-7 record and 5.03 ERA.
Pittsburgh Pirates
He then signed as a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
with the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
on January 6, . Figueroa spent most of the 2003 season pitching for the Nashville Sounds
Nashville Sounds
The Nashville Sounds are a minor league baseball team of the Pacific Coast League , and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music industry...
, the AAA affiliate of the Pirates. He was promoted late in the season and went 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA for Pittsburgh.
After a brief stint with the Pirates in 2004, Figueroa spent rehabilitating a torn rotator cuff that he had played with during the previous season. He signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
early in and spent the season pitching for the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs
New Orleans Zephyrs
The New Orleans Zephyrs are a minor league baseball team based in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. The Zephyrs play in the Pacific Coast League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. The Zephyrs play their home games at Zephyr Field....
, where he posted a 4.38 ERA in 76 innings of work.
Foreign leagues
In , he signed with Dorados de ChihuahuaDorados de Chihuahua
Dorados de Chihuahua were a baseball team from the city of Chihuahua. Recently Tuneros de San Luis moved to Chihuahua and took the Dorados namesake, which also brought the LMB Mexican Baseball League to Chihuahua for the first time since 1982. The Dorados played their home games at Estadio...
of the Mexican League
Liga Mexicana de Beisbol
The Mexican League is a summer minor league baseball league with teams based across Mexico. Along with the International League and the Pacific Coast League, it is one of three leagues playing at the triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It is the only Minor League...
. Figueroa went to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in September 2007 as a late season addition to the Uni-President Lions
Uni-President Lions
The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions are a professional baseball team based in Tainan City, Taiwan. The organization is named after the Uni-President Corporation, one of Taiwan's largest conglomerate whose sub-company Uni-President Baseball Team Company oversees operations of the team...
of the Chinese Professional Baseball League
Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League , or CPBL, is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 2003...
(CPBL). He started 4 games for the Lions, won them all, had 8 walks and 21 strikeouts in 30 innings, had an ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
of 3.00, and helped the Lions secure the wild-card spot in the playoff series.
In the first round best-of-five series against Macoto Cobras, Figueroa started for the Lions in the first game. He pitched for 8 innings, gave up only 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs while striking out 8 hitters. The Lions won the game with a score of 9-4 with Figueroa the winning pitcher, and advanced to the championship series by sweeping the Cobras in three games.
In the 2007
2007 Chinese Professional Baseball League playoffs
The Chinese Professional Baseball League playoffs included the three top teams from the regular season and saw Uni-President Lions crowned as the champion with the Taiwan Series through the month of October, 2007...
Taiwan Series
Taiwan Series
Taiwan Series is the championship series of the Chinese Professional Baseball League. It is usually played in October, after the regular season. It was formerly known as the CPBL Seasonal Championship Series , and was renamed the Taiwan Series after the merger of the Chinese Professional Baseball...
CPBL championship series against the La New Bears
La New Bears
The Lamigo Monkeys , formerly First Financial Holdings Agan and then the La New Bears , are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan...
, Figueroa started in three games, the first, fourth, and seventh games, and won them all. He was selected as the series MVP and now holds the record in the Taiwan Series history as the starting pitcher with the most games won.
In the 2009 Venezuelan Winter league round robin, he pitched for Cardenales de Lara (Lara's Cardinals) and pitched a no hit no run for nine innings but the game was still 0-0, he came again in the 10th and received a hit, ending the streak. Cardenales won in 10 innings, 1-0. Figueroa was the winning pitcher.
New York Mets
Jorge Sosa
Jorge Bolivar Sosa is a Major League Baseball pitcher, who is currently a free agent. Sosa stands at 6'2" tall and reportedly weighs 218 pounds...
was designated for assignment to make room for activated reliever Matt Wise
Matt Wise
Matthew John Wise , is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher.Wise was drafted in the sixth round of the draft. He made his major league debut on August 2, with the Anaheim Angels. He was released by the Angels in and signed with the Milwaukee Brewers...
. He was eventually sent outright to the minors. Figueroa was brought back to the Mets on August 27, spending September as a member of the Mets' bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
. On December 3, he was re-signed by the New York Mets to a minor league contract.
Nelson was called up on April 19, 2009, to start against the Brewers in place of injured Mike Pelfrey, and was designated for assignment following the game. On April 25, 2009, he re-signed with the Mets
METS
The Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard is a metadata standard for encoding descriptive, administrative, and structural metadata regarding objects within a digital library, expressed using the XML schema language of the World Wide Web Consortium...
and was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
.
On October 4, 2009, the last day of the 2009 MLB regular season, Nelson Figueroa tossed a four-hitter and struck out seven batters for the first complete game and shutout of his major league baseball career. He had a 2-run triple against the Cardinals. He became the first pitcher to hit a triple since Orlando Hernandez
Orlando Hernández
Orlando Hernández Pedroso , nicknamed "El Duque", is a former Cuban right-handed baseball pitcher....
in 2006.
Philadelphia Phillies
On April 7, 2010, the Phillies claimed Figueroa off waivers for use in the role of long reliever.On May 31, 2010, the Phillies designated him for assignment, and he accepted outright assignment to Triple-A Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a minor league baseball team that plays in the International League. The IronPigs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The team plays their home games at Coca-Cola Park, which is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
. On June 24, 2010, he was called up when Chad Durbin
Chad Durbin
Chad Griffin Durbin is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He has also played with the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians of the American League and the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies of the National League...
was placed on the DL, and was then designated for assignment again in July.
Houston Astros
Figueroa was claimed by the Astros on July 21, 2010. He was designated for assignment on May 9, 2011. He was released on August 18, 2011.Return to Pittsburgh
On August 23, 2011, Figueroa signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and was assigned to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...
.
Personal
Figueroa is married and spends the off-season in ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. He is a graduate of Lincoln High School, Mark Twain Intermediate School 239 for the Gifted and Talented, and Public School 188, the Michael E. Berdy School in Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
.
He is also an artist who helped design patriotic t-shirts for Major League Baseball in the aftermath of 9/11. The shirts were sold to raise money for charity. He has a skill with electronics that former manager Jerry Royster
Jerry Royster
Jeron Kennis Royster was a third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, and the New York Yankees, as well as a former manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and of the Lotte Giants in the Korea Baseball Organization.-Career:He was signed by the Dodgers...
called "just amazing."