Jonathan Albaladejo
Encyclopedia
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
) is a 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...
who currently plays for the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
in Nippon Professional Baseball. Prior to signing with Yomiuri, Albaladego pitched for 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...
and New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
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...
.
Career
Albaladejo hired his step-brother TyVyn Josiah Pressley as his agent and was selected by the San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
in the 34th round (1,021st overall) of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft
2000 Major League Baseball Draft
-First Round Selections:-Compensation picks:- Background :The Florida Marlins made Adrian Gonzalez of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, CA the first overall selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft...
, but did not sign. The following year
2001 Major League Baseball Draft
-First Round Selections:-Supplemental First Round Selections:-Background:The Minnesota Twins selected St. Paul, MN native Joe Mauer with the number one pick in the 2001 draft. The 18-year-old Mauer, a catcher from Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, became the seventh Minnesotan to be...
he was selected by 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...
in the 19th round (564th overall), and signed on June 6, 2001.
He spent a number of years in the minors in the Pirates system as a starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
, and then in 2005 was converted to a reliever.
2007
On May 3, 2007 he was signed to a minor league contract by the Washington NationalsWashington 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...
, and played most of the season for the Class-AA Harrisburg Senators
Harrisburg Senators
The Harrisburg Senators are a minor league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals....
, compiling a 4.17 earned run average
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...
in 21 appearances. He moved up to the Class-AAA Columbus Clippers
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio....
and finished the season extremely well, posting an ERA of 0.78 in 14 appearances. When rosters expanded in September, the Nationals, then leading the league in innings pitched by relievers, brought him up.
On September 5, 2007, Albaladejo made his Major League debut. In the top of the third inning, in a game against the Florida Marlins, Tim Redding
Tim Redding
Timothy James Redding is an American professional baseball pitcher, who is currently a free agent. He has also pitched for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, and New York Mets.-Biography:...
was injured by a batted ball and needed to be replaced. Albaladejo entered the game with two men on and one out, and allowed a ground ball (where an inherited runner scored) and a pop up. In the fourth inning, Albaladejo struck out the side, and then was relieved.
On December 4, 2007 he was traded to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
for starting pitcher Tyler Clippard
Tyler Clippard
Tyler Lee Clippard is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals.-New York Yankees:Clippard was drafted in the 9th round of the 2003 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees out of J. W. Mitchell High School...
.
During the 2007-08 offseason, Albaladejo pitched for the Tiburones de La Guaira
Tiburones de La Guaira
The Tiburones de La Guaira are a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Based in the city of La Guaira, the Tiburones have won seven national championships since their founding in 1962.-History:...
in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional is the highest level baseball league in Venezuela.-Brief history:Baseball exploded in Venezuela in 1941, following the world championship in Havana....
.
2008-2009
He made the Yankees' opening day roster, but only pitched in 9 games in the 2008 season because of an elbow injury suffered on May 9, 2008.Albaladejo again made the Yankees' major league roster to start the season. After posting an earned run average of 6.00 in 18 appearances through May 22, he was optioned back down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make room on the roster for pitcher Chien-Ming Wang
Chien-Ming Wang
Chien-Ming Wang is a Taiwanese Major League Baseball pitcher. He was initially signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees for the 2000 season, and played for the Staten Island Yankees...
. In 17 innings at Triple-A he compiled a 1.59 ERA and 0.65 WHIP, earning a promotion back to the majors when Chien-Ming Wang
Chien-Ming Wang
Chien-Ming Wang is a Taiwanese Major League Baseball pitcher. He was initially signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees for the 2000 season, and played for the Staten Island Yankees...
was placed on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
on July 5, 2009. He was sent back down to Scranton on July 10, 2009 to make room for Mark Melancon
Mark Melancon
Mark David Melancon is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Houston Astros.-Early years:...
.
2010
Albaladejo began the season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. After a poor spring training, Albaladejo transitioned from his two-seam fastballTwo-seam fastball
A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball, but the general movement of a screwball...
to his four-seam fastball
Four-seam fastball
A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family...
, which allowed him more control. He was named 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...
Pitcher of the Week from July 5–12, and from July 12–18, and pitched in the Triple-A All-Star Game. After saving 31 games in 32 chances with a 0.96 ERA, he was called up to the Yankees on July 20. However, he was optioned back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 24 to make room for Sergio Mitre
Sergio Mitre
Sergio Armando Mitre is a American professional baseball pitcher.-Background:Mitre is of Mexican American descent. He grew up in Tijuana, Mexico, where he trained in the arts of kenpo, boxing and wrestling due to frequent street fights.Mitre graduated from Montgomery High School in San Diego,...
.
Albaladejo passed the previous International League single-season record for saves with 43 (the previous record was 38). He was named to the International League Postseason All-Star team.
Albaladejo was called up by the New York Yankees when the rosters expanded at the start of September. He pitched innings for the Yankees during the 2010 season. During the offseason, Albaladejo asked the Yankees to release him so he could pursue a career in Japan.
2011
Albaladejo signed a one year contract with the Yomiuri GiantsYomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
.