Jorge Julio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Arizona Diamondbacks — No. 50 | |
| Relief Pitcher | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
|---|---|
| April 26, 2001 for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2006) |
|
| Saves | 99 |
| ERA | 4.20 |
| SO | 345 |
| Teams | |
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Jorge Julio born Jorge Dandys Julio Tapia (March 3, 1979 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had previously played for the Baltimore Orioles from 2001-2005 and New York Mets in 2006. He bats and throws right-handed.
Julio depends primarily on his fastball, which he throws at least 75 % of the time. He throws both his four-seam and two-seam fastball in the 95-99 MPH range, and has been known to hit triple digits from time to time. Though both pitches are near unhittable when he is on, his command is shaky at best. He also has a downward-breaking slider, which comes in at between 86-90 MPH. Once again, however, he frequently has trouble locating this pitch, and its movement is erratic. He occasionally throws a changeup as well, but only to waste a pitch.
Julio's first full-length season was in 2002. He went 5-6, posting an impressive 1.99 ERA with 25 saves and 55 strikeouts. He finished 3rd in American League Rookie of the Year voting with 14 voting points (1 second place votes, 11 third place votes).
Although Julio tantalizes scouts and management with raw ability and occasional quality stints, he has been unable to reproduce the numbers from his rookie season. He lost his job as the Orioles' closer to B.J. Ryan at the end of 2004. Julio began 2005 in promising fashion as the set-up man behind Ryan; during the month of April, he allowed just 1 earned run in 13 2/3 innings pitched. However, his numbers would fall off drastically from there. He finished the season 3-5 with a 5.90 ERA in 67 appearances.
On January 21, 2006, Julio was dealt to the Mets along with pitching prospect John Maine in exchange for Kris Benson. Though he possesses a remarkably high ceiling, his inability to control his emotions combined with his erratic control make his future potential dicey at best.
The Mets traded Julio on May 24, 2006 to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez. With the Diamondbacks, Julio's season as a closer was a roller coaster ride. He replaced Jose Valverde in the role, and saved 15 games for the Diamondbacks. But due to inconsistency and ineffectiveness, Valverde replaced Julio as closer on September 3, 2006.
