Eddie Oropesa

Edilberto Oropesa (born November 23, 1971 in Matanzas, Cuba) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for four seasons. He pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2001, the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2002 to 2003, and the San Diego Padres in 2004, where he earned the win in the first ever Major League Game at Petco Park against the San Francisco Giants. He last played professionally in 2007 for Sparta-Feyenoord in the Dutch Major League. He defected from the Cuban team at the World University Games in Buffalo in 1993. In 2012 he was hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers to work with their newly signed Cuban player Yasiel Puig.

Salary

Oropesa is estimated to have earned $1.15 million total in 3 of the 4 major league seasons he appeared in (2001, 2002, and 2004).^[1]

Pitching Style

Eddie Oropesa threw three pitches, a fastball, slider and changeup. Oropesa's pitching delivery was unique. Against right-handed hitters, he went from the full windup. He would hide the ball by turning his back to the hitter utilizing a high leg kick and release the ball from a high three-quarters arm angle. Against lefties, he would work exclusively from the stretch, even with no runners on base. Against lefties, he would turn his back slightly however his leg kick was not nearly as exaggerated and he would use a sidearm release point. This delivery made it really tough for lefties to hit him, as they only hit .242 against him in his entire career. However, these inconsistent mechanics often led to control problems.

See also

• List of baseball players who defected from Cuba

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)