Mel Rojas
From BR Bullpen
Melquiades Rojas Medrano
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 11", Weight 185 lb.
- High School Liceo Manresa
- Debut August 1, 1990
- Final Game July 1, 1999
- Born December 10, 1966 in Haina, Distrito Nacional, D.R.
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[edit] Biography
Mel Rojas was a right-handed reliever for the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Detroit Tigers. He was signed by the Expos as an undrafted free in 1985, and he went on to record 126 major league saves. Mel is the brother of minor league outfielder Francisco Rojas, cousin of Moises Alou, Jose Alou and Felipe Alou Jr., and nephew of Matty, Jesus, and Felipe Alou. Rojas last played in the Atlantic League.
[edit] Minor Leagues
The Expos advanced Rojas steadily through their minor league system; he was used mostly as a starter. Rojas pitched 55 1/3 innings for the GCL Expos in 1986. The young Dominican native walked 37 hitters and surrendered 63 hits. His ERA for the year was 4.88. Rojas won 8 games for the Burlington Expos in 1987, including a shutout. Behind a dazzling forkball, the young prospect went 6-4 with a 2.45 ERA for the Rockford Expos in 1988. Rojas and Howard Farmer combined to win 21 games for Rockford, and the pair totaled 217 strikeouts. Rojas also made two starts with the West Palm Beach Expos, winning one of them.
In 1989, Rojas split time as a starter and reliever for the Jacksonville Expos. He once again teamed with Farmer to form a strong tandem. The two pitchers won a total of 22 games and combined to fan 255 opponents. Rojas yielded only one home run in 112.0 innings. Baseball America named him the 35th best prospect in all of baseball following the season.
[edit] Major League Success: 1990-1996
The Expos promoted their young righty to Indianapolis in 1990. He made 17 starts for the club, and his ERA was 3.13. More importantly, Rojas appeared in 23 games for the Expos. All were relief appearances, and his record was 3-1. He picked up his first major league save on August 25th, closing out the final two innings of a 2-1 victory over the Padres. Rojas added six saves and three more wins out of the bullpen in 1991.
The Expos used Rojas as a horse out of the bullpen in 1992. The 25 year old tossed 100 2/3 innings, all in relief. His record was 7-1, and his ERA was a shining 1.43. He saved 10 games on the season. The Expos posted their highest win total since 1979 in 1993, finishing with a 94-68 record. Rojas saved 10 more games. He had 16 saves in 1994 when the strike shortened the baseball season. The Expos had baseball's best record when the season ended in August.
Baseball resumed in 1995 and Rojas took over as the Expos' closer. He saved 30 games, but his ERA was 4.12. He rebounded in 1996 and saved 36 games for the Expos. He struck out 92 batters in 81.0 innings.
[edit] Career as a Journeyman
Rojas signed a large contract with the Cubs in 1997. His number seriously declined: in 54 games with the Cubs, Rojas recorded just 13 saves, and his ERA was 4.42. Chicago traded Rojas to the Mets in August with Brian McRae, and Turk Wendell in exchange for Lance Johnson, Mark Clark, and Manny Alexander. Rojas was 0-2 with a 5.13 ERA with New York. In total, he finished the '97 campaign with an 0-6 record and a 4.64. The only bright spot was a new career high for strikeouts: 93.
The 31 year old remained with the Mets in 1998. He posted a 6.05 ERA in 58.0 innings, and recorded two saves. New York traded Rojas to the Dodgers for Bobby Bonilla after the '98 season ended. After appearing in just five games with Los Angeles, Rojas was traded to the Tigers. He surrendered 16 runs in 6 1/3 innings with Detroit before he was released. The Expos gave Rojas three appearances before releasing him on July 3rd. In the first three months of the 1999 season, Rojas had pitched for three teams, and assembled 14.09 ERA. For the first time in his career, Rojas failed to record a save.
The former closer bounced around between minor league organizations before settling in with the Atlantic League. In 2002, Rojas represented the Nashua Pride in the all-star game. He earned 9 saves with the Bridgeport Bluefish in 2004.
Sources: baseball cube bio, 2002 all-star
