Alexander Jesus Torres Matos (born December 8, 1987) is a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the 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 ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. He is known as the first pitcher in Major League Baseball to take advantage of the league rules allowing pitchers to wear protective headgear full-time.

Professional career

Los Angeles Angels

Torres was signed on January 12, 2005, by

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

scout Carlos Porte, as an international free agent, and was assigned to the Angels'

Dominican Summer League The Dominican Summer League (DSL) is a branch of affiliated Minor League Baseball which is played in the Dominican Republic. The league was founded in 1985. After the demise of the Venezuelan Summer League after the 2015 season, it is the only ...

Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...

that season. He spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons with the Angels' rookie-level

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it ...

, as well as the beginning of the 2008 season before earning a promotion to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

California League. In 2009, Torres was again assigned to Rancho Cucamonga, where he earned minor league Pitcher of the Month honors for the Angels organization in both June and July. He held a stretch of 19 consecutive scoreless innings pitched (June 9–29, 2008) and won his final 5 starts before being promoted again to the

Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, also known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are affiliated with the Seattle Mariners as members of the Texas League. History The team succeeded ...

in the Double-A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

on July 31, 2009.

Tampa Bay Rays

On August 28, 2009, Torres was traded to the

along with infielders

Sean Rodriguez Sean John Rodriguez (born April 26, 1985) is an American former professional baseball utility player who is currently a player development instructor for the Philadelphia Phillies. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los ...

and Matthew Sweeney for

Scott Kazmir Scott Edward Kazmir (; born January 24, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics ...

, and he was assigned to the

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

in the Double-A Southern League. Following the 2009 season, the Rays added Torres to the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

on November 19 to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Torres started 27 games for Montgomery in 2010, posting a 3.47 ERA and 150 strike-outs in 142 innings. For the 2011 season, Torres was promoted to the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

in the Triple-A International League. He was promoted to the Major League for the first time on July 18, 2011. He pitched in a single game on July 18, giving up one hit and three walks in one inning, before he was returned to Triple-A. He was called up to the Rays again in September, pitching in 3 more games in relief. For the season in Triple-A, he started 27 games, had a 3.08 ERA and 156 strike-outs in 146 innings. Torres began 2012 as a starter for the Durham Bulls, but he struggled with control and was sent to the bullpen after 5 starts with a 10.38 ERA. He made 11 relief appearances, allowing 11 earned runs in 20 innings, and then returned to the starting rotation in mid-June. He continued to struggle in 8 more starts, allowing 24 earned runs in 24 innings, before he was placed on the disabled list and then sent to the rookie-level

Gulf Coast League Rays The Florida Complex League Rays are a minor league baseball team in Port Charlotte, Florida, competing as a Rookie-level team in the Florida Complex League as an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast ...

Port Charlotte, Florida Port Charlotte is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The population was 54,392 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Punta Gorda, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Port ...

to work with pitching coach Marty DeMerritt. Torres returned to make the final start of the year in Durham, pitching 5 scoreless innings and striking out 10. He then pitched in the winter leagues in his native Venezuela. Torres again opened 2013 with the Triple-A Durham Bulls as he was eligible for a fourth option year after being added to the 40-man roster in 2009. He pitched to a 3.52 ERA in 9 starts in Durham in 2013. Torres was called up the Rays in mid-May when David Price went down with an injury. He appeared in 2 games out of the bullpen, including a scoreless four-inning stint, and was sent back down to Durham. He was recalled on June 1 to add depth to the bullpen. There was discussion in June about turning Torres into a starter, but manager

Joe Maddon Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball manager and coach. He has managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball. Maddon began his coaching career in MLB ...

opted to keep him in the bullpen. Torres remained with the big league club for the remainder of the season, accumulating a 1.71 ERA and 62 strike-outs in 58 innings and 39 games.

San Diego Padres

On January 22, 2014, the Rays traded Torres and Jesse Hahn to the

for

Logan Forsythe John Logan Forsythe (born January 14, 1987) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers and Mia ...

Brad Boxberger Bradley George Boxberger (born May 27, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas ...

, Matt Andriese, Maxx Tissenbaum and Matt Lollis. On June 21, 2014, Torres became the first Major League Baseball pitcher to wear the isoBLOX protective cap introduced early in the year. MLB approved the product in January, nearly a year and a half after pitcher

Brandon McCarthy Brandon Patrick McCarthy (born July 7, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and front office executive. He is the special assistant to the general manager for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in M ...

was struck in the head by a line drive and suffered life-threatening brain injuries. Other pitchers with traumatic injuries includes

Juan Nicasio Juan Ramón Nicasio (born August 31, 1986) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, P ...

Alex Cobb Alexander Miller Cobb (born October 7, 1987), nicknamed Swan, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the fourth round of the 2006 MLB draf ...

and

Aroldis Chapman Albertín Aroldis Chapman de la Cruz (; born February 28, 1988) is a Cuban-born American professional baseball relief pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees and C ...

, which led MLB to ramp up efforts to better protect pitchers. Torres accumulated a 3.33 ERA over 54 innings in 70 appearances in 2014, striking out 51 and walking 33.

New York Mets

On March 30, 2015, the Padres traded Torres to the

for

Cory Mazzoni Cory Mitchell Mazzoni (born October 19, 1989) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs. Amateur career Mazzoni graduated from Seneca Valle ...

and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

. Torres pitched to a 3.15 ERA, but walked 26 batters in and allowed left-handed hitters a .268

batting average against In baseball statistics, batting average against (denoted by BAA or AVG), also known as opponents' batting average (denoted by OBA), is a statistic that measures a pitcher's ability to prevent hits during official at bats. It can alternatively be ...

. All of this combined with the fact that Torres was out of minor league options ultimately led the Mets to designate him for assignment on August 4. Torres cleared waivers and was reassigned to the Mets' triple-A club in Las Vegas.

Atlanta Braves

Torres signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves on December 31, 2015. On March 30, 2016, he was released.

Gunma Diamond Pegasus

He signed with the

Gunma Diamond Pegasus The are a semi-professional baseball team in the Baseball Challenge League of Japan. The team was established as part of the expansion of the league, and began play in the 2008 season. Their home is Gunma Prefecture. Franchise history The Di ...

of the

Baseball Challenge League The Route Inn BCL, formerly known as the , is an independent minor baseball league in Japan. The league's abbreviated designation is "." League structure The Baseball Challenge League has three divisions, East, Middle, and West, with four teams ...

Tigres de Quintana Roo

On January 15, 2020, Torres signed with the

Tigres de Quintana Roo The Quintana Roo Tigers (), formerly known as the Mexico (City) Tigers () are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve champio ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. On April 6, 2020, Torres was released.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Alex 1987 births Living people Arizona League Angels players Arkansas Travelers players Águilas del Zulia players Cardenales de Lara players Caribes de Anzoátegui players Durham Bulls players Gulf Coast Rays players Las Vegas 51s players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Montgomery Biscuits players Navegantes del Magallanes players New York Mets players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Sacramento River Cats players San Diego Padres players Sportspeople from Valencia, Venezuela Tampa Bay Rays players Tiburones de La Guaira players Tigres de Aragua players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Japan Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2013 World Baseball Classic players