Alfredo Simón Cabrera, also known as The Big Pasta, (born May 8, 1981) is a Dominican 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

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

, Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds. From 2001 through part of 2004 he pitched under the name Carlos Cabrera.

Professional career

Minor leagues

Philadelphia Phillies

Simón was signed on July 9, 1999, by the Philadelphia Phillies. He originally signed under the name Carlos Cabrera, and he pretended to be 21 months younger than he really was. He made his professional debut in 2000 for the La Vega Phillies in the

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 ...

. In 2004, the Phillies found out his real name and age.

San Francisco Giants

On July 30, 2004, Simón was traded with

Ricky Ledée Ricardo Alberto Ledée (born November 22, 1973) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York M ...

to the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

for Felix Rodríguez. Simón was assigned to the Single-A

San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark. Games San Jose Giants ga ...

. He got off to a bad start, posting a 5.68 ERA in six starts while going 1–2. In 2005, he was promoted to the Double-A

Norwich Navigators Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

. He started for only part of the year, and closed for most of the season, going 3–8 with 19 saves while posting a 5.03 ERA in 43 games (nine starts). In 2006, Simón started the season at San Jose, but was later promoted to the AAA

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in d ...

. In 28 combined games (17 starts), he went 2–10 with a 6.62 ERA. Following the season, he filed for

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

Texas Rangers

On November 3, 2006, Simón signed with the Texas Rangers. In December, the

drafted him in the Rule 5 draft. On the same day, the Orioles traded him back to the Philadelphia Phillies for Adam Donachie and cash. On March 17, 2007, the Phillies returned Simón to the Rangers. Simón pitched as a starter for the Triple-A

Oklahoma RedHawks Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

. He had a bad year, going 5–10 with a 6.43 ERA in 22 starts. Following the season, he filed for free agency.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On January 10, 2008, Simón signed with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. He was released on March 30, before the season started.

Mexican League

After being released, Simón signed with the independent Sultanes de Monterrey 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 ...

. He pitched very well with them, going 7–2 with a 2.67 ERA in 15 games (11 starts). During the season, he was signed by the

on September 5.

Major leagues

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles originally assigned Simón to the AAA

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

, but they quickly called him up. On September 6, he made his MLB debut. He finished 2008 with a 6.23 ERA in four games (one start) and no decisions. In 2009, after a strong spring training, he was named to the Orioles' starting rotation. However, he was injured in only his second start and missed the rest of the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Simón failed to make the Orioles out of spring training in 2010, but on April 27, the Orioles promoted Simón from Triple-A Norfolk. The same day, he became the Orioles' closer (due to bad pitching and a subsequent injury to

Mike Gonzalez Michael Vela Gonzalez (born May 23, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, and Mil ...

), and he notched his first save against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

. He pitched an inning and gave up no earned runs (and two unearned). Coincidentally, the Yankees were the same team Simón earned his first decision against. Simón converted his first five save opportunities before blowing one against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

on May 15. In 49 relief appearances, Simón was 4–2 with a 4.93 ERA while converting 17 of 21 save opportunities. After blowing a save on August 9, he did not receive another save opportunity as

Koji Uehara is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He previously played for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), as well as the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (M ...

was used most often in the role. On May 21, 2011, Simón was activated from the restricted list.

Jason Berken Jason Thomas Berken (born November 27, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs. College Berken graduated from West De Pere High School. He ...

was sent down to make room.

Cincinnati Reds

On April 3, 2012, the Cincinnati Reds claimed Simón off waivers from the Orioles. He served in the bullpen for the season, posting a 3–2 record with one save and a 2.66 ERA in 36 games. He spent most of the 2013 season as a part of the Reds bullpen. He went 6–4 and posted a 2.87 ERA in 63 appearances. He began the 2014 season in the Reds' starting rotation after an injury to

Mat Latos Mathew Adam Latos ( ; born December 9, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padre ...

. He immediately excelled in the role, and at the All-Star break he led the National League with 12 wins (against only three losses) to go with a 2.70 ERA. On July 13, 2014, Simón was named to the

2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 85th edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, held at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the home of the Minnesota Twins. This was the third All-Star Game played in the T ...

, replacing fellow Red

Johnny Cueto Johnny Cueto Ortiz (; born February 15, 1986) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox ...

, who was unavailable to pitch due to starting a game the previous Sunday. Simon was mobbed by his teammates in the dugout when the announcement was made during the game. In the All-Star game, Simón pitched a scoreless third inning, allowing one hit and striking out one batter. He would win only three more games after the All-Star break, finishing at 15–10 with a 3.44 ERA in 32 starts, while throwing a career-high innings.

Detroit Tigers

On December 11, 2014, the Reds traded Simón to the Detroit Tigers for Jonathon Crawford and

Eugenio Suárez Eugenio Alejandro Suárez (born July 18, 1991) is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds. Suárez was an All-Star in 2 ...

. On January 16, 2015, Simón and the Tigers avoided arbitration when the two parties agreed on a one-year contract worth $5.5 million. On August 20, 2015, Simón recorded his first career complete game

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

in the Tigers 4–0 win over the Texas Rangers. He allowed only one hit in the contest, a double to

Rougned Odor Rougned Roberto Odor () (born February 3, 1994), nicknamed "Rougie", is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Balt ...

in the fifth inning, while walking two and striking out five. Despite finishing the season with a league-worst 5.05 ERA, Simón led the Tigers in wins (13) and innings pitched (187).

Second stint with Cincinnati

On March 17, 2016, Simón signed a one-year deal to return to the Reds.

Long Island Ducks

On June 6, 2017, Simon signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He became a free agent after the 2017 season.

Tigres de Quintana Roo

On July 3, 2018, Simon 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 Baseball 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 t ...

. He was released on August 16, 2018.

Acereros de Monclova

On June 25, 2021, Simón signed with the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico. Their home ballpark is Estadio de Béisbol Monclova, which has a capacity of 11,000 people. The Ace ...

of the

. Simón allowed three runs without recording an out in his only appearance with Monclova, and was released by the team the next day.

Pitch selection

Simón is primarily a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...

pitcher, throwing several varieties of the pitch. He throws four-seam and two-seam fastballs in the 92–94 MPH range (topping out at 97 MPH), plus a

split-finger fastball A split-finger fastball or splitter is an off-speed pitch in baseball that looks to the batter like a fastball until it drops suddenly. Derived from the forkball, it is so named because the pitcher puts the index and middle finger on different s ...

in the 83–85 MPH range (topping out at 89 MPH). The split-finger is his favorite pitch with two strikes on the hitter. He also throws a standard curveball that averages about 77–79 MPH, plus an extremely slow curveball that averages about 66–69 MPH. The slow curve has been clocked as low as 49 MPH, leading some analysts to call it an

eephus pitch An eephus pitch (also spelled ephus) in baseball is a very high-arcing off-speed pitch. The delivery from the pitcher has very low velocity and often catches the hitter off-guard. The eephus pitch is thrown overhand like most pitches, but is char ...

Incidents

Involuntary manslaughter allegations

In January 2011, Simón allegedly shot and killed Michel Castillo Almonte and wounded his 17-year-old brother during a New Year's Eve celebration in Luperón, Dominican Republic. Simón denied the allegations. Police then announced their intention to file

involuntary manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...

charges. In March 2011, Simón posted bail. On November 8, 2011, Simon was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter.

Rape allegation

In April 2014, Simón was sued for $15 million by a woman who alleged that he had raped her in a Washington, D.C. hotel room about one year earlier, while the Reds were in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

for a series against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. While no charges were ever filed, a civil suit was still pending as of December 2014.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Alfredo 1981 births Living people Baltimore Orioles players Batavia Muckdogs players Bowie Baysox players Cincinnati Reds players Clearwater Threshers players Connecticut Defenders players Detroit Tigers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Fresno Grizzlies players Gigantes del Cibao players Florida Complex League Phillies players Lakewood BlueClaws players Long Island Ducks players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Mexican League baseball pitchers National League All-Stars Norfolk Tides players Norwich Navigators players Oklahoma RedHawks players People acquitted of manslaughter People from Santiago de los Caballeros San Jose Giants players Sultanes de Monterrey players World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic 2013 World Baseball Classic players