Neftalí Feliz Antonio (; born May 2, 1988) is a Dominican

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

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 dr ...

for the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (or Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican Baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They are members of the Mexican Baseball League and play their home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The fr ...

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 has previously 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 (A ...

(MLB) for the Texas Rangers,

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

, and

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) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

. Feliz won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2010.

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

Minor leagues

Feliz was signed by the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...

as a

free agent 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 i ...

out of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

on June 6, 2005. He made his professional debut with the

GCL Braves The Florida Complex League Braves are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Braves. The team plays at CoolTo ...

in 2006, posting a 4.03 ERA in 11 appearances. He began the 2007 season with the rookie-level

Danville Braves The Danville Braves were a Minor League Baseball team in Danville, Virginia. They were an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League and were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have played home games at American Legion Post 3 ...

, and logged a 1.98 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 27 innings of work.

Texas Rangers

On July 31, 2007, Feliz was traded from the Braves to the Texas Rangers along with Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison, Beau Jones, and Elvis Andrus in exchange for Mark Teixeira and

Ron Mahay Ronald Matthew Mahay (; born June 28, 1971) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Florida Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals, and Minnesot ...

. He finished the year with the Low-A

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Colo ...

, logging a 3.60 ERA in 8 games. In 2008, he split the season between the Single-A

Clinton LumberKings The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest Leag ...

and the Double-A

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are named for the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regi ...

, accumulating a 10–6 record and 2.69 ERA in 27 games with the two teams. He began the 2009 season with the Triple-A

Oklahoma City 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 ...

, pitching to a 4–6 record and 3.49 ERA in 25 games.

Major leagues

2009

Feliz was called up to the major leagues for the first time on August 2, 2009. He made his debut on August 3, striking out four in two scoreless innings. Feliz finished the season with a 1–0 record and a 1.74

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

(ERA) in 20 games, with 39

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

and two saves, in 31 innings pitched.

2010

Feliz was the Rangers' best prospect according to ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

'', and one of the top five pitching prospects in baseball at the start of 2010. After two blown saves by

Frank Francisco Franklin Thomas Francisco (born September 11, 1979) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets and Chicago White Sox. Baseball career Fr ...

to start the 2010 baseball season, Feliz replaced him as the Rangers' closer. On July 4, 2010, he was named to his first MLB All-Star Game. He was accompanied by teammates

Vladimir Guerrero Vladimir Alvino Guerrero Sr. (born February 9, 1975), nicknamed "Vlad the Impaler", is a Dominican former professional baseball player who spent 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right fielder and designated hitter. He played fo ...

, Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, and the newly acquired

Cliff Lee Clifton Phifer Lee (born August 30, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher who played for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Between 2002 and 2014 he played for four teams, most notably the Philadelphia Philli ...

. However, Feliz did not pitch during the game. On September 1, 2010, Feliz threw a fastball recorded at 103.4 mph, currently the 3rd fastest recorded pitch that has ever been thrown (behind

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 ...

and Joel Zumaya). On September 25, 2010, he earned his 38th save of the season, breaking the single-season record for saves by a rookie. He would go on to finish the season with 40. (The previous record was held by

Kazuhiro Sasaki Kazuhiro "Daimajin" Sasaki (佐々木主浩 ''Sasaki Kazuhiro'', born February 22, 1968) is a former Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He played his entire NPB career with the Yokohama Taiyo W ...

of the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion ...

, with 37 in 2000.) During Game 6 of the

2010 American League Championship Series The 2010 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was the best-of-seven game series pitting the winners of the 2010 American League Division Series for the American League Championship. The American League wild card-winning New York Yankees ...

against the New York Yankees, Feliz got the final three outs in the 9th inning and sent the Rangers to the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...

for the first time in franchise history. On October 30, 2010, he went three up, three down to close a 4–2 Rangers win in Game 3 of the World Series, making him the second youngest player to record a save in the World Series. The Rangers lost the World Series 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 Yo ...

in 5 games. On November 15, 2010, Feliz was awarded the 2010 American League Rookie of the Year Award. He was also named the closer on ''Baseball Americas 2010 All-Rookie Team and the

Topps The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, a ...

Major League Rookie All-Star Team.

2011

In 2011, Feliz was 2–3 with a 2.74 ERA and 32 saves (5th in the American League and tied for 9th-most in Rangers history). During Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, with two outs, two strikes, and two runners on, Feliz blew a save as he surrendered a 2-run triple to David Freese, who would then homer later to seal a Cardinals 10–9 win in the 11th inning. The Rangers then lost their second straight World Series appearance after losing Game 7 to the Cardinals 6–2.

2012

With the addition of veteran closer Joe Nathan, the Rangers transitioned Feliz into the starting rotation for the 2012 season. His first start came on April 10 against the

. He pitched 7 shutout innings, only giving up 4 hits and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts in a 1–0 victory. On May 21, 2012, Feliz was placed on the 60-day disabled list due to a sprained UCL. After several rehab appearances Feliz underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's ...

on August 1, 2012. In 8 games (7 starts), he went 3–1 with a 3.16 ERA during his injury-shortened 2012 year.

2013

Feliz began the 2013 season on the 60-day disabled list still recovering from Tommy John surgery. On September 1, he was activated from the disabled list with the intention to use him in low-leverage situations. He pitched later that night in a lost cause to the Minnesota Twins, pitching innings of relief. Feliz finished the season with only six appearances in which he did not give up a run and struck-out four.

2014

Feliz opened the season as the Rangers set-up man. He became the closer again after Joakim Soria was traded. He saved 13 games by the end of the season for the Rangers despite only appearing in 30 games due to injury.

2015

Feliz was

Designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on July 3, 2015 after posting underwhelming stats and being on the DL for the third straight season. He was outrighted off the roster on July 9 and elected to become a free agent.

Detroit Tigers

On July 11, 2015, Feliz signed a one-year contract with the

. He made his debut for the Tigers later that day, pitching a scoreless ninth inning, allowing one hit and one strikeout. After the season, on December 2, he was non tendered, making him a free agent.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On January 6, 2016, Feliz signed a one-year, $3.9 million contract with the

. Feliz appeared in 62 contests for the Pirates, pitching to a 4–2 record and 3.52 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 53 innings of work. He became a free agent after the season.

Milwaukee Brewers

On January 19, 2017, Feliz signed a one-year contract with the

. Feliz was designated for assignment on June 14 after struggling to a 1–5 record and 6.00 ERA in 29 appearances. The Brewers released him on June 19.

Kansas City Royals

On June 22, 2017, Feliz was signed to a major league contract by the

. Feliz posted a 4.74 ERA in 20 games before being released by Kansas City on September 1.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On January 28, 2018, Feliz signed a minor league deal with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

. He spent the season with the Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate, the Reno Aces, where he posted a 6–5 record and 4.81 ERA in 37 games with the team. He elected free agency on November 3, 2018.

Seattle Mariners

On April 10, 2019, Feliz signed a minor league deal with the

. However, Feliz never appeared in a game for the organization, and spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons out of affiliated ball.

Philadelphia Phillies

On December 17, 2020, Feliz signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs to begin the 2021 season, where he recorded a 2–1 record and 1.26 ERA in 15 games. On June 25, 2021, Feliz was selected to the active roster. On July 1, Feliz was designated for assignment by the Phillies after struggling to a 36.00 ERA across 2 appearances. On July 3, Feliz elected free agency.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On July 6, 2021, Feliz signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ba ...

but was added to the major league roster on August 16. He pitched one scoreless inning for the Dodgers on August 22 before he was designated for assignment two days later. On August 27, Feliz cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City. He was called back up to the majors on September 6. He pitched in two more games, on September 7 and 8, pitching two scoreless innings before he was again designated for assignment on September 9 and then outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City on September 11. In AAA, he pitched innings over 20 games with a 4.73 ERA. On October 14, Feliz elected free agency.

Sultanes de Monterrey

On March 7, 2022, Feliz signed with the

Sultanes de Monterrey The Sultanes de Monterrey ( en, Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Monterrey, Mexico. They compete in the Northern Division. The team also joined the Mexican Pacific League for the 2019–20 season f ...

of the

for the 2022 season. Feliz made 41 appearances for Monterrey, working to a 4-2 record and 2.89 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 24 saves in 43.2 innings pitched. On February 17, 2023, Feliz was released by the Sultanes.

Toros de Tijuana

On February 23, 2023, Feliz signed with the

of the

.https://www.milb.com/mexican/news/mariachis-luis-cossio-y-esteban-haro-llegan-a-jalisco

References

External links

Neftalí Feliz
at MiLB.com * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Feliz, Neftali 1988 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players American League All-Stars Arizona League Rangers players Clinton LumberKings players Danville Braves players Detroit Tigers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic national baseball team players Frisco RoughRiders players Gulf Coast Braves players Kansas City Royals players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Leones del Escogido players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners Milwaukee Brewers players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Oklahoma City RedHawks players People from Azua Province Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates players Round Rock Express players Spokane Indians players Texas Rangers players Toros del Este players Reno Aces players 2019 WBSC Premier12 players