Jorge Dandys Julio Tapia (born March 3, 1979) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

. He previously played for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) 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 America ...

from 2001 to 2005,

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

and

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

in 2006, and the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

in 2007 before being traded to the Rockies for Byung-hyun Kim. He had brief stints with 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) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

and

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

in 2008, and also with the

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

in 2009. He bats and throws right-handed.

Career

Montreal Expos

Julio signed with the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

on February 14, 1996. He played in their minor league organization until he was traded to the

for

Ryan Minor Ryan Dale Minor (January 5, 1974 – December 22, 2023) was an American professional baseball third baseman, minor league baseball manager and professional basketball player. He played all or parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball, from ...

on December 22, 2000.

Baltimore Orioles

Julio's first season in the majors was 2001 with the Orioles, in which he compiled a record of 1 win and 1 loss with a 3.80

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

in 21.1

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

; however, Julio's first full season in the majors was 2002, in which he went 5–6, posting a 1.99

with 25 saves and 55

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in 68

innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). In cricket and rounders, "innings" is ...

. He finished third in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

Rookie of the Year voting with 1 second-place vote and 11 third-place votes. However, he was unable to duplicate his rookie season success in the seasons that followed and eventually lost his job as the Orioles closer to B. J. Ryan at the end of 2004. Julio began 2005 as the set-up man for Ryan. During April of that season, he allowed just one

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

in innings pitched; despite that, his performance declined and he finished the season 3–5 with a 5.90 ERA in 67 appearances.

New York Mets

On January 21, 2006, Julio was dealt to the

with pitching prospect John Maine in exchange for Kris Benson. He began the season in the Mets

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

, but was traded to the

on May 24, 2006, for Orlando Hernández.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Julio was traded to the

on May 24, 2006, for Orlando Hernández. He replaced

José Valverde José Rafael Valverde (born March 24, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and New York Mets. He is nickname ...

as the Arizona closer and saved 15 games in 19 opportunities before losing the closer job to Valverde in early September. On March 26, 2007, Julio was traded to the

for Yusmeiro Petit

Florida Marlins

On March 26, 2007, Julio was traded to the

for Yusmeiro Petit and was named their closer coming out of

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. But after failing to record a save in three opportunities, he was removed from the closer role in mid-April. On May 12, 2007, in his last outing as a Marlin, he gave up a walk-off grand slam to

Ryan Zimmerman Ryan Wallace Zimmerman (born September 28, 1984) is an American former professional baseball infielder who spent his entire 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Washington Nationals. Zimmerman graduated from Floyd E. Kellam High S ...

of the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

. He was traded to the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

for Byung-hyun Kim the following day.

Colorado Rockies

Julio was traded to the

for Byung-hyun Kim in May 2007. He pitched in both a middle relief and a set-up role for Colorado, appearing in 58 games and posting an 0–3 record with a 3.93 ERA for the Rockies. He also gave up a two-run homer in the 13th inning to Scott Hairston in the 2007 Wild Card Game Playoff. The Rockies rallied to win the game in the bottom for the 13th. Julio was granted free agency from the Rockies on October 27, 2007. He was granted free agency from the Rockies on October 27, 2007;

Cleveland Indians

On January 31, 2008, Julio promptly signed a minor-league deal with the

, and was invited to their spring training camp. His contract was purchased by the team on March 25, 2008, and he was on their

opening day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster. However, after 15 generally ineffective relief appearances, he 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 May 28, 2008, and was later released on June 2. He posted a 0–0 record and 5.60 ERA in those 15 appearances.

Atlanta Braves

Shortly after his release, Julio signed a minor league contract with the

. In the final month of the 2008 season, Julio appeared in 12 games for the Braves, winning three games and posting a 0.73 ERA.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 4, 2008, Julio signed a one-year contract with the

. On June 2, 2009, Julio was released by the Brewers, after compiling a 1–1 record and a 7.79 earned run average.

Tampa Bay Rays

Julio was signed by the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

on June 9, 2009, and reported to their Triple-A affiliate

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 ...

. He was later released on August 7, 2009.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On August 30, 2009, Julio signed a minor league contract with the

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

. In November 2009 he filed for free agency.

Bridgeport Bluefish

On April 2, 2010, Julio signed a deal to join the independent Bridgeport Bluefish for the 2010 season. Pitching coach Fred Stackson has commented that Julio is gaining consistency with his delivery, especially to right-handed batters. In 55 games 55 innings of relief he went 0-1 with a 1.15 ERA with 57 strikeouts and 28 saves. In January 2011, he agreed to a contract with the

, but he did not pitch in 2011. He returned to Bridgeport in 2012. In 19 games 18.2 innings of relief he went 0-1 with a 6.27 ERA with 13 strikeouts and 8 saves.

Pitching style

Julio threw extremely hard, featuring both a four-seam and a two-seam fastball in the 95–100 MPH range - though he has thrown even harder on occasion. He also had a downward-breaking slider, which comes in at between 86 and 90 MPH, and occasionally threw a changeup as well.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Julio, Jorge 1979 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Atlanta Braves players Baltimore Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Bridgeport Bluefish players Cape Fear Crocs players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Rockies players Durham Bulls players Estrellas Orientales players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Florida Marlins players Gulf Coast Expos players Indianapolis Indians players Jupiter Hammerheads players Leones del Caracas players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Milwaukee Brewers players New York Mets players Richmond Braves players Rochester Red Wings players Baseball players from Caracas Tiburones de La Guaira players Vermont Expos players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States West Palm Beach Expos players World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2006 World Baseball Classic players