Luis Rolando Arrojo Avila (born July 18, 1965) is a retired

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) ...

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who pitched from to . Arrojo made his mark with the teams from Villa Clara in the

Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, SNB) is the primary domestic professional baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. ...

, where he still is the all-time leader in hit batsmen. He was the staff ace on the Villa Clara team that won 3 consecutive Cuban National Series in 1993, 1994, and 1995. He was a member of the 1992 Olympic team that won the gold medal. After defecting from the Cuban national team just before the 1996 Summer Olympics, Arrojo signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in —one year before the team started playing, as that expansion team (along 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. ...

) was permitted to start and maintain a

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system starting that year. He made his debut with the expansion Devil Rays in 1998 and was an immediate sensation, becoming the team's first All-Star. He finished 1998 with a strong 14–12 record and a 3.56 ERA in 202 innings, for a team that finished 63-99. However, in , with teams and hitters more familiar with him and with his developing health problems (as critics claimed, these health problems were due to a lack of conditioning by Arrojo and his refusal to listen to coaches), Arrojo's numbers began to deteriorate, and he showed signs of inability to get

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hitters out. He pitched just innings with a 5.18 ERA. After the season, the Devil Rays traded him 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 (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

with Aaron Ledesma for Vinny Castilla. Late in , the Rockies in turn traded him with Rich Croushore, Mike Lansing, and cash to the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...

for Jeff Frye, Brian Rose, John Wasdin, and minor leaguer Jeff Taglienti. Arrojo spent the rest of the season in the Red Sox rotation, but was largely ineffective. He spent the following two seasons as a part-time starter and a part-time reliever for the Red Sox with moderate success. He was not re-signed after the 2002 season and finished his career with four appearances for 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 o ...

' Triple-A affiliate in

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in 2003.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arrojo, Rolando 1965 births Living people Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball pitchers American League All-Stars Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Colorado Rockies players Boston Red Sox players St. Petersburg Devil Rays players Sarasota Red Sox players Columbus Clippers players Defecting Cuban baseball players Olympic baseball players of Cuba Olympic gold medalists for Cuba Olympic medalists in baseball Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Baseball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba Baseball players at the 1995 Pan American Games Pan American Games medalists in baseball Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games People from Santa Clara, Cuba

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