Román Benedicto Colón (born August 13, 1979) is a Dominican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

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

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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

, and

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) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

. He also played in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the

Kia Tigers The Kia Tigers () are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982 and based in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Until 2001, they were known as the Haitai Tigers. The Tigers are members of the KBO League and are the most successful ...

and in the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

(CPBL) for the

Chinatrust Brothers The CTBC Brothers () or simply Brothers are a professional baseball team in Taiwan. The team was originally established as an amateur team in 1984 by the Brother Hotel located in Taipei City, and later joined the Chinese Professional Baseball Lea ...

. He is tall and weighs , and bats and throws

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to and causing it to be stronger, faster or more Fine motor skill, dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dext ...

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

Colón was signed as an amateur free agent by the

in 1995 and began his professional career with the Dominican Summer League Braves in . In , he ranked first in the

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the low ...

in runs allowed (47) and

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 ...

s (30), 5th in innings pitched (63), 4th in

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allowed (68), 2nd in games started (12). In , he ranked 3rd in the

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden ...

in runs (59) and games started (13), 4th in earned runs (47) and first in hits allowed (92) and losses (7). In , Colón was named by the organization as the

Jamestown Jammers The Jamestown Jammers were a minor league baseball team based in Jamestown, New York from 1994 until 2014. The team was the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and played in the New York–Penn League. The team play ...

's Pitcher of the Year. He led the team in wins and

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 and tied for the team lead in innings pitched. Colón missed all of with an injury. Healthy again in , he was promoted to the

Macon Braves Macon may refer to: Places Belgium * Macon, Belgium, a village France * Arrondissement of Mâcon, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté ** Mâcon, a city ** Ancient Diocese of Mâcon ** Mâcon, another name for the Mâconnais wine from that region United ...

on May 3 from extended

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. He had the 9th best walks per 9 innings ratio in Macon history (1.83) and struck out a season high 7 batters three times. He struck out 6 in 6 innings on May 18 against the

Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. It is located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in different ...

for his first win of the season. Colón put together a solid season in , going 9–8 with a 3.59

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 the two seasons after his arm trouble, he walked just 64 batters in 291 innings with 185 strikeouts. Colón pitched a

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

on June 2 versus the

Frederick Keys The Frederick Keys are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for the "Star-Spangled Banner" writer Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. A new team ...

(9 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 K). He also struck out a season-high eight batters on May 6 against the

Winston-Salem Warthogs Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

( IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K). In , Colón was named

Greenville Braves The Greenville Braves were an American minor league baseball franchise, based in Greenville, South Carolina, that served as the Class AA farm team of the Atlanta Braves between 1984 and 2004. The Braves played in Greenville Municipal Stadium f ...

Pitcher of the Month in April (2-0, 2.86 ERA in 4 G). He finished 1st on the club and 3rd in the Double–A Southern League in wins, going 11–3. Colón earned a win in his first Double–A start in a 3–1 victory against the

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

on April 9 (5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 K). He won his first 3 decisions before losing back to back starts on May 12 and May 17, giving up 8 runs on 16 hits over 12 innings. He went 6–3 (3.66) in 12 starts ( IP, 68 H, 22 BB, 38 K) and was 5–0 (2.78) with 2 saves in 27

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appearances ( IP, 36 H, 11 BB, 20 K). However, Colón closed the season by winning his final 7 decisions (did not lose after May 29) and did not allow a run over his final 13 appearances of the season from August 1 through September 1. He earned his first professional save by firing a perfect inning in a 5–3 win at Jacksonville on July 23. Colón pitched at three different levels in and ended the year with Atlanta. With the Triple–A

Richmond Braves The Richmond Braves were an American minor league baseball club based in Richmond, Virginia, the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1966 to 2008. Owned by the parent Atlanta club and colloquially referred to as the ...

, he went 4–1 with a 3.65 ERA in 51 appearances and was Richmond Pitcher of the Month for July, going 2–0 with a 1.33 ERA (12G, IP, 3 ER, BB, 17 K). Colón walked just two batters after July 1 with Richmond (19 G, IP) and did not allow a run over his last six appearances, from August 4 to August 17 ( IP, 2 H, BB, 11 K). He was recalled by Atlanta on August 18 and made his major league debut August 21 against 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, pitching the eighth inning. Colón did not allow a hit and fanned two. He earned first career win on August 30 versus the

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

with a scoreless ninth inning. Colón suffered his first MLB loss on September 9 against the

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

. Colón had filled in admirably in an injury depleted Braves rotation in 2005, holding the

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

to one run in seven innings on July 5.

Detroit Tigers

The

acquired Colón from the Braves (along with Zach Miner) in exchange for Kyle Farnsworth at the July 31, ,

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. He spent most of his Tigers tenure in the

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 ...

before making two spot starts in September, and was shelved after that with stiffness in his throwing elbow. In , he appeared in 20 games for the Tigers. Colón started the season on the

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. During a rehab assignment with the Triple–A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

, he was involved in an altercation with fellow pitcher

Jordan Tata Jordan Arthur Tata (TAY-ta) (born September 20, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers from 2006 to 2007. He played college baseball at Sam Houston State. He is ...

. During the course of the fight, Colón attempted to punch Tata and instead landed a punch to the face of Jason Karnuth, the Mud Hens closer who was trying to intercede and break up the fight. The resulting injury caused Karnuth to be admitted to the hospital and undergo plastic surgery to his face. According to his wife, who filed an assault report against Colón on her husband's behalf, Karnuth required a titanium plate to be screwed into his head. Karnuth missed most of the 2007 season as a result of the injuries. The Tigers suspended Colón for 7 days after the incident. On January 15, 2008, Colón pleaded

no contest ''Nolo contendere'' () is a type of legal plea used in some jurisdictions in the United States. It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. It is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an ...

to an assault charge and was sentenced to 200 hours of

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community contributing to a noble cause. In many cases, people doing community service are compensated in other ways, such as gettin ...

Kansas City Royals

Colón was traded to the

on July 13, , for 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 ...

(minor league pitcher Daniel Christensen). He was outrighted to the minor leagues after the season and was invited to spring training in . He became a free agent after the 2008 season, but was re-signed by the Royals and invited to their 2009 spring training. He pitched in 48 Major League games with the Royals in 2009 and 2010, finishing 2–3 with a 4.83 ERA.

Kia Tigers

Colón signed with

of the

on May 5, 2010. He made 21 starts for the Tigers, compiling a 8–7 record and 3.91 ERA with 57 strikeouts across innings pitched.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On January 12, 2011, Colón signed a minor league contract with the

, which included an invitation to spring training. He was assigned to the Triple–A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

. He appeared in 26 games, posting a 2–1 record and 4.85 ERA with 17 strikeouts for the Isotopes.

Kansas City Royals (second stint)

Colón signed a minor league contract with the

on January 25, 2012, and received an invitation to spring training. He was selected to the Royals' active roster on June 14. In 3 games for Kansas City, he compiled a 6.75 ERA with 3 strikeouts over 8 innings pitched. Colón 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 ...

following the promotion of Francisley Bueno on June 23. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omah ...

on June 25. On October 6, Colón elected free agency.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On February 16, 2013, Colón 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 ...

organization. He made one appearance for the Triple–A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

, allowing one run in of an inning.

Atlanta Braves (second stint)

On April 24, 2013, Colón was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. In 6 appearances for the Triple–A

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevi ...

, Colón struggled to a 6.23 ERA with 8 strikeouts over 13 innings of work.

Colorado Rockies

On May 18, 2013, Colón 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 ...

in exchange for cash considerations. He made 2 starts for the Triple–A

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado R ...

, allowing 7 unearned runs in innings pitched. Colón elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Chinatrust Brothers

In 2014, Colón played for the

of the

. In 15 games (2 starts) for the Brothers, Colón compiled a 2–4 record and 2.52 ERA with 14 strikeouts and 3 saves across 25 innings pitched.

Kansas City Royals (third stint)

On December 22, 2014, Colón signed a minor league contract with the

. After not appearing for the organization in 2015, he re–signed with the Royals on a new minor league contract on November 26, 2015. Colón did not appear for the Royals organization in 2016, and once more re–signed with Kansas City on November 13, 2016.

Personal life

He resides in the Dominican Republic.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Colon, Ramon 1979 births Albuquerque Isotopes players Atlanta Braves players Brother Elephants players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Danville Braves players Detroit Tigers players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in South Korea Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Erie SeaWolves players Gigantes del Cibao players Greenville Braves players Gulf Coast Braves players Gwinnett Braves players Indianapolis Indians players Jamestown Jammers players Kansas City Royals players KBO League pitchers Kia Tigers players Living people Macon Braves players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen Mississippi Braves players Myrtle Beach Pelicans players Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Royals players Omaha Storm Chasers players Richmond Braves players Toledo Mud Hens players Baseball players from Monte Cristi Province