Minnie Rojas

Rojas was born in Remedios, Villa Clara, Cuba. He showed promise as a baseball player in his youth, and after a year of compulsory military service, he left his native country to play semi-pro baseball in Mexico.[1] In 1960, he signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants. The Giants did not promote him to the majors after 4 years in their minor league system, so Rojas signed a free agent contract with the independent Jalisco Charros of the Mexican League in 1964.

In 1965, Rojas won 21 games as a starting pitcher for Jalisco, attracting the attention of the California Angels. The Angels bought his contract for $2500 and sent him to their AAA affiliate, the Seattle Rainiers, to begin the 1966 season. He was effective as both a starter and reliever against minor league competition, leading the Angels to call him up to the majors in late May.[2][3]

Rojas made his major league debut on May 30, 1966, when he started a game against the Cleveland Indians and earned the win.[4] Rojas would only make one additional start in the majors, instead becoming an effective bullpen arm. He appeared in 47 games and earned 10 saves as a 32-year-old rookie.

In 1967, Rojas became the Angels' closer and led the American League with 27 saves, setting a franchise record that wasn't broken until Donnie Moore collected 31 saves in 1985. Rojas also won 12 games in relief that year and was a major reason that the Angels were surprising contenders for the American League pennant until mid-September. He was named the American League's Fireman of the Year and was 24th in the voting for American League MVP.

During the 1968 season, Rojas developed calcium deposits and tendonitis in his elbow, probably due to overwork during the many seasons leading up to his major league debut.[1][5] He was placed on the disabled list in late July and was eventually shut down for the 1968 season without throwing another pitch.

Rojas attempted to resume his career in 1969 and threw 18 innings of minor league ball, but his "arm trouble" continued, and he retired from baseball at the age of 35.[6]

Rojas' pitching repertoire consisted mainly of breaking balls, changeups, and a sinking fastball. "He's got three pitches", one opposing batter commented, "slow, slower, and 'come and get it'."[7] Despite his lack of a high-velocity pitch, Rojas was effective during his short MLB career due to excellent command and pitch movement. He posted a 23–16 record with a 3.00 ERA and 43 saves in 157 appearances, allowing only 45 unintentional walks in 261 innings over parts of three seasons.[8]