Rolando Roomes

Roomes was born in Kingston, Jamaica to Vincent and Enid Roomes. He has three brothers. Roomes played cricket as a child, then graduated to baseball after his family relocated to Bushwick, in Brooklyn, New York. He went to Beach Channel High School in Rockaway Park, where he was signed by the Chicago Cubs (on July 14, 1980) as an amateur free agent.[1] His minor league career featured high batting average and strikeout totals. In 1987, Roomes played for the AA Pittsfield Cubs and had a .308 batting average with 135 strikeouts, and followed that up in 1988 with a .301 batting average and 134 strikeouts for the AAA Iowa Cubs.[2]

Roomes remained in the minor leagues for 8 seasons until he made his Major league debut at age 26 on April 12, 1988 as a pinch runner for Jerry Mumphrey in a 7-5 Cubs road loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.[3] He finished the season with 17 games played for the Cubs. On December 8, 1988, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Lloyd McClendon. On May 3, 1989, the Reds called up Roomes, who remained on the major league roster for most of the season, playing 107 games and hitting .263.[1]

In 1990 Roomes continued to struggle with strikeouts, and the Reds had acquired outfielders Billy Hatcher, then later Glenn Braggs. After hitting .213 with two home runs and seven runs RBI's in 60 plate appearances, he was released by the Reds, who went on to win the 1990 World Series. On the same day the Reds released him, June 18, 1990, he was claimed on waivers by the Montreal Expos. He appeared in 16 games for the Expos, hitting .286 in 15 plate appearances. It was his final year in the big leagues, with the Expos releasing him in December 1990.[1] Roomes retired after the 1991, splitting time between the minor league Portland Beavers and Denver Zephyrs.

• Rolando Roomes SABR Biography