Minnesota Twins Pitcher, Juan Rincon, was born on January 23, 1979, in Maracaibo, Venezuela. He graduated from the Instituto Cervantes (VZ) High School in 1996. Juan was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on June 7, 2001, with the Minnesota Twins.
In 2004, Juan made the transition from good middle reliever to excellent setup man, becoming one of the Twins' most important players. He tended to be either dominant or completely ineffective, but more often was dominant. He pitched better when he was brought in to start the eighth inning than when runners already were on base. He is known for losing his composure on difficult days, more because he takes his job seriously, not necessarily because of immaturity.
When he's at his best, Juan Rincon will resemble Mariano Rivera, throwing a 96-MPH fastball that cuts into the hands of left-handed batters. He also has a good slider, but he might be best off relying on that cut fastball. In his career, Juan has posted a .208 BAA against left-handed hitters and a .248 BAA against right-handed hitters. He has a 16-14 record with 194 strikeouts and a 3.70 ERA in 202 innings pitched.
He is also an adequate fielder.On May 2, 2005, Juan Rincón became the fifth baseball player to be suspended for testing positive for illegal performance-enhancing drugs under Major League Baseball's new drug policy. He was suspended for 10 days without pay as the current policy dictates for a first offense. His suspension cost him $24,044 in salary.
With more experience, Juan Rincon could become one of baseball's best relievers. He must learn how to get out of innings when he is struggling. He also must learn to trust that cut fastball, instead of trying to trick hitters with breaking pitches. He recently had surgery to clean up a bone spur in his right elbow and if he can stay away from the steroids, 2006 should be a great year for Juan Rincon.
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