Juan Acevedo

Who is Juan Acevedo?

Juan Carlos Acevedo is a Mexican former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He attended Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville, Illinois, where as a senior he had an 8-0 record in baseball.After high school, Acevedo attended Parkland College in Champaign, IL. He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in 1992 as a 14th round amateur pick. Acevedo signed with the them June 3rd, 1992 and debuted April 30, 1995.

During his career, Acevedo served primarily as a relief pitcher, starting only 34 of his 366 games played. Known as a journeyman, Acevedo played for the Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and Toronto Blue Jays during an eight-year career. He was a part-time closer for the Cardinals in 1998, taking over in the second half of the season for struggling veteran Jeff Brantley. He finished his major league career with a 4.33 ERA and a 28–40 win-loss record. His 28 saves in a season for Detroit in 2002 is a record for a Mexican-born pitcher. He retired after the 2003 season.

Rob Neyer and Bill James credit Acevedo as having thrown a mid-90s four seam fastball and a cut fastball.