Ricardo Rincón

Who is Ricardo Rincón?

Ricardo Rincón Espinoza is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher.

Rincón was a left-handed specialist who spent nearly his entire career as a middle reliever and setup pitcher. In his 10-year career, Rincón never started a game and only accumulated 21 saves. Rincón played for several teams in Mexico before being signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1997, breaking into the major leagues at the relatively advanced age of 27. On November 18, 1998 he was traded to the Cleveland Indians for outfielder Brian Giles. He later pitched for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals.

Rincón played for his native Mexico in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, appearing in four games. Shortly after the Classic and five games into his Cardinal career, Rincón experienced shoulder pain and later underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff. He also had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, forcing him to miss the remainder of the 2006 season. He played in the San Francisco Giants organization in 2007. On January 25, 2008, Rincón signed with the New York Mets. He was loaned to the Mexico City Red Devils for the 2008 season, and was returned on August 28 and assigned to Triple-A New Orleans.