Jaime Orozco

Jaime Orozco Roux

• Throws Right

• Born March 16, 1962 in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua Mexico

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Jaime Orozco won over 200 games in the minor leagues and is a member of the Salon de la Fama. He is the brother of Octavio Orozco.

Jaime debuted in 1981 with the Campeche Pirates, going 8-3 with a 2.50 ERA. He struck out only 34 in 90 innings, the only negative. He led the 1981-1982 Mexican Pacific League in victories and was named the Rookie of the Year. In '82, Orozco went 13-8 with a 2.10 ERA and fanned 136 in 222 1/3 IP as his K rate improved. He led the Mexican League in innings and was 6th in ERA.

The Campeche hurler remained sharp in 1983 with a 13-6, 2.11 record, allowing only 158 hits (6 homers) in 188 innings, tying for 8th in the loop in ERA. During the 1984 season, the 22-year-old moved to the new Toluca Trouts and posted a 17-9, 4.20 record. A workhorse, he completed 19 of 28 starts and also relieved 5 times (saving 3 games). He pitched 237 innings, struck out 150 and allowed 265 hits. He led the league in innings, complete games, hits allowed, runs allowed (126), earned runs allowed (111) and tied four others for the win lead. He was named to the postseason All-Star team.

In the winter of 1984-1985, the Ciudad Juarez native led the Mexican Pacific League in wins for a second time. Orozco split 1985 between the Puebla Parrots (14-7, 4.22) and the Midland Angels (2-3, 5.49). It would be his only appearance in a US-based league.

Orozco led the 1985-1986 Mexican Pacific League in both wins and strikeouts while with Tijuana. Joining the Águilas de Mexicali for the 1986 Caribbean Series, he shut out the Tiburones de La Guaira and then beat the Indios de Mayagüez in relief in the game that clinched the Series title for Mexicali. He tied teammate Jim Leopold for the Series lead in wins. He had a 12-6, 4.10 record for Puebla that year. He would also play in the 1987 Caribbean Series and 1988 Caribbean Series.

In 1987, the right-hander was 11-9 with a 4.19 ERA for Puebla, walking only 20 in 154 2/3 IP. He moved to the Charros de Jalisco in 1988 and went 16-13 with a 3.71 ERA. After going just 4-9 with a 3.48 ERA for the Tomateros de Culiacan in 1988-1989, he signed on with the Bravos de León for 1989 and was 6-2 with a 3.20 ERA in 8 games.

In 1989-1990, he went 7-7 with a 3.03 ERA in the winter for the Yaquis de Obregón. That summer, his record for the Bravos was 17-8, 2.98. He led the league with 214 1/3 IP and completed 21 of 27 starts. He was 10th in the Mexican League in ERA and was second in wins behind Armando Reynoso, helping León take its only title. He starred in the finale, with two wins and a save as the Bravos beat Union Laguna 4 games to 1. In the 5th game, Orozco tossed a complete game victory. According to the 1991 Baseball Almanac, he then signed with the Baltimore Orioles, but he never pitched in the O's chain.

At age 28, Jaime was 6-8 with a 3.51 ERA for the 1990-1991 Yaquis. He only pitched 14 games for León that summer, going 6-3 with a 4.43 ERA. Orozco switched clubs once more for the 1992 campaign, posting a 16-13, 3.33 record for the Monterrey Sultans. He fell to 6-10, 3.89 in 1993. In his third season with Monterrey in '94, he was 8-9 with a 3.89 ERA. Back with Puebla in 1995, he was 8-10 with a 4.24 ERA.

Orozco played his last winter season in 1995-1996. In the summer of 1996, he joined his 7th different Mexican League club, the Minatitlan Colts but the veteran was unimpressive at 6-8, 5.31. He rebounded with the 1997 Colts, posting a 12-9, 3.54 record, his first season with double-digit wins in five years. It was his 9th and last season with 10+ wins. He walked only 31 in 160 innings.

In 1998, Jaime joined an eighth club, the Cafeteros de Cordoba. For them, he was 9-13 with a 3.50 ERA and 26 walks in 157 innings. No longer a strikeout threat, he whiffed only 44, but he did lead his new club in ERA. He also threw a 7-inning no-hitter on June 26 against the Rieleros de Aguascalientes.

The old-timer was still bouncing around in 1999. With the Reynosa Broncos, he was 3-12 with a 6.13 ERA and allowed 151 hits in 101 1/3 IP, no longer fooling hitters as he once had. He wrapped up with his 10th organization in 20 seasons, the Torreon Cotton Dealers of 2000, allowing 8 runs and 18 hits in 8 innings.

Orozco was 201-158 with 11 saves and a 3.68 ERA in 474 games in the Mexican League. He threw 176 complete games, allowed 3,225 hits and 673 walks in 2,984 1/3 IP and struck out 1,504. In the Mexican Pacific League, he had been 86-69 with a 2.99 ERA.

Through 2000, he was tied for 10th in Mexican League history in seasons pitched, was 7th in starts (422), 9th in innings, 11th in wins, tied for 9th in losses (with Arturo Gonzalez), 9th in complete games, 6th in earned runs allowed (1,220) and tied for 5th in homers allowed (207).

In 2006, Orozco was voted into the Salón de la Fama in a class with Sergio Robles and Ray Torres. 12 years later, he made the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame alongside Cornelio García and Darryl Brinkley.

Sources

• The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics by Pedro Treto Cisneros
• 1982-1985 Baseball Guides
• 1986-1987 Baseball America Statistics Reports
• 1988-1999 Baseball Almanacs
• Salon de la Fama bio
• Meridiano