José Cisnero

José Luis Cisnero

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 228 lb.

• Debut April 22, 2013

• Born April 11, 1989, in Bajos de Haina, San Cristobal D.R.

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Biographical information

José Cisnero pitched in the big leagues in 2013 and 2014, then after a four-year absence, returned for an extended stay starting in 2019.

Cisnero signed with the Houston Astros in 2007; the scouts were Felix Francisco and Andres Lopez. He was 0-3 with two saves and a 3.10 ERA for the 2008 DSL Astros, striking out 34 and allowing 18 hits in 29 innings. With the 2009 Greeneville Astros, he had a 4-2, 3.56 record and fanned 64 in 55 2/3 innings; he allowed a .165 average but walked 30. He tied for third in the Appalachian League in strikeouts (behind Chris Masters and Tom Stuifbergen), allowed the lowest average, had the best strikeout rate, was third in walks and tied for fourth in hit batsmen (8, even with Angel Cuan). Cisnero pitched for the Lexington Legends in 2010 and was 8-6 with a 3.65 ERA, 65 walks and 126 strikeouts in 133 innings while allowing a .221 average. He was among the South Atlantic League leaders in strikeouts (7th, between Collin McHugh and Robbie Erlin), walks (tied for 3rd), wild pitches (16, tied for 6th) and hit batters (15, 5th). He fared worse with the 2011 Lancaster JetHawks (8-11, 6.06, 75 walks, 16 wild pitches in 123 1/3 innings), though he did fan 152. He led the California League in strikeout rate, was 6th in strikeouts (between Dan Straily and Chris Heston), tied for 6th in losses, was 4th in wild pitches and was third in walks. Among Astros farmhands, he tied for third in losses, led in walks (9 more than Jonnathan Aristil), led in strikeouts (15 ahead of Xavier Cedeño) and tied for third in wild pitches. José was back on track in 2012. He appeared for the Corpus Christi Hooks (9-6, 3.40) and Oklahoma City RedHawks (4-1, 4.54), striking out 148 batters in 148 1/3 innings. His control was far from great, but improved (64 walks, 6 hit batters, 6 wild pitches). He tied Jake Brigham for second in the Texas League in strikeouts (116), 6 behind Keyvius Sampson. He tied Justin Grimm for 6th in wins, led in strikeouts per 9 innings and tied Brigham for 10th in walks (46). Among Houston minor leaguers, he led in walks and was second to Nick Tropeano in whiffs. He allowed two unearned runs in 1/3 inning for the Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican Winter League. Baseball America rated him Houston's 15th-best prospect.

Cisnero began 2013 poorly for the RedHawks (13 hits, 7 walks, 10 runs in 8 2/3 innings, 1-1) but was called up to replace fellow rookie Brett Oberholtzer in the majors. He made his debut in a 7-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners but fared well. Relieving Brad Peacock with a 6-1 deficit in the 5th, one on and one out, he allowed a Dustin Ackley single and Jesus Montero sacrifice fly but tossed shutout ball for the next 3 1/3 innings, including two 1-2-3 frames, before José Veras relieved him. On July 20th, he played a central role in one of the strangest ballgames of the year against the same Mariners. He relieved Erik Bedard with two outs and two on in the 7th, Bedard having reached his pitch count limit. What made it unusual was that the game was tied at 2, in spite of the M's not yet having recorded a hit, as they had scored a pair of runs in the 6th without the benefit of a hit. Unfortunately, the first batter that José faced, Michael Saunders, hit a double to the deepest part of Minute Maid Park, driving two runs home. Cisnero retired the next batter, and two teammates each threw a hitless inning after him. Seattle ended up winning the game, 4-2, with only the one hit. José finished the year with a 2-2 record, 4.12 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 28 games.

José had a blip of a big league look in 2014, with a 9.64 ERA in 5 games. Thus began a long odyssey to come back. He was outrighted off the Astro 40 man roster in November 2014, becoming a minor league free agent. The Cincinnati Reds signed him soon thereafter, only for Cisnero to miss almost all of the season due to Tommy John surgery. The Arizona Diamondbacks brought him to camp in 2016, releasing him on the eve of the season. He joined the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican League, only to be released within a month of his debut. The New Jersey Jackals of the Can-Am League gave him a 5 game look that July, releasing him despite a 3.86 ERA. He only played winter ball each of the next three winters, earning a minor league deal from the Detroit Tigers for 2019. With a 1-2 record, 2.70 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 40 innings with the Toledo Mud Hens, Cisnero got the call back up, going 0-4, 4.33 in 35 games as a reliever and remaining on the roster heading into 2020.

Sources include 2013 Astros Media Guide

Related Sites

• Jose Cisnero on mlb.com