Julián Heredia

Julian Heredia

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 170 lb.
• Born September 22, 1969 in San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris, D.R.

BR Minors page

Biographical information

Julian Heredia is a former long-time professional baseball pitcher who played from 1989 to 2005. He was originally signed by the Anaheim Angels.

He began his professional career with the AZL Angels, going 3-4 with a 4.29 ERA in 14 games. In 1990, he played in the Arizona League as well, going 2-2 with a 3.81 ERA in five games. That year, he also played for the Quad City Angels, with whom he went 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA in five relief appearances.

Heredia switched from an overhand delivery to a sidearm one and it sure paid off. With the Boise Hawks in 1991, he went 8-1 with 5 saves and a 1.05 ERA in 25 relief appearances. He also struck out 99 batters in 77 innings. He led the Northwest League in ERA by .92 ahead of the runner-up. He tied four other hurlers for the league lead in wins and led in strikeouts for an unlikely pitching Triple Crown by a reliever. He made the NWL All-Star team as the top right-handed pitcher while teammate Troy Percival made it as the right-handed reliever. Heredia failed to take home MVP honors as those went to Joe Randa.

Heredia split the 1992 season between the Palm Springs Angels and the Quad City River Bandits, going 3-0 with 10 saves and a 4.76 ERA for the former and 6-1 with 10 saves and a 1.66 ERA for the latter. He appeared in 59 total games that year, all in relief. He saved 13 more games than Percival, who entered the year as the top Angels prospect according to Baseball America.

He spent 1993 and 1994 with the Midland Angels. In 1993, he went 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 46 relief appearances with 89 K to 19 BB; in 1994 he went 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA in 45 relief appearances. He struck out 109 batters in 97 2/3 innings. He finished with a 5-3 record for the third straight year in 1995, when he went 5-3 with 10 saves and a 3.63 ERA in 51 games for the Vancouver Canadians.

Heredia wound up in the San Francisco Giants system in 1996. He played for the Phoenix Firebirds, going 0-5 with 4 saves and a 4.91 ERA in 52 games. It was his first season below average since he had switched to a sidearm delivery 5 years earlier.

He played in Taiwan in 1997, going 8-8 with a save and a 3.84 ERA in 28 games with the China Trust Whales. In 1998, he played for the Nashville Sounds in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, going 0-0 with a 5.14 ERA in four games. He spent most of the season with the Mexico City Red Devils, going 4-4 with 11 saves and a 4.89 ERA.

From 1999 to 2005, he played in the Atlantic League, Mexican League and Italian Baseball League. He played for the Somerset Patriots in 1999, going 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA in six games. He also went 3-9 with a 3.09 ERA that year for the Reynosa Broncos. In 2000, he played for the Nashua Pride, going 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in nine games. He also played for the Reynosa Broncos and Algodoneros de Torreon in 2000, going a combined 6-7 with 12 saves and a 3.76 ERA.

He spent the 2001 season with the Nashua Pride, going 4-9 with a 3.24 ERA in 30 games. It was the first time in 4 years he did not pitch in Mexico. He was 6th in the Atlantic League in ERA. He was the hard-luck hurler of the staff as Len Picota went 15-2 with a slightly better ERA (3.04) and another hurler was 10-4 despite a higher ERA (4.09). Splitting 2002 between the Ducks and Pride, he went 7-6 with a 4.57 ERA for the latter and 3-6 with a 4.11 ERA for the former.

Heredia played for the Pennsylvania Road Warriors in 2003, going 1-2 with a 3.91 ERA in five games. He also played for the Piratas de Campeche and Italeri Bologna in 2003, going 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA for the former club and 4-2 with a 2.91 ERA, .88 WHIP and 66 K in 55 2/3 IP for the latter. He was 2-1 in the postseason to help Bologna win the Serie A1 title. In 2004, he played for the Road Warriors and Ducks in 2004, going 3-14 with a 5.49 ERA in 23 starts with the Road Warriors, and 0-4 with a 5.88 ERA in four starts with the Ducks. He tied one of his Road Warriors teammates for the Atlantic League lead with 18 losses. He played his final season in 2005, with the Newark Bears. In two games, he went 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA.

Sources

• 1991-2006 Baseball Almanacs
• 1995 Baseball Guide
• Chinese Wiki Baseball
• Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database
• The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics by Pedro Treto Cisneros
• Italian Baseball and Softball Federation