Orlando Lind

Orlando Rafael Lind

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 201 lb.

• Born January 30, 1965 in Dorado Puerto Rico

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

The brother of Jose Lind and cousin of Onix Concepción, pitcher Orlando Lind played 13 years in the minors, beginning in 1983, and spent six years at the AAA level.

Pirates

Lind began his career in the Pittsburgh Pirates chain, appearing for the organization where his brother would have his best years. He debuted with the 1983 Watertown Pirates, going 1-4 with a hefty 7.75 ERA and 1.84 WHIP. The team looked past his poor debut and let him try again in 1984. He appeared that year for Watertown (1-1, Sv, 2.18 in 13 G) and the Vermont Reds (0-1, 8 R, 1 ER in 4 IP). In '85, the 20-year-old had his best season unadjusted for league, going 11-7 with 3 saves and a 1.82 ERA for the Prince William Pirates. He started 14 games and relieved in 22 more. He struck out 149 in 148 innings while allowing only 93 hits (though he did walk 64). He was second in the Carolina League in ERA behind Kyle Hartshorn. One of his teammates that year was his brother Jose.

Orlando was 4-3 with four saves and a 3.59 ERA for the 1986 Nashua Pirates. In 1987, he was with the Salem Buccaneers (6-3, 2.22) and Harrisburg Senators (1-0, 4.74). The Puerto Rican right-hander returned to Harrisburg in 1988 and was a reliable middle reliever (1-2, 3 Sv, 3.34 in 39 G). He made it to AAA in 1989, which was split between the Senators (4-0, 1.96, 39 K in 41 1/3 IP) and the Buffalo Bisons (3-4, 5.43 in 31 G).

Twins

Lind was then dealt by Pittsburgh with Junior Ortiz to the Minnesota Twins for Mike Pomeranz. He split 1990 between the Orlando Sun Rays (6-4, 4 Sv, 4.41) and Portland Beavers (0-3, 5.06). In 1991, he was 9-8 with 3 saves and a 2.67 ERA for Orlando, striking out 110 in 108 innings. The pitcher named Orlando helped the team named Orlando win the Southern League title. In the 1992 Caribbean Series, Lind was 1-0 with 7 shutout innings for the Indios de Mayagüez as they won the Series. Spending all of 1992 with Portland, the veteran was 3-3 with two saves and a 4.68 ERA in 47 games. That ended his US career with a record of 50-51, 3.50 in 307 games (83 starts).

Mexico and Italy

Lind pitched in 1993 for the Nuevo Laredo Owls, with a 13-7, 2.95 record. He was 4th in the Mexican League in ERA, right behind Urbano Lugo. In 1994, he moved to the Monterrey Industriales and was 12-8 with a 3.46 ERA. He was also reliable for the 1995 Reynosa Broncos at 5-3, 2.60. In three seasons in Mexico, he was 30-18 with a 3.10 ERA in 60 games (all starts) to wrap up his Organized Baseball career at 80-69. He would pitch two more games in summer ball, tossing 7 shutout innings (5 hits, 4 walks) for Fortitudo Bologna in the 1996 Serie A1, with no decisions.

Sources

• Assorted Baseball Guides and Baseball Almanacs
• Italian Baseball and Softball Federation
• The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics by Pedro Treto Cisneros