Sport: Baseball
Born: November 9, 1974
Town: Jersey City, New Jersey
Jose Antonio Rosado was born November 9, 1974 in Newark and lived in Jersey City as a boy before his family moved to the town of Dorado in Puerto Rico. Jose was tall and slim with a powerful left arm. He became a top pitcher at Jose Alegria High School, and began thinking about a college scholarship in the U.S., and possibly even a pro career.
Jose accepted a scholarship from Galveston College, a community college in Texas. He showed enough pitching for the Whitecaps in 1993 and 1994 to draw the interest of major-league scouts. The Royals picked Jose in the 12th round of the 1994 draft.
Jose pitched well in rookie ball that summer and continued to dispose of hitters at the High-A level in 1995. Jose earned a promotion to Class-AA Wichita in 1996 and then moved to Triple-A after two dominant starts. He pitched 15 more minor-league games before getting the call-up to Kansas City to make a spot start for injured Kevin Appier.
By July, Jose was a fixture in Bob Boone’s rotation. In his fourth start, he pitched scoreless ball into the eighth inning against the Yankees in the Bronx, with his family and friends cheering him on from the stands. In his next start, Jose picked up a complete-game win over the Red Sox. In all, Jose started 16 games for the Royals, completed two, and finished with an 8–6 record and 3.21 ERA. In a September start against the Twins, he was part of history when he gave up Paul Molitor’s 3,000th hit. Jose finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting.
Jose’s record in the first half of 1997 was 7–4, which was good enough to be selected to represent the Royals in the All-Star Game. He took the mound in the top of the 7th inning with a 1–0 lead and promptly yielded a home run to Javy Lopez. After allowing another hit and a walk, he slammed the door with a strikeout of Royce Clayton. In the bottom of the seventh, Sandy Alomar blasted a two-run homer and the AL went on to win 3–1, giving Jose the victory.
Jose wore out in the second half and finished he year 9–12 for the Central Division cellar-dwellers. He began 1998 in the Kansas City bullpen but pitched his way back into the rotation and finished with an 8–11 mark. However, those who thought Jose’s All-Star appearance was a fluke had to bite their tongues the following season, when he once again represented KC in the 1999 Midseason Classic. This time the AL had a 4–1 lead when he entered the game in the 6th inning. After allowing a leadoff single to Matt Williams, he fanned Jeff Bagwell and induced Mike Lieberthal into a 5–4–3 double play. The AL held on to win 4–1.
The 1999 season turned out to be Jose’s best. He ranked among the league’s leading starters with 5 complete games, a 3.85 ERA and a WHIP of 1.29. Five games into the 2000 season, he tore the labrum in his left arm and missed the rest of the season. Jose returned to the team in 2002, but his fastball was gone and his rotator cuff was frayed. The Royals cut him, and he failed to stick in trials with the Mets and Reds.
Cincinnati actually offered Jose a contract, but he backed out, feeling that his shoulder wasn’t ready. After rehabbing his arm in Puerto Rico, Jose mounted one final try at a comeback in 2005. His agent, Scott Boras, arranged tryouts with a handful of clubs but he could not land a contract.
Jose set his sights on a coaching career and eventually found a home in the Yankees system. He also served as pitching coach Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic in 2013 and again in 2017.