Robinson Checo

Robinson Pérez Checo (born September 9, 1971 in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic) is a former pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1997 through 1999. He batted and threw right-handed.

A well-traveled pitcher, Checo never was able to fulfill the potential that he showed in the minor leagues. He played for at least 13 teams in four different countries during his 12-year career.

In 1989, Checo pitched for the California Angels organization in the Dominican Summer League. After that, he played for the Japan's Hiroshima Toyo Carp minor league system (1990–92) and with the China Times Eagles in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (1993–94), before returning to Hiroshima in 1995. That season, he went 15–8 with 166 strikeouts and a 2.74 ERA with the Toyo Carp and also became the first foreign pitcher to toss a shutout in his first Central League appearance, over the Hanshin Tigers. He declined in 1996, going 4–1 with a 4.80 ERA in only nine games, but barely missed spinning a no-hitter against Hanshin with two outs in the ninth inning.

Checo joined the Boston Red Sox as a free agent before the 1997 season under a handsome seven figure contract which proved to be among GM Dan Duquette's poorest decisions. Between 1997 and 1998 he played for five different Red Sox teams, including two trips to the big club, but showed precious little drive to achieve and was routinely described in the Boston print media as the "mystery man." His departure from that organization was barely noted and entirely unlamented. A year later, he played for the Detroit, Anaheim and Los Angeles minor league organizations, appearing with the Dodgers late in the season. In 2000 he finished 8–3 with a 3.63 ERA for Triple-A Albuquerque Dukes, but this time he did not get another chance at extending his baseball career.

In 16 major league games, Checo posted a 3–5 record with 30 strikeouts and a 7.61 ERA in 32 23 innings. In nine minor league seasons, he went 43–27 with 588 SO and a 3.78 ERA in 109 appearances.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• BR Bullpen
• Japanese Baseball Daily
• Retrosheet