Emiliano Fruto
Quick Facts
Biography
Emiliano Ricardo Fruto (born June 6, 1984) is a Colombian professional baseball pitcher who is retired. He made his debut in Major League Baseball with the Seattle Mariners on May 14, 2006. He was born in Bocagrande, located in Cartagena, Colombia.
The Washington Nationals acquired Fruto as part of a deal that sent longtime Expos and Nationals second baseman José Vidro to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Fruto and outfielder Chris Snelling. The trade was announced on December 13, 2006, and completed after Vidro passed his physical examination.
In 2007, Fruto joined the starting rotation of the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, although he had been employed primarily as a reliever in past seasons. In his first start of the season, against the Louisville Bats on April 10, he pitched six hitless innings, striking out five batters and walking one. At midseason, he was selected to the All-Star Futures Game. On August 20, 2007, Fruto was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league first baseman, Chris Carter, who was subsequently traded to the Boston Red Sox to complete the earlier trade for Wily Mo Peña. He became a free agent at the end of the 2008 season and signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Atlanta Braves in January 2009. He was later released.
He spent 2009 and 2010 in the Golden Baseball League split between the Tucson Toros and the Yuma Scorpions. He spent all of 2010 in Tucson. A 2-time All-Star in the league, he went a combined 5-8 with a 2.66 ERA in 76 appearances with 38 saves, striking out 126 over 88 innings.
He began the 2011 season with the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association. He left the team on June 9 to play for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League, where he pitched in 20 games before returning to Sioux City in July. In a combined 41 appearances, Fruto went 2-3 with a 3.28 ERA with 22 saves, striking out 67 over 49.1 innings.
After not playing professionally in 2012, Fruto returned in 2013 with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League.