When the Cincinnati Reds signed Enerio Del Rosario in May of 2005 as an undrafted free-agent, most probably didn't know what to expect from the 19-year-old Dominican right-hand hander. Four years later, and after a stellar 2009 campaign, Del Rosario has earned himself a spot on the Reds' 40-man roster heading into this month's start of spring training.
Del Rosario, which translates to 'of the rosary,' became exclusively a reliever this past season, when he started the season in high-A ball at Sarasota. In what was a common theme throughout the 2009 campaign, Del Rosario kept his ERA under two while in Sarasota, appearing in 31 games.
After just a brief cameo (four games) with Carolina in double-A, Del Rosario made his debut in Louisville on July 31st when he tossed two scoreless innings. Coming down the stretch in the Bats' run to their second straight division crown, Del Rosario was an anchor out of the Louisville pen. In 15 games, Del Rosario notched four saves and posted a 1.09 ERA in 24-plus innings. Despite having never appeared in triple-A, Del Rosario's ERA was his best at any level since being drafted.
This summer, Del Rosario played in the Dominican Summer League in his native Dominican Republic, and continued to get batters out an impressive rate. His 1.99 ERA in 20 games helped get his Gigantes del Cibao squad to the Caribbean Series, which is the league's equivalent of the World Series. Del Rosario's team, which also featured Reds' prospect Juan Francisco, lost in the championship series to the Leones from Santo Domingo. Fun fact: Santo Domingo was the first European settlement in the New World after Columbus found land in 1492.
In his first two years within the organization, Del Rosario played with the Reds' club in the Dominican Summer League, mostly as a starter. It wasn't until 2008 with Dayton that he began getting a longer look as a reliever. While he hasn't been a big strikeout pitcher thus far in his career, his numbers have significantly improved as he has moved up the competition ladder.
In my uneducated, amateur opinion, I would say Del Rosario will probably start 2010 back in Louisville, with another reliever whose 2009 followed a similar path, Logan Ondrusek. With Nick Masset, Jared Burton, Carlos Fisher, and Mike Lincoln all on the Reds' roster as probable right-handed relievers, it's probably good for the 24-year-old to get a little more time with Ted Power down in Louisville before he's given the green light for big league action.
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