Who is Roman Ortiz?

Roman Ortiz is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball. He has previously pitched in Major Leagues for the Anaheim Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Anaheim Angels signed Ortiz as an international free agent in 1995 and he made his Major League debut on August 19, 1999. On August 9, 1999, he started for the Angels against the Chicago White Sox and pitched eight innings against them and got the win. His best season was 2002, when he went 15-9 with a 3.77 ERA for the Angels. He earned the win in Game 3 of the 2002 World Series against the San Francisco Giants. In 2003, he set a career high with 16 victories.

In 2004, the Angels traded Ortiz to the Cincinnati Reds. Then two years later in 2006, Ortiz signed with the Washington Nationals as a free agent prior to the season. In 2007, Ortiz signed with the Minnesota Twins for a one-year deal, but was later traded to the Rockies mid-season.  In 2009, Ortiz signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the San Francisco Giants. In 2010, he signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers and then in 2011 he signed with the Cubs.

The once highly touted international prospect is now 38 years old and is going to make a start for the Cubs today against the Washington Nationals. Ortiz is only pitching because Dempster and Zambrano are both hurt. I do not expect him to be around when they Cubs once again get healthy.