Waldis Joaquín

Waldis Joaquín de la Cruz (born December 25, 1986) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants from 2009 through 2011. Joaquín throws three pitches: a fastball, a slider, and a changeup.

Signed by the Giants in 2003, Joaquín reached the major leagues in 2009 and appeared in 10 games, which would be his highest total in an MLB season. Part of the Opening Day roster in 2010, he pitched in four games during San Francisco's World Series championship season. The Chicago White Sox attempted to claim him off waivers in the offseason, but he refused to report to them, nullifying the waiver claim. Returning to the Giants in 2011, he had five games for them in September and received his lone MLB decision, a win.

In 2012, Joaquín was signed by the Washington Nationals, but he missed the season with an injury. He then pitched for four seasons in the Mexican League. In 2017, he signed with the Detroit Tigers but made it no higher than the Double-A level.

Career San Francisco Giants Waldis Joaquín de la Cruz was born on December 25, 1986, in La Vega, Dominican Republic. His first professional experience came with the Dominican Summer League Giants in 2004; in 14 games (13 starts), he had six wins and a 1.61 earned run average (ERA). He pitched for the Arizona League Giants in 2005, posting a 1–1 record with a 3.64 ERA, 37 strikeouts, and 10 walks in innings. He did not play in 2006 due to surgery on his right elbow, He made his Major League debut on August 4, giving up one run on two hits in pitching the ninth inning in an 8–1 win over the Houston Astros. He was optioned to the minors the next day to make room for Joe Martinez on the roster. Joaquín spent the rest of the minor league season with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League; in eight games, he had a 1–0 record, an 0.00 ERA, 16 strikeouts, and two walks in 10 innings pitched. In 10 games with the Giants, which would be his most in an MLB season, Joaquín had no record, a 4.22 ERA, 12 strikeouts, and seven walks in innings pitched. At the beginning of May, he was sent down to Fresno when Aaron Rowand came off the disabled list. He was called up again on May 27 following an injury to Jeremy Affeldt, but he was sent down to Fresno days later without making an appearance. In four games with the Giants, Joaquín had no record, a 9.64 ERA, two strikeouts, and seven walks in innings pitched. In 23 games (five starts) for Fresno, he had a 1–2 record, a 4.93 ERA, 33 strikeouts, and 22 walks in innings. On November 22, Joaquín was claimed off of waivers by the Chicago White Sox. Refusing the waiver claim, he became a free agent. He was re-signed to a minor league contract by the Giants in December 2010. He pitched for the Gigantes in the offseason but only made three appearances, losing one and posting a 27.00 ERA. In 35 games for the Grizzlies, he had a 2–2 record, a 3.44 ERA, 27 strikeouts, and 23 walks in innings pitched. In his last outing of the season, on September 24, he relieved starter Barry Zito with two runners on base and the Giants trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks 6–2. Joaquín threw two wild pitches as he allowed both runners to score in addition to giving up three runs of his own in one inning of work; San Francisco went on to lose 15–2. For the Giants in 2011, Joaquín appeared in five games, posting a 1–0 record and a 4.26 ERA in innings, with three strikeouts and three walks. However, he did not pitch for any of their minor league teams due to an injury. Assigned to extended spring training at the start of the 2017 season, he then pitched in three games for the Lakeland Flying Tigers of the High–A Florida State League before being promoted to the Erie SeaWolves of the Double–A Eastern League. However, he did not pitch for the Cardinals, as the league's season was cancelled due to the impact of COVID-19.

Pitching style Joaquín throws three pitches: a fastball, a slider, and a changeup. The fastball travels to and travels quickly to the upper inside corner of the strike zone for right-handed batters. Left-handed batters can see it more easily. The slider travels in the middle range. Sam Corun of Bleacher Report mentioned in 2010 that his changeup needed to be better in order for him to walk fewer hitters.