Richie Borrero worked on pitchers over nine pro seasons
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The Trenton Thunder came back for the win this night in May 1997 and opposing pitcher Noe Najera recounted to The Trenton Times where he saw it went wrong.
Najera focused on the at bat of Richie Borrero, who hit a seventh-inning double and soon came around with the tying run, The Times wrote.
"It would be that two-out fastball I got up to Borrero," Najera told The Times. "That one kind of broke me a little bit."
Borrero worked on breaking pitchers - also guiding them as a catcher - over nine pro seasons, all with the Red Sox. He briefly made AAA in two of them.
Borrero's career began in 1990, taken by the Red Sox in the 10th round of the draft out of Segundo Ruiz Belvis High School in Puerto Rico.
Borrero started with the Red Sox in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He played his first three seasons there before making short-season Utica in 1993. He saw 44 games that year and hit .158.
He moved to high-A Sarasota for 1994 and hit .193 in 44 games. For 1995, he played between Sarasota and single-A Michigan. That August, he hit a game-winning home run in extras, The Kalamazoo Gazette wrote.
"I was looking for a slider, because that's what he struck me out on the first time," Borrero told The Gazette, "but he came in with a fast ball and it was right where I like it."
For 1997, Borrero made AA Trenton. He saw 57 games there. He also saw 15 games at AAA Pawtucket. He hit .252 overall. He returned to both in 1998, including six games at Pawtucket. He saw 57 games in all and hit .240 to end his career.
- Kalamazoo Gazette, Aug. 24, 1995: Clean sweep
- Trenton Times, May 31, 1997: Thunder
Made the Majors:1,482-31.7%
Never Made Majors:3,193-68.3%-X