Pedro Feliciano

Did You Know?

• Feliciano was diagnosed with left ventricular noncompaction, a rare genetic heart condition, in 2013 and wore a heart monitor that year.
• He graduated from Jose S. Algeria High School in Dorado, Puerto Rico.
• He was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 31st round of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft.

Professional career

Feliciano spent seven seasons in the minor leagues from 1995 to 2002, beginning with the Great Falls Dodgers of the Pioneer League. After four years in Rookie and Class A leagues, a shoulder injury kept him from playing an entire season. He returned to pitch at the AA level and threw one inning for the AAA Albuquerque Dukes; later, he struggled in AAA after performing well in AA. Following six minor-league seasons without a major-league promotion, he became a free agent. He signed with the Cincinnati Reds but was traded to the New York Mets in August along with Brady Clark for Shawn Estes. Feliciano made his MLB debut on September 4, 2002, pitching two scoreless relief innings with two strikeouts in an 11–3 win over the Florida Marlins. After the 2002 season, the Mets designated him for assignment, and he was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Tigers on October 11, then released by the Tigers on December 16. The Mets re-signed him to a minor-league contract on April 3, 2003. Over the next two seasons, he had mixed success with the Mets, being recalled from and optioned to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides several times. On January 24, 2005, the Mets sold his contract to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League; he spent the entire season with the Hawks, compiling a 3–2 win–loss record, a 3.89 ERA, and 36 strikeouts over 37 innings. Feliciano began his third stint with the Mets when he was re-signed on February 28, 2006. He started the season with the Norfolk Tides but was recalled on April 17 and became a permanent fixture in the Mets bullpen as a left-handed specialist. He recorded his first major-league save against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 30, 2007, and operated as the Mets' primary situational left-hander in 2008 and 2009.