ROSSO Ramon

General
CLUB HISTORY
He played in the Spanish baseball league with CB Barcelona before being signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers to a minor league contract in 2015. He was released after a year and in 2017 was signed to a minor league contract by the Philadelphia Phillies. He progressed through the Phillies' affiliate teams and made his Major League Baseball debut in 2020, playing in seven games with the Phillies. In 2021 he played a single game with the Phillies but has mainly played with the team's Triple-A affiliate Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. (milb.com, 16 Jul 2021; baseball-reference.com, 15 Jul 2021; 10 Jun 2021; rfebs.es, 06 Aug 2020)

ALMOST QUITTING
While living in Barcelona, Spain, he impressed Los Angeles Dodgers team scouts who offered him a minor league contract in 2015. However, he was released a year later without playing a single game for a Dodgers affiliate. He was so disappointed that he considered quitting the sport, and started the paperwork necessary for him to begin working in Spain as a mechanic with his father. "It was pretty much a done deal. I was going to go [back to Spain] for good." But he was convinced by coach Luis Marte to keep fighting for his dream. Marte helped him with his pitching control and arranged a try out with Philadelphia Phillies scouts. In 2017 he signed a contract with the Phillies. "It was a blank contract. My issue was not the money, I just wanted the chance [to join a team], so I signed a blank contract." He says he is thankful for Marte's guidance. "My pitching coach was there for me. He worked with me really hard. It's something that I'll always be grateful for. You don't always have someone like that and you don't always get an opportunity like this." (inquirer.com, 10 Mar 2020; rfebs.es, 06 Aug 2020; elcaribe.com.do, 03 Aug 2020)