Carlos Pulido

Juan Carlos Pulido Valera (born August 5, 1971 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Minnesota Twins in 1994 and between 2003–2004. He batted and threw left-handed.

Signed at 18 in 1989 by Minnesota, the hard-throwing Pulido was a bright prospect in the Twins' system, but a 1995 arm injury ruined his chances as a starter.

Pulido has the rare distinction of having the longest gap in true major league service time of any major league player. He pitched for the Twins in 1994, but then spent nearly a decade languishing in the minor leagues and other countries. He returned to the Twins in 2003 – a nine-year absence from the majors. Minnie Miñoso and Satchel Paige did see longer gaps in their major league careers. However, their returns to the majors were brief publicity stunts. In contrast, Pulido contributed to a contending team in 2003 and 2004.

In a three-season career, Pulido posted a 3–8 record with 47 strikeouts and a 5.98 ERA in 111⅔ innings.

He had a successful career in Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional), playing for Navegantes del Magallanes, Tigres de Aragua and Cardenales de Lara. Lifetime, he had a 68–51 record, with a 3.08 ERA, in 234 appearances. In 2007, he did not play in any Summer League, instead coaching for the Texas Rangers Single-A team in the minor leagues. He was released by Cardenales in Venezuela, and rehired by his original team,......
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