Héctor Rondón

Héctor Rondón is a former MLB relief pitcher who spent eight years in MLB, including parts of five seasons with the Chicago Cubs.

Originally signed as an international free agent by the Cleveland Guardians in 2004, Rondón had a long, winding minor league career where he failed to get over the Triple-A hump. He had Tommy John surgery in 2010 and fractured the same elbow in Winter League ball in 2011. That all but signaled the end of his time in Cleveland, as the Guardians left him off their 40-man roster heading into the 2012 offseason, where the Cubs snatched the starter-turned-reliever with the seventh pick the Rule 5 Draft.

Naturally, Rondón made the team out of camp, making his MLB debut with the Cubs on April 3, 2013. He had an up-and-down rookie campaign, firing off a 4.77 ERA that was backed up by a 4.40 FIP and 18.2% strikeout rate. It was in 2014 where his breakout truly occurred, as the right-handed reliever usurped José Veras for the team's closer gig, amassing a 2.42 ERA and 29 saves in 64 appearances. He went into the 2015 as the team's surefire closer, delivered an ever better season for a 97-win team — 1.67 ERA, 30 saves, 69 strikeouts in 70.0 innings — and slammed the door on the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS with one of the most iconic strikeouts in Cubs history.

He secured 18 more saves for the Cubs in the first half of 2016, though he slid into the primary set-up role when Chicago acquired Aroldis Chapman at the trade deadline. He was instrumental to the team's championship run, serving as one of few relievers in Joe Maddon's "circle of trust" while authoring a 4.50 ERA in six playoff innings. Rondón maintained his job as the set-up man in 2017, as the Cubs deployed Wade Davis as their primary closer. Following that campaign, the Cubs elected to non-tender Rondón, surprisingly letting go of one of the most successful Cubs relievers in recent memory.

Following his release, Rondón signed a two-year contract with the Houston Astros, recording 15 saves and pitching to a 3.46 ERA while making another World Series appearance in 2019. After his stint in Houston, Rondón spent time with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and attempted to make a MLB comeback in 2021 with the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox. He ultimately retired from pro baseball in April 2021.