Brewers sign Julio
By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel
Dec. 4, 2008 3:29 p.m.
Brewers general manager Doug Melvin has resurrected the careers of closers in the past, such as Derrick Turnbow, Dan Kolb and Francisco Cordero.
Perhaps he'll do it again with Jorge Julio.
The Brewers just announced they have signed the 29-year-old right-hander to a one-year deal. I haven't gotten the terms yet but I'm guessing it's at reasonable pay.
Julio, once a solid closer for the Baltimore Orioles, has been up-and-down in recent years, mostly because of command problems. He began the 2008 season with Cleveland and was sent to the minors, then released, after compiling a 5.60 ERA in 15 games.
But Julio signed with the Braves, pitched great at Class AAA Richmond (2.04 ERA, 13 saves in 38 games) and resurfaced with Atlanta near the end of the season. He pitched very well, going 3-0 with a 0.73 ERA in 12 appearances, with eight walks and 19 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings. He is a hard thrower who regularly pitches in the mid to high 90s.
In eight years in the big leagues, Julio is 16-33 with a 4.30 ERA in 438 appearances, with 99 saves in 133 opportunities.
From 2002 through 2004 with Baltimore, Julio converted 83 of 101 save chances. His best season was 2003, when he was 36 for 44 in save opportunities.
In 2007, Julio got off to a horrible start with Florida, compiling a 12.54 ERA in 10 appearances. But, after going to Colorado, he was much better -- especially in that ballpark -- with a 3.93 ERA in 58 appearances.
So, as noted, Julio has been up and down throughout his career. The Brewers hope to catch him in an up cycle in 2009 as they reconstruct the back end of their bullpen.
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