1. Early Life and Career
1.1. Birth and Background
Héctor Noesí was born on January 26, 1987, in Esperanza, Valverde Province, Dominican Republic.
1.2. Professional Debut and Early Development
Noesí signed with the New York Yankees as an international free agent on December 3, 2004. He made his professional debut in 2006 with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast Yankees. In 2007, he was assigned to the Single-A Charleston RiverDogs but sustained an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.
He returned to play in the latter half of 2008 and pitched well in 2009 for Charleston and the High-A Tampa Yankees. During the 2009 season, he was named Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 18 and was selected as a South Atlantic League Mid-Season All-Star. Following the 2009 season, Noesí was added to the Yankees' 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
In 2010, Noesí began the season with the Tampa Yankees, where he earned Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of April 19 and was named a Mid-Season All-Star. He was then promoted to the Double-A Trenton Thunder, where he was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 7, 2010, before being further promoted to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. For the entire 2010 season across all levels, he compiled a combined record of 14 wins and 7 losses with a 3.20 ERA. Noesí also participated in the 2010 All-Star Futures Game.
On April 13, 2011, Noesí was called up to the major leagues for the first time, replacing relief pitcher Luis Ayala on the disabled list. However, he was optioned back to Triple-A on April 22 without making his major league debut, briefly becoming a phantom ballplayer. He was recalled approximately one month later and made his MLB debut on May 18, 2011, pitching four scoreless innings of relief and earning the win in an extra-innings game against the Baltimore Orioles. He made his first MLB start on September 21, filling in for Phil Hughes who was scratched due to back pain.
2. Professional Career
2.1. Major League Baseball (MLB)
Héctor Noesí's MLB career spanned several teams, including the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
2.1.1. New York Yankees
Noesí's time with the New York Yankees saw him develop through their minor league system, culminating in his MLB debut in 2011. He appeared in 30 games for the Yankees in 2011, making two starts, and finished with a record of 2 wins and 2 losses.
2.1.2. Seattle Mariners
On January 13, 2012, the Yankees traded Noesí to the Seattle Mariners along with Jesús Montero in exchange for Michael Pineda and minor league pitcher José Campos. He competed for a spot in the starting rotation during spring training, ultimately securing a spot over Hisashi Iwakuma. On March 25, 2012, he started a preseason game at Tokyo Dome against the Hanshin Tigers, where he pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs, including a two-run home run to Tomonori Kanemoto, and was tagged with the loss.
During the first half of the 2012 season, Noesí struggled significantly, compiling a record of 2 wins and 11 losses with a 5.77 ERA. As a result, he was demoted to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers on July 4. His demotion led to Hisashi Iwakuma taking his spot in the rotation, who then performed well, causing Noesí to lose significant trust. He was recalled on September 4 when MLB rosters expanded, pitching in relief. On September 18, he made another start but had a disastrous outing, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits in just 1 1/3 innings.
Noesí spent most of the 2013 season shuttling back and forth between Seattle and Tacoma. On April 4, 2014, Noesí was designated for assignment by the Mariners after a poor relief appearance where he allowed two earned runs on one hit in one inning, followed by giving up a walk-off home run the next day.
2.1.3. Texas Rangers
On April 12, 2014, Noesí was traded to the Texas Rangers. He made his Rangers debut against his former team, the Mariners, two days later. He appeared in three games for the Rangers but was designated for assignment again on April 22.
2.1.4. Chicago White Sox
On April 25, 2014, Noesí was claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox. He found stability with the White Sox, appearing in 28 games (27 starts) for the remainder of the 2014 season. He compiled a record of 8 wins and 11 losses with a 4.39 ERA and 117 strikeouts across 166 innings pitched.
For the 2015 season, Noesí agreed to a one-year contract worth 1.95 M USD with the White Sox on January 15. However, he struggled in 2015, making 10 appearances (5 starts) with a record of 0 wins and 4 losses and a 6.89 ERA over 32 2/3 innings pitched. He was designated for assignment by the White Sox on June 18, 2015, and subsequently cleared waivers, being sent outright to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights on June 26. With the Charlotte Knights, he made 11 appearances (10 starts), posting a record of 4 wins and 4 losses with a 3.32 ERA and 56 strikeouts. He became a free agent on October 5, 2015.
2.1.5. Miami Marlins
On January 17, 2019, Noesí signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins. He began the season with the Triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes before his contract was selected by the Marlins on August 6, bringing him back to the major leagues. In 12 appearances (4 starts) for the Marlins, he recorded 0 wins and 3 losses with an 8.46 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 27 2/3 innings. Following the regular season, on October 16, he was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes, electing free agency the next day.
2.1.6. Pittsburgh Pirates
On December 17, 2019, Noesí signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, which included an invitation to 2020 spring training. On July 8, 2020, Noesí announced his decision to opt out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He became a free agent on November 2.
2.2. KBO League
Noesí had a successful tenure in the KBO League with the Kia Tigers.
2.2.1. Kia Tigers
Noesí signed a contract worth 1.70 M USD to pitch for the Kia Tigers of the KBO League on December 2, 2015, making him the second-highest paid player in the KBO at the time. In the 2016 season, he recorded 15 wins and pitched over 200 innings pitched. On December 1, 2016, he re-signed with the Tigers for 1.70 M USD for the 2017 season.
In the 2017 season, Noesí achieved a remarkable 20 wins against 5 losses with a 3.48 ERA, sharing the most wins title with teammate Yang Hyeon-jong. He also won the KBO's win rate title that season. He started Game 1 of the 2017 Korean Series. On December 1, 2017, Noesí signed a one-year, 2.00 M USD contract with the Tigers for the 2018 season. However, on December 4, 2018, the Tigers announced that Noesí would not return with the team due to an increased tax rate on foreign players.
2.3. Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL)
Noesí's time in Taiwan's professional baseball league was brief.
2.3.1. Fubon Guardians
On December 24, 2020, Noesí signed a 500.00 K USD contract with the Fubon Guardians of the Chinese Professional Baseball League for the 2021 season. However, his contract was terminated prior to the season on February 21, 2021, after he sustained an injury during offseason training.
3. Player Analysis
3.1. Pitching Style and Pitches
Héctor Noesí throws five distinct pitches. His primary pitch is a four-seam fastball, which averages around 93 mph and he throws approximately half the time. He also utilizes a slider and a changeup, both typically in the mid-80s range. Additionally, he features a curveball in the upper 70s and a two-seam fastball.
4. Personal Life and Nicknames
4.1. Nicknames
Noesí acquired several nicknames during his career, particularly in the KBO League. He was often called `흑주찬Korean` (Heuk-ju-chan) due to his physical resemblance to Korean baseball player Kim Joo-chan. Another nickname, `약터Korean` (Yak-teo), was associated with allegations of past performance-enhancing drug use.
5. Statistics and Achievements
Héctor Noesí's career highlights include achieving a 20-win season in the KBO League and being selected for the All-Star Futures Game in the minor leagues.
Pitching Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | CG | SHO | W | L | SV | HLD | W-L% | BF | IP | H | HR | BB | IBB | HBP | SO | WP | BK | R | ER | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | NYY | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | .500 | 247 | 56.1 | 63 | 6 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 45 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 28 | 4.47 | 1.51 |
| 2012 | SEA | 22 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | .143 | 453 | 106.2 | 107 | 21 | 39 | 1 | 2 | 68 | 1 | 2 | 71 | 69 | 5.82 | 1.37 |
| 2013 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 134 | 27.1 | 42 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 20 | 6.59 | 1.98 | |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 6 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 27.00 | 2.00 | |
| TEX | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 28 | 5.1 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 11.81 | 2.43 | |
| CWS | 28 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 0 | .421 | 699 | 166.0 | 167 | 27 | 54 | 1 | 2 | 117 | 8 | 1 | 88 | 81 | 4.39 | 1.33 | |
| '14 Total | 33 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 0 | .400 | 733 | 172.1 | 180 | 28 | 56 | 1 | 2 | 123 | 9 | 1 | 98 | 91 | 4.75 | 1.36 | |
| 2015 | CWS | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 154 | 32.2 | 41 | 7 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 26 | 25 | 6.89 | 1.78 |
| 2016 | KIA | 31 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .750 | 868 | 206.2 | 211 | 7 | 51 | 0 | 6 | 139 | 7 | 0 | 88 | 78 | 3.40 | 1.27 |
| 2017 | 30 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .800 | 854 | 201.2 | 221 | 21 | 45 | 1 | 5 | 149 | 7 | 0 | 83 | 78 | 3.48 | 1.32 | |
| 2018 | KIA | 29 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 0 | .524 | 753 | 174 | 209 | 25 | 36 | 2 | 4 | 137 | 4 | 1 | 102 | 89 | 4.60 | 1.41 |
| 2019 | MIA | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 124 | 27.2 | 30 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 26 | 8.46 | 1.59 |
| MLB Career (6 years) | 119 | 57 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 34 | 0 | 4 | .261 | 1845 | 423.0 | 463 | 72 | 160 | 11 | 9 | 303 | 21 | 4 | 271 | 259 | 5.51 | 1.47 | |
| KBO Career (3 years) | 90 | 90 | 5 | 1 | 46 | 20 | 0 | 0 | .697 | 2475 | 641 | 582.1 | 53 | 132 | 3 | 15 | 425 | 18 | 1 | 273 | 245 | 3.79 | 1.33 | |
Fielding Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | PO | A | E | DP | FP% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | NYY | 30 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 |
| 2012 | SEA | 22 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | .933 |
| 2013 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | .750 | |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ---- | |
| TEX | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ---- | |
| CWS | 28 | 5 | 21 | 1 | 4 | .963 | |
| '14 Total | 33 | 5 | 21 | 1 | 4 | .963 | |
| 2015 | CWS | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 |
| MLB Career | 107 | 15 | 40 | 3 | 6 | .948 | |
Achievements
- All-Star Futures Game selection: 2010
- KBO League Most Wins: 2017 (20 wins)
- KBO League Win Rate Title: 2017
Uniform Numbers
- 45 (2011, part of 2012-2014)
- 64 (part of 2011)
- 19 (part of 2014)
- 48 (part of 2014-2015, 2019, 2021)
- 43 (2016-2018)
6. Criticism and Controversies
Noesí was associated with the nickname `약터Korean` (Yak-teo) during his time in the KBO League. This nickname, a portmanteau of his KBO registration name "Hector" and the Korean word for "drug" (약, yak), arose due to allegations of a past history of performance-enhancing drug use.