1. Overview
Yohan Carlos Concepción Flande is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, in the KBO League for the Samsung Lions, and in various Mexican professional leagues. His career spanned from his signing with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2004 through his time in Mexico, showcasing his journey across different professional baseball environments.
2. Personal Background
Yohan Carlos Concepción Flande was born on January 27, 1986, in El Seibo, Dominican Republic. He is a left-handed pitcher and batter. He is also the cousin of fellow professional baseball player Henry Sosa.
3. Player Career
Yohan Flande's professional baseball career encompassed stints in the United States, South Korea, and Mexico, progressing through various leagues and teams.
3.1. United States Professional Baseball
Flande began his professional career in the United States, developing through the minor league systems of three different MLB organizations before making his major league debut.
3.1.1. Philadelphia Phillies
Flande was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an international free agent on December 13, 2004. He made his professional debut in 2006 with the rookie-level Dominican Summer League Phillies, where he appeared in 13 games, recording 6 wins and 1 loss with a 2.08 ERA. In 2007, he continued in the Dominican Summer League, pitching in 13 games and achieving a 3-2 record with a 2.36 ERA. In 2008, he played for the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Phillies, making 10 appearances, with a 4-1 record and a 2.19 ERA.
In 2009, Flande played for the A+ Clearwater Threshers, where he posted a 7-1 record with a 2.52 ERA in 13 games. In June of that year, he was promoted to the AA Reading Phillies, appearing in 13 games and recording 4 wins and 4 losses with a 4.58 ERA. He also participated in the All-Star Futures Game in 2009. On November 17, 2009, Flande signed a major league contract with the Phillies, officially joining their 40-man roster. In 2010, he played for the AA Reading Phillies, making 27 appearances and finishing with a 10-8 record and a 4.38 ERA. He was released by the Phillies on December 7, 2010.
3.1.2. Atlanta Braves
After his release from the Phillies, Flande signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves on December 22, 2010. In 2011, he pitched for the AAA Gwinnett Braves, appearing in 33 games and recording 8 wins and 8 losses with a 4.01 ERA. He continued with AAA Gwinnett in 2012, making 29 appearances and finishing with a 6-11 record and a 4.21 ERA. In 2013, he split his time between AAA Gwinnett and the AA Mississippi Braves. With AAA Gwinnett, he appeared in 31 games, achieving 9 wins and 7 losses with a 4.18 ERA. He became a free agent on November 5, 2013.
3.1.3. Colorado Rockies
Flande signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies on November 25, 2013. He began the 2014 season with the AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox. On June 25, he signed a major league contract and made his Major League Baseball debut as a starter against the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched 5 IP, allowing 6 hits and 4 runs, while striking out 4 batters, but received no decision. On June 30, in a start against the Washington Nationals, he pitched 5.1 IP, giving up 6 hits and 3 runs, which resulted in his first MLB loss. After 3 appearances in MLB, where he recorded a 0-2 record with a 7.36 ERA, he was demoted to AAA Colorado Springs on July 8. He was recalled to the major league roster once in July and again in September as part of the roster expansion. For the entire 2014 season, he made 16 appearances, including 10 starts, finishing with a 0-6 win-loss record and a 5.16 ERA.
On February 4, 2015, Flande was designated for assignment (DFA) following the acquisition of Kyle Kendrick by the Rockies. He subsequently signed a minor league contract and was assigned to the AA New Britain Rock Cats. He was recalled to the major league roster on May 14 due to injuries to Brooks Brown and Rafael Ynoa, and Adam Ottavino being placed on the 60-day injured list. After 3 appearances, in which he pitched 7.1 IP and allowed 6 earned runs, he was demoted to the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes on May 26, coinciding with the promotion of Chris Rusin. He was recalled again on June 30. Flande earned his first MLB win on July 28, 2015, against the Chicago Cubs in a 7-2 Rockies victory. In the 2015 season, he made 19 appearances for the Rockies, including 10 starts, recording a 3-3 win-loss record with a 4.74 ERA and 43 strikeouts across 68.1 IP. Notably, he allowed the longest home run of the 2015 MLB season, which traveled an estimated 493 ft. On December 2, 2015, the Rockies non-tendered Flande, making him a free agent.
The Rockies re-signed Flande to a minor league deal on December 28, 2015. He began the 2016 season with AAA Albuquerque. On June 25, he signed a major league contract and was added to the 25-man roster. However, he was again designated for assignment on July 2, 2016.
3.2. Korean Professional Baseball
After his time with the Colorado Rockies, Flande moved to South Korea to play in the KBO League.
3.2.1. Samsung Lions
On July 11, 2016, Flande signed with the Samsung Lions of the KBO League as a replacement for the injured Allan Webster. He made a successful KBO debut on July 23 against the KT Wiz in Suwon, pitching 6.1 IP, allowing only 2 hits, 3 walks, and 1 home run, while striking out 9 batters. However, he experienced struggles later in the season. On August 31, against the Nexen Heroes in Daegu, he pitched only 2.2 IP, giving up 7 hits, 8 runs, and 6 earned runs, leading to an early exit from the game. A week later, on September 7, against the KT Wiz in Daegu, he again had an early exit, recording 4.2 IP, 8 hits, 8 runs, and 8 earned runs. He finished the 2016 season with the Samsung Lions, making 13 appearances, all of them starts, and recorded 2 wins and 6 losses with a 7.60 ERA. After the season, the Samsung Lions decided not to renew his contract.
3.3. Mexican Professional Baseball
Following his stint in the KBO, Flande continued his professional baseball career in Mexico.
3.3.1. Rieleros de Aguascalientes
On April 10, 2017, Flande signed with the Rieleros de Aguascalientes of the Mexican League. He re-signed with the team for the 2018 season. After the conclusion of the 2018 season, he became a free agent.
3.3.2. Algodoneros de Unión Laguna
On May 27, 2019, Flande signed with the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna in the Mexican League. His tenure with the team was short-lived, as he was released on July 8, 2019.
3.4. Uniform Numbers
Throughout his career, Yohan Flande wore the following uniform numbers:
- 58 (2014 - July 1, 2016)
- 2 (July 18, 2016 - end of 2016 season)
4. Career Statistics
This section summarizes Yohan Flande's overall professional baseball statistics during his time in Major League Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization.
4.1. Major League Baseball (MLB)
Flande's pitching and fielding statistics during his three seasons in Major League Baseball are detailed below.
| Year | Team | G | GS | CG | SHO | BB | W | L | SV | HLD | W-L% | BF | IP | H | HR | BB | IBB | HBP | SO | WP | BK | R | ER | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | COL | 16 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 241 | 59.0 | 55 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 34 | 5.19 | 1.20 |
| 2015 | COL | 19 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .500 | 296 | 68.1 | 73 | 14 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 43 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 36 | 4.74 | 1.43 |
| 2016 | COL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 20 | 3.2 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 12.27 | 3.00 | |
| MLB Total (3 years) | 37 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 1 | .250 | 557 | 131.0 | 136 | 19 | 44 | 6 | 3 | 77 | 1 | 1 | 76 | 75 | 5.15 | 1.37 | |
| Year | Team | Pitcher (P) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | PO | A | E | DP | FP | ||
| 2014 | COL | 16 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2015 | COL | 19 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0 | .941 |
| 2016 | COL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| MLB Total | 37 | 10 | 21 | 2 | 0 | .939 | |
4.2. Korean Professional Baseball (KBO)
Flande's pitching statistics during his single season in the KBO League are presented below.
| Year | Team | G | GS | CG | SHO | BB | W | L | SV | HLD | W-L% | BF | IP | H | HR | BB | IBB | HBP | SO | WP | BK | R | ER | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Samsung | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | .250 | 330 | 68.2 | 92 | 13 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 1 | 4 | 66 | 58 | 7.60 | 1.82 |