De La Rosa picks Rockies jersey for Mexican HOF induction

LAS VEGAS -- Left-handed pitcher Jorge De La Rosa, the Rockies’ career leader in wins, was inducted into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame on Thursday. He was surprised to be elected on the first ballot, and deeply touched by the reaction of the people of his home country.

“It’s surprising to get in there my first time, because there are a lot of good players,” said De La Rosa, who attended ceremonies in Monterrey, Mexico. “It’s an honor for me to be with the best players from Mexico.

“And when I went there to the ceremony, I was surprised -- people started coming up to me to sign things, and a lot of people knew my career numbers.”

De La Rosa joins former third baseman Vinny Castilla as players who spent the bulk of their careers with the Rockies who are honored in Mexico. Given the legendary effects of Denver’s mile-high altitude on pitchers throughout the club’s history, De La Rosa knows that a Rockies pitcher being honored by any hall is not to be taken lightly.

“I pitched for a lot of teams, but when they asked me, ‘What jersey do you want to wear going in?’ I said Rockies, right away,” De La Rosa said. “That’s the team I love, and I’m always thanking them for the opportunities they gave me.”

Over nine seasons with the Rockies (2008-16), De La Rosa went 86-61 with a 4.35 ERA in 209 games (200 starts). De La Rosa also ranks second in strikeouts (985) and fourth in innings pitched (1,141 1/3) and Baseball-Reference pitching wins above replacement (15.5).

A native of Monterrey, De La Rosa as a youth first aspired to become quarterback of football’s Dallas Cowboys, but instead found his calling in baseball. However, he found himself on a winding path in pro ball. He was a Minor Leaguer with the Diamondbacks, Monterrey in Mexican ball and the Red Sox -- who sent him back to the Diamondbacks as part of acquiring World Series standout Curt Schilling. He began his career with the Brewers (2004-06) and the Royals (’06-07).

After landing with the Rockies at the start of 2008 -- as the player to be named later for the Royals acquiring reliever Ramón Ramírez -- De La Rosa gained traction.

“When I got there, they saw a lot in me -- Bob Apodaca [then the pitching coach] and Marcel Lachemann [a longtime pitching coach and advisor],” said De La Rosa, who pitched for the Diamondbacks (2017-18) and Cubs (’18) at the end of his career. “They started working with me on a lot of things, mentally and with my mechanics, to become the pitcher that I was. I give them a lot of credit. They gave me opportunities and were patient with me. In the beginning, it was not fun, but they were always helping me. Then, I started having good results.”

Also inducted for his MLB career was Ismael Valdez; four players for their careers in Mexico, Francisco Campos, Roberto Saucedo, Roberto “Metralleta” Ramirez and Óscar Robles; and longtime president of Naranjeros de Hermosillo, Enrique Mazon Rubio.