Joe Roa

[William Malone]

Joseph Rodger Roa was born on October 11, 1971 in Southfield, Michigan.

The Atlanta Braves selected him in round 18 of the 1989 MLB Draft. He was traded two times as a prospect, and made his Major League debut for the Cleveland Indians in 1995. Roa only made two career appearances for the Indians. He was 2-5 with a 5.21 ERA for the San Francisco Giants in 1997, making three starts and 25 relief appearances.

Roa pitched exclusively in the minors from 1998 through 2001, pitching in three different organizations. He was 4-4 with a 4.04 ERA with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2002, making 11 starts and three relief appearances. Roa had short big league stints for the Phillies, San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies in 2003.

The Minnesota Twins signed him to a one year deal in 2004. Roa made a career high 48 appearances, all out of the bullpen. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire often turned to the 32-year old journeyman in long relief, asking him to cover 70.0 innings in those outings. He was 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA. His ERA was ballooned a bit by a bad September, where he allowed nine earned runs in 5.1 innings. Minnesota left him off their ALDS roster, when extra off days on the schedule allow teams to push their fifth starter back into a long relief role.

He spent 2005 in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system, and then retired. As of 2018, Roa is living in Michigan with his wife three children.

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