The left-hander's career ended like too many, with a shoulder injury sending him out of the game at age 26.
TRENTON - Jose Rosado has been where his Trenton Thunder pitchers want to be.
The Thunder coach spent parts of five seasons playing Major League Baseball. At age 21 he broke in with the Kansas City Royals, in 1996. He pitched more than 700 innings, struck out 484 and won 37 games. He made two American League All-Star teams and was MVP in the 1997 game.
The left-hander's career ended like too many, with a shoulder injury sending him out of the game at age 26.
Rosado has coached three dozen pitchers this season. Cale Coshow will pitch Sunday and Jaron Long will start the final game of the season Monday afternoon.
Friday night Caleb Smith went the distance in the first game of a doubleheader against New Hampshire, allowing just three hits in the seven-inning game, walking none and striking out three as Trenton won 2-1 at Arm & Hammer Park.
In the second game Matt Tracy went 4.2 innings, allowing one run, but that turned out to be the only one of the game as Trenton fell 1-0. They had only one hit. Tracy dropped his ERA to 2.29.
With all the pitchers who passed through here this season, 10 are currently in Triple-A, and four of them, including 21-year-old Luis Severino, are with the Yankees. Severino, moved up to Triple-A in late May, has won three games for the Yankees since his first start last month.
This is Rosado's first year coaching Double-A. The past four years he was coaching rookies in the Gulf Coast League. This year's club will likely finish third in Eastern League ERA.
"He knows the game well,'' Thunder manager Al Pedrique said. "He's very knowledgeable. During games he gives me ideas and suggestions. Obviously I'm responsible for making the final decisions, but I can look over at him and he's not afraid to speak up. He's very accountable.''
The answer to a trivia question, Rosado gave up Paul Molitor's 3000th hit. Lost in his stats however are getting out the likes of Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Frank Thomas, Alex Rodriguez, Jose Canseco, Pudge Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr.
"Now I pass on information to them and let them live their dreams. It's still the same game,'' Rosado said. "I try and teach them to be their own coach on the mound. My best tip is to slow the game down, to focus and make the pitch.
"And I want them to enjoy the game, enjoy the moment, and be who they are. When they try and give 110 percent, that's when they fail. The good ones don't try and do too much. They give 100 percent.''
Catcher Eddie Rodriguez, 29, has been around a lot of pitching coaches, and he noted that one advantage Rosado has is being bi-lingual. "Especially in this business,'' said. "So he's able to communicate with the Hispanic guys as well as the American guys.
"The fact that he wasn't a guy that would just blow hitters away with just pure stuff, he can relate to that as well; which I think is important. Some pitching coaches might have been those guys who just had the best stuff and would be great no matter who coaches them.
"He was a lefty, he had to locate his pitches, so I think that was pretty cool; there aren't a lot of left-handed pitching coaches. We have a very, very good relationship,'' he said. "He's always asking questions, learning, and we bounce things off each other. Obviously the Yankees think highly of him and I don't see why they shouldn't.''
A luxury not available in big league games is pitchers do not have to be taken out if they start out with a horrible inning. Development is the name of the game, and Rosado said sometimes pitchers have to learn how to lose games.
"I don't want to say that, but this isn't like New York Yankees games. You're always there to win, but if a guy has to pitch, let him pitch and figure it out,'' he said. "That's part of being a coach.
"My job is to help the players. The best part is to see everyone do better; to see everyone do good not only as baseball players but as a person. That is what I take home,'' he said. "That's what I take home.''
Back home, in Puerto Rico, are his wife Adalyz, daughter Genesis (16) and son Jose Jr. (12). He returns there this week, but on Oct. 5 has to head to Arizona to coach in the Fall League.
"They support me 100 percent,'' Rosado said about his family. "They know this is what I love to do. You might see me smiling every time because of their support, and that makes my job easier.''
No matter how many pitchers pass through town.