Brian Fuentes


‧ Position: Pitcher.

‧ Height: 6-feet-4.

‧ Weight: 220 pounds.

‧ Bats: Left.

‧ Throws: Left.

‧ Age: 28.

‧ Acquired: Along with right-hander Denny Stark and Jose Paniagua from Seattle
             for third baseman Jeff Cirillo on Dec. 15, 2001.

‧ Status: Left-handed late reliever, will get some save opportunities.

‧ Career highlights: Ranked 14th among National League relievers with a 2.75
                      earned-run average in 2003, including a 2.59 ERA at Coors
                      Field . . . Has a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his
                      pro career . . . Has held right-handed hitters to a .211
                      average in big leagues compared with .261 for left-handed
                      hitters.

‧ Personal: Did not make his high school baseball team as a junior . . .
             Originally signed with Seattle as a 25th round draft pick in 1995
             draft from Merced (Calif.) Junior College . . . Fuentes and his
             wife, Barbara, live in Merced during the off-season.

‧ Who had the biggest impact on your career?
             "Myself. Coming from high school and not being one of the best
              players made me look at myself and figure out what was going on.
              It was a crossroads. I could either go home or go back and prove
              myself. It was a big moment in my life, contemplating whether I
              felt I was good enough to play the game. There was a lot of
              soul- searching."