Emiliano Fruto

Who is Emiliano Fruto?

Emiliano Ricardo Fruto is a Colombian professional baseball pitcher with the Bridgeport Bluefish. He made his debut in Major League Baseball with the Seattle Mariners on May 14, 2006. He was born in Cartagena, Colombia.

The Washington Nationals acquired Fruto as part of a deal that sent longtime Expos and Nationals second baseman José Vidro to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Fruto and outfielder Chris Snelling. The trade was announced on December 13, 2006, and completed after Vidro passed his physical examination.

In 2007, Fruto joined the starting rotation of the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, although he had been employed primarily as a reliever in past seasons. In his first start of the season, against the Louisville Bats on April 10, he pitched six hitless innings, striking out five batters and walking one. At midseason, he was selected to the All-Star Futures Game. On August 20, 2007, Fruto was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league first baseman, Chris Carter, who was subsequently traded to the Boston Red Sox to complete the earlier trade for Wily Mo Peña. He became a free agent at the end of the 2008 season and signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Atlanta Braves in January 2009. He was later released.