Random Saturday Autograph- Julio Manon

Julio has pitched in almost every league in every country that plays baseball around the world, with the possible exception of the Japanese League. He's played all over the US, in Korea, is currently somewhere in the Mexican Leagues and has also pitched in countless other Winter Leagues throughout Latin/Central America.

Manon has pitched in 45 MLB games over his 18 season baseball career; 23 for the 2003 Expos and 22 for the 2006 O's. I didn't get his autograph during the '06 season but got this card signed during his second stint in the Orioles organization in 2008. That year, he spent a majority of the season as the AA Baysox closer and accumulated 32 saves in 56 games. I recall that he was a pretty awful signer and I only got this card signed at a "Meet the Team" day.  In retrospect, I wish I had gotten more than one autograph from him. No cards were ever produced of him in an Orioles uniform, so this signed Baysox card is a permanent member of my collection.

The O's released him after the '08 Baysox season ended and he went on the spend the rest of 2008 and the entire 2009 season pitching for the Long Island Ducks in the Atlantic League. He also was on the Dominican Republic's roster for the 2009 World Baseball Classic but didn't appear in a game. In 2010, he pitches/ed with the Sultanes de Monterrey in the Mexican League. Who knows what the 2011 season will bring for Julio? I won't even guess.