Francisco Cordero

Francisco Javier Cordero (born May 11, 1975 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball closer for the Cincinnati Reds. Cordero is frequently referred to by his nickname, CoCo, which is an alliteration of the last two letters of his first name and the first two letters of his last name. Cordero throws a hard fastball—capable of reaching the upper 90s, and also has an excellent slider that he can throw for strikes early in the... more

Francisco Javier Cordero (born May 11, 1975 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball closer for the Cincinnati Reds. Cordero is frequently referred to by his nickname, CoCo, which is an alliteration of the last two letters of his first name and the first two letters of his last name. Cordero throws a hard fastball—capable of reaching the upper 90s, and also has an excellent slider that he can throw for strikes early in the count, and which he uses as his outpitch. He attended Colegio Luz Arroyo Hondo High School in the Dominican Republic. He is of no relation to fellow closer Chad Cordero. He was acquired after the 1999 season from the Detroit Tigers in a multi-player deal for Juan González. Cordero was the last player from that trade to play with the Texas Rangers. Coco had his most dominant year in 2004, making the AL All-Star team, but he blew some crucial saves late in September of that year to keep the Rangers from advancing to the playoffs. After blowing... less