Andy Ibáñez Velázquez (born April 3, 1993) is a Cuban professional baseball

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Texas Rangers.

Career

Ibáñez played for the Cuba national baseball team at the

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to March 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike ...

. He played for

Isla de la Juventud Isla de la Juventud (; en, Isle of Youth) is the second-largest Cuban island (after Cuba's mainland) and the seventh-largest island in the West Indies (after mainland Cuba itself, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Andros Islan ...

in the Cuban National Series. He defected from Cuba on November 1, 2014, to pursue a career in Major League Baseball. He signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on July 7, 2015.

Texas Rangers

Ibáñez made his professional debut in 2016, spending time with both the Hickory Crawdads and Frisco RoughRiders, batting a combined .285 with 13 home runs, 66 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and an .804 OPS in 130 total games between the two clubs. In 2017, he returned to Frisco and spent the whole season there, slashing .265/.323/400 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs in 82 games. He missed six weeks of the season due to a finger injury. Ibáñez spent the 2018 season with the Round Rock Express of the Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. He posted a batting line of .283/.344/.410/.754 with 12 home runs and 55 RBI in 125 games. Ibáñez played for the Aguilas Cibaenas of the Dominican Winter League in the 2018 offseason. Ibáñez received a non-roster invitation to 2019 major league spring training. In 2019, Ibáñez suffered a strained right oblique during spring training, and returned on April 6, when he was assigned to the

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

. He spent the 2019 season with Nashville, hitting .300/.371/.497/.868 with 20 home runs and 65 RBI. Ibáñez did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 4, 2021, the Rangers selected Ibáñez’s contract to the 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time. Ibáñez made his debut that day as a pinch hitter for David Dahl, and collected his first MLB hit off of

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

reliever Taylor Rogers. On June 21, Ibáñez recorded his first career home run, a 3-run shot off of

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

starter Frankie Montas. Over 76 games for Texas in 2021, Ibáñez hit .277/.321/.435/.756 with 7 home runs and 25 RBI. Ibáñez split the 2022 season between Texas and Round Rock. Over 40 games for Texas he hit .219/.273/.277/.551 with 1 home run and 9 RBI; with Round Rock he hit .255/.330/.390/.720 with 6 home runs and 31 RBI.

Detroit Tigers

On November 10, 2022, Ibáñez was claimed off waivers by the

. On January 6, 2023, Ibáñez was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. In 20 games with Toledo, Ibáñez hit .297/.418/.609 with 5 home runs and 16 RBI. On April 29, Ibáñez had his contract selected to the active roster. On August 22, 2023, Ibáñez had the first multi-homer game of his career, hitting two home runs of

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

starter Drew Smyly.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ibanez, Andy 1993 births Living people Baseball players from Havana Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball infielders Texas Rangers players Detroit Tigers players Toronjeros de Isla de la Juventud players Hickory Crawdads players Surprise Saguaros players Frisco RoughRiders players Round Rock Express players Águilas Cibaeñas players Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Nashville Sounds players Toledo Mud Hens players 2013 World Baseball Classic players

Career

Texas Rangers

Detroit Tigers

See also

References

External links