Brayan Rene Villarreal (born May 10, 1987) is a Venezuelan former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Detroit Tigers and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

. He is 6'0" tall and weighs 170 pounds.

Minor league career

Villarreal signed with the Detroit Tigers and began his professional career in 2006, pitching for the VSL Marlins/Tigers and going 0–2 with a 3.48 ERA in 14 games (five starts). He moved to the United States in 2007, though he pitched in only one game that season—for the

GCL Tigers The Florida Complex League Tigers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Tigers. The team plays its home ga ...

, with whom he went 0–0 with a 6.23 ERA. In 2008, he pitched for both the

(11 games, six starts) and

West Michigan Whitecaps The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpa ...

(one start), going a combined 1–6 with a 4.69 ERA. In 2009, he pitched for the Whitecaps again, going 5–5 with a 2.87 ERA in 26 games (16 starts), striking out 118 batters in 103 innings of work. He split 2010 between the

Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. H ...

and Erie SeaWolves, going a combined 7–8 with a 3.55 ERA in 24 starts. He struck out 136 batters in 129 innings pitched. Villarreal was ranked among the top 20 Tigers prospects by '' Baseball America'' following the 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons.

Major league career

Villarreal made the Tigers out of spring training in 2011, bypassing the Triple-A level. He made his major league debut on April 2 against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

. On April 12, 2011, Villarreal achieved a rare feat. Entering the game with a man on first and two outs, he picked off the runner immediately. With that, Villarreal recorded a hold without throwing a single pitch. He spent 16 games at the major league level in 2011, going 1–1 with a 6.75 ERA. In 16 innings, he allowed 21 hits and 10 walks, while striking out 14 batters. He spent much of the season in the minor leagues, going 3–5 with a 5.05 ERA in 17 games (10 starts) for Triple-A Toledo. On April 8, 2012, Villarreal was called up from Triple-A Toledo after

Doug Fister Douglas Wildes Fister (born February 4, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, and Texas ...

went on the disabled list with an injured side. Villarreal had pitched in one game with Toledo. In innings pitched, Villareal notched a 3–5 record with 2.63 ERA, 66 strikeouts, and nine holds. However, he was not selected to the Tigers' playoff roster that won the American League pennant. In the minors, he had a 1.29 ERA in eight relief appearances that year. On July 30, 2013, Villarreal was traded to the

along with

Jake Peavy Jacob Edward Peavy (born May 31, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw right- ...

in a three-team trade that sent Avisail García and Francellis Montas to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

and José Iglesias to the Detroit Tigers. He was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on January 22, 2014. Though Villarreal threw only four pitches for the Red Sox in 2013 (a walk-off bases-loaded

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

AT&T Park Oracle Park is a Major League Baseball stadium in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants. Previously named Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, the stadium's curren ...

), his lone appearance still qualified him for a

2013 World Series The 2013 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2013 season. The 109th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National Le ...

ring, which he received during the championship ring ceremony at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Bas ...

in April 2014. He became a free agent after the 2014 season. He has since retired from professional baseball.

Repertoire

Villarreal throws three pitches: a four-seam and two-seam fastball that tops out at about 100 mph, and a slider in the upper 80s. Villarreal likes to get ahead of hitters with his fastballs and then use his slider to put them away.

Personal life

In March 2013, Villarreal's family home in Venezuela was attacked by three armed robbers who threatened to kidnap his relatives in the future. Police were alerted to suspicious circumstances by a neighbor. The robbers had assaulted Villarreal's father and threatened to kill his mother and younger brother if they made any noise when officers arrived.Brayan Villarreal's Family Survives Kidnapping Attempt In Venezuela
/ref> Villareal married former Miss Rhode Island and

North Bay Village, Florida North Bay Village is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 8,159. North Bay Village is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . ...

Commissioner Julianna Clare Strout. In October 2021, she posed as a paralegal three times in order to enter Krome Service Processing Center, a migrant detention center in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, so that she could visit Villareal, who was being detained there. She claimed to be eight months pregnant with his child. She subsequently pled guilty to entering a federal facility using fraud and false pretenses.

References

External links