Carlos Luis Maldonado (born January 3, 1979) is a

Venezuelan Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

and current

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

in the Texas Rangers organization. He 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

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

and the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

Playing career

Maldonado originally signed with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

organization in as a non-drafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He was traded to the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

for infielder Carlos Hernández on March 21, 2000, then spent time in the minor league systems of the Astros,

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 p ...

, and

, before making his major league debut with the Pirates in . Maldonado appeared in eight games that year, collecting two hits in nineteen

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a bat ...

s, for a batting average of .105. He also stole one base. After the end of the season, the Pirates removed him from their 40-man roster, but called him back up in for September 2007, where he hit 2 home runs. He became a free agent at the end of the season. In January , Maldonado signed a minor league contract with an invite to spring training with the

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 eight ...

. On August 10, 2009, Maldonado was released by the

. He spent 2010 in the

organization, and appeared in four games for the Major League team. He spent 2011 with Triple-A

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

, hitting .234 in 38 games with 1 HR and 12 RBI. He started 2012 with Syracuse, hitting .211 in 21 games with 2 HR and 6 RBI. On May 15, 2012, Maldonado was called up to Washington when backup catcher

Sandy León Sandy David León Lopez (born March 13, 1989) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher in the Texas Rangers organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Miami ...

was placed on the 15-day DL. On June 25, he was optioned back to Syracuse. He was 0–9 with 2 BB and 1 RBI in 4 games. On August 3, Maldonado was designated for assignment to create roster space for recently acquired Kurt Suzuki. He elected free agency on Oct. 16, 2012, but re-signed with the Nationals shortly thereafter on a Minor League deal. Following the 2013 season, Maldonado returned to his native Venezuela to continue playing.

Coaching career

On December 18, 2015, Maldonado was hired as a player-coach for the AA

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are nam ...

, one of the minor league affiliates of the Texas Rangers. Maldonado ended his playing career and became a full-time coach for the Frisco RoughRiders in 2016 and 2017. In 2018, Maldonado spent the first half of the season as a coach for the Down East Wood Ducks and spent the second half of the season as a coach for the

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Color ...

. In 2019, he is the manager of the Dominican Summer League Rangers (2).

Personal life

Maldonado is a graduate of ''Unidad Educativa Juan Antonio Pérez Bonalde'' in Maracaibo, Zulia. He has one daughter, Kimberlee, who was born in 2002.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maldonado, Carlos 1979 births Living people Águilas del Zulia players Altoona Curve players Arizona League Mariners players Birmingham Barons players Caribes de Anzoátegui players Everett AquaSox players Gulf Coast Nationals players Indianapolis Indians players Leones del Caracas players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Minor league baseball managers Navegantes del Magallanes players New Orleans Zephyrs players Pastora de Occidente players Pawtucket Red Sox players Pittsburgh Pirates players Potomac Nationals players Round Rock Express players Baseball players from Maracaibo Syracuse Chiefs players Tacoma Rainiers players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Washington Nationals players Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players

Playing career

Coaching career

Personal life

See also

References

External links