Dayán Viciedo Pérez (born March 10, 1989) is a

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

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 ...

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

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011) ...

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB). 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

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 ...

Early life

Viciedo entered Cuba's National Series at age 15 for Villa Clara, and was often compared to Cuban legend

Omar Linares Omar Linares Izquierdo (born October 23, 1968)B ...

, his idol. Viciedo struggled in his first season in the national series, hitting only .243 through the season's first 50 games. However, in his second season, at age sixteen, he hit .337 with 14

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. Viciedo was selected to Cuba's provisional 60-player roster for the

2006 World Baseball Classic The 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was the inaugural tournament between national baseball teams that included players from Major League Baseball. It was held from March 3 to 20 in stadiums that are in and around Tokyo, Japan; San Juan, Puerto ...

, but was not included in the final team. On May 20, 2008, Viciedo defected from Cuba with his family on a boat bound for Mexico. Once in Mexico he crossed the border to the United States and went to Miami where he was reunited with some of his family. He was approved as a declared free agent by Major League Baseball on November 10, 2008.

Professional career

Viciedo agreed to a four-year, $10 million contract with the

on December 12, 2008. The contract included a $4 million signing bonus, and paid $1 million in 2009, $1.25 million in 2010 and 2011, as well as $2.5 million in 2012. Signing with the White Sox reunited him with fellow Cuban countryman,

Alexei Ramírez Alexei Fernando Ramírez Rodriguez (born September 22, 1981) is a Cuban former professional baseball shortstop. He has played for the Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays in MLB and Pinar del Rio of the Cuban National Serie ...

Minor leagues

Viciedo began the season with the Double-A

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...

of the Southern League. During the season, he hit .280 with 12 home runs and 78 RBIs. Viciedo was batting .290, with 14 home runs and 34 RBI in 238 at bats with Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

before getting called up by the

on June 17, 2010. He finished the season batting .274 with 20 home runs and 47 RBI in 343 at-bats. Viciedo moved to right field at the beginning of the 2011 season in an attempt to get him up to the Major League level faster. He was batting .296, with 20 home runs and 78 RBI in 452 at bats with Triple-A

before being called up by the White Sox on August 26, 2011 because of an injury to

Carlos Quentin Carlos José Quentin (born August 28, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres. In 2008 and 2011, Quentin was selec ...

Chicago White Sox

Viciedo joined the White Sox for their 2009 Spring Training, but did not make the starting roster and was sent to Double-A

to open the 2009 season. He was invited to Spring Training again in 2010. On June 17, 2010, it was announced that Viciedo would be called up. In his first Major League game against 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 ...

he recorded his first hit en route to a White Sox 6–3 win. Viciedo recorded his first Major League home run on July 5, 2010 against

Scott Kazmir Scott Edward Kazmir (; born January 24, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics ...

of the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

, and two days later, on July 7, recorded his first career double against

Joe Saunders Joseph Francis Saunders (born June 16, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Saunders pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and ...

of the

. In 2010, he played in 38 games and batted .308 with 5 home runs and 13 RBI. In 2011, Viciedo appeared in 29 games and hit .255 with 1 home run and 6 RBI. He would take on a starting role in 2012, and hit career-highs with games played (147), home runs (25), and RBI (78) while recording a .255 batting average. In 2013, Viciedo suffered an oblique strain in April that required a stint on the 15-day disabled list. In 124 games he would hit .265 with 14 home runs and 56 RBI. 2014 would see Viciedo play in 145 games, batting a career-low .231 with 21 home runs and 58 RBI. He signed a one-year contract worth $4.4 million with the White Sox on January 12, 2015, to avoid arbitration. However, he was designated for assignment on January 28, and released on February 4.

Toronto Blue Jays

On March 1, 2015, Viciedo signed a minor league contract with the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. He would have earned $2.5 million if he made the 25-man roster, however he requested and was granted his release on March 31.

Oakland Athletics

On June 12, 2015, Viciedo signed a minor league contract with the

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 ...

. He was released on July 30 after hitting just .221 in 113 at bats for the Athletics AAA club, the Nashville Sounds.

Second stint with the White Sox

On August 1, 2015, Viciedo signed a minor league deal to return to the White Sox.

Chunichi Dragons

On December 1, 2015, Viciedo signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the

. Viciedo started his Japanese career hitting a Japanese record for a foreign player, with three home runs in the first three opening games against the

Hanshin Tigers The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railway ...

at the

Kyocera Dome The (official name: ) is a baseball stadium located in Osaka, Osaka, Japan. Opened in 1997, the stadium was the home field of the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. In 2005, the stadium became one of the homes of the Orix Buffaloes, a result of the merg ...

. Viciedo was selected for

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...

in the 2016 NPB All Star Game as back-up at first base. In the 2018 NPB season, Viciedo slashed .348/.419/.555 with 26 homers to claim the batting average and hits title leading to selection in the

Best 9. On 12 December 2018, it was announced Viciedo had signed a new 3-year deal with the Dragons with a total value of ¥1.1 billion ($9.9 million). On August 27, 2021, Viciedo reached 450 RBI in NPB, giving him the most RBI for a non-Japanese player in Chunichi Dragons history. On September 26, Viciedo collected his 765th hit for the Dragons, passing

Alonzo Powell Alonzo Sidney Powell (born December 12, 1964) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He batted and threw right-handed. Powell was the first foreign player in the NPB to capture 3 consecutive batting titles. Career Playing career Minor and ...

for the most hits by a non-Japanese player in club history. On December 1, Viciedo agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Dragons.

References

External links

*
NPB.jp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Viciedo, Dayan 1989 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Japan Birmingham Barons players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Chunichi Dragons players Defecting Cuban baseball players Cuban emigrants to the United States Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball third basemen Nashville Sounds players Naranjas de Villa Clara players Nippon Professional Baseball infielders People from Remedios, Cuba Sportspeople from Villa Clara Province Peoria Javelinas players