Franklin Jose Barreto Rojas (born February 27, 1996) is a

Venezuela 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 ...

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 ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

and second baseman in 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 ...

organization. He previously 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

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 ...

and

Los Angeles Angels 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 ...

Career

Toronto Blue Jays

Barreto signed 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 ...

for a $1.45 million

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

on July 2, 2012, as ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

''s top-ranked international prospect of 2012. He played his first professional season with the

Gulf Coast League Blue Jays The Florida Complex League Blue Jays are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays. The team plays it ...

, and later the

Bluefield Blue Jays The Bluefield Blue Jays were a minor league baseball team of the Rookie Appalachian League representing the twin cities of Bluefield, West Virginia, and Bluefield, Virginia. The team played their home games at Bowen Field at Peters Park, a histori ...

, batting .276 in 59 total games played and leading the Gulf Coast League in slugging percentage. In 2014, he was promoted to the

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. ...

and opened the season with a .313 batting average through 43 games. Barreto played in 73 games for Vancouver in 2014, and batted .311 with 6 home runs, 61 RBI, and 29 stolen bases. On September 24, he was named the MVP for Vancouver in 2014. On October 1, Barreto was named the top prospect in the

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...

Oakland Athletics

On November 28, 2014, the Blue Jays traded Barreto,

Kendall Graveman Kendall Chase Graveman (born December 21, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners an ...

Sean Nolin Sean Patrick Nolin (born December 26, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Minnesota Twins organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and Washington Nat ...

, and

Brett Lawrie Brett Russell Lawrie (born January 18, 1990) is a Canadian former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago White Sox. Amateur career While playing hi ...

to the

for

Josh Donaldson Joshua Adam Donaldson (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Atla ...

. His 2015 season with the Advanced-A

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Ba ...

ended early when he was placed on the disabled list on July 26 with a wrist contusion. Barreto appeared in 90 games and hit .302 with 13 home runs and 47 RBI. He committed 34 errors at shortstop, which led the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

. In the offseason, he played 30 games with the

Águilas del Zulia The Águilas del Zulia ( en, Zulia Eagles) is a Venezuelan professional baseball team based in Maracaibo which plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. History The team was founded in 1969 and debuted in the 1969–70 season. The fra ...

of the

Venezuelan Winter League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

, batting .174 with 2 home runs and 14 RBI. Barreto was named as the 8th best shortstop prospect by MLB going into the 2016 season. He was selected as a

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 ...

All-Star while playing with the Double-A

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, whic ...

in 2016. On August 31, he was promoted to the Triple-A

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 ...

. Barreto finished the 2016 season batting .284 with 11 home runs and 53 RBI. After the 2016 season, the Athletics assigned Barreto to the

Mesa Solar Sox The Mesa Solar Sox are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games in Mesa, Arizona, at Sloan Park, which is also the spring training facility of the Chicago Cubs. The team was established ...

of the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fill ...

, and added him to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

. He began the 2017 season with Nashville, hitting .281 with 32 RBI in 68 games. He was recalled by the Athletics on June 24. He made his major league debut that afternoon, playing second base. During the game, he recorded his first career

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 ...

in his second career at-bat off of James Shields. Barreto hit .180 with an OPS of .570 in parts of four seasons for the Athletics, seeing the most action in 2018, playing in 32 games and going hitless in 10 at-bats.

Los Angeles Angels

On August 28, 2020, the Athletics traded Barreto to the

in exchange for

Tommy La Stella Thomas Frank La Stella (born January 31, 1989), nicknamed TL and 3 AM, is an American Infielder, professional baseball infielder in the San Francisco Giants organization. He previously played for the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Ang ...

. On March 31, 2021, Barreto was placed on the 60-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation. On May 11, it was announced that Barreto would undergo

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

. On October 23, 2021, Barreto elected free agency.

Houston Astros

On March 22, 2022, Barreto signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

. He was released on August 10, 2022. In his final start for the

Sugar Land Space Cowboys The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the Greater Houston metr ...

, Barreto homered off former Astros ace and Cy Young Award winner

Dallas Keuchel Dallas Keuchel (, ; born January 1, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Texas Rang ...

as part of a five-RBI day. Over 73 games for Sugar Land, Barreto appeared at second base, shortstop, and third base, batting .162/.259/.274.

Washington Nationals

On December 1, 2022, Barreto signed a minor league deal with the

. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/nationals-sign-franklin-barreto-to-minors-deal.html

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barreto, Franklin 1996 births Living people Águilas del Zulia players Bluefield Blue Jays players Gulf Coast Blue Jays players Las Vegas Aviators players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Midland RockHounds players Nashville Sounds players Oakland Athletics players Baseball players from Caracas Stockton Ports players Vancouver Canadians players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Sugar Land Space Cowboys players