Héctor Eliner Carasco Giménez c-tor he-MEH-nes(born September 28, 1982) 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 ...

n 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 ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

. He has 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

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 ...

, Houston Astros and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

Professional career

Houston Astros

Giménez was signed by the Houston Astros as an amateur free agent in 1999. He spent two years in the

Venezuelan Summer League The Venezuelan Summer League (VSL) was a professional baseball sports league that operated in Venezuela from 1997 to 2015, primarily in the state of Carabobo. Teams in the league served as academies for Major League Baseball (MLB) organizations, a ...

before joining the Astros U.S. based minor league system. At one point, Giménez was ranked the best defensive catcher in the Houston Astros system, according to '' Baseball America''. In 2005, he led the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned by ...

with 58 RBI and earned

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 honors. He hit .273 (75-for-275) with eight

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 and 37 RBI in 76 games for the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

in his first season at the Triple-A level in 2006. He made his major league debut with the Astros on September 25, 2006 striking out as a pinch hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. He made one other major league appearance, also as a pinch hitter, against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 27 and groundout to the shortstop. On February 26, 2007, Giménez decided to have surgery to repair a torn

rotator cuff The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the human shoulder and allow for its extensive range of motion. Of the seven scapulohumeral muscles, four make up the rotator cuff. The four muscles are the supraspi ...

and as a result, missed the entire 2007 season.

Tampa Bay Rays

On November 27, 2007, he signed a minor league contract with the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

that included an invitation to spring training. He split the season between the A+

Vero Beach Devil Rays The Vero Beach Devil Rays, originally the Vero Beach Dodgers, were a minor league baseball team based in Vero Beach, Florida. They played in the Class A-Advanced Florida State League from 1980–2008, at which point they relocated to Port Charlot ...

and the AAA

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

and then became a free agent at the end of the season.

Pittsburgh Pirates

He signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates in January 2009 and split the season between the AA

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of th ...

and AAA Indianapolis Indians. In 2010, he was with Altoona for the whole season and hit .305 in 94 games with 16 home runs, his highest total in any of his professional seasons.

Los Angeles Dodgers

He signed a minor league contract with the

in November 2010 but on November 19 he was purchased by the Dodgers and added to their 40-man roster. He appeared as a pinch hitter for the Dodgers on April 1, 2011, his first appearance in the Majors since 2006 with the Astros. He made his first career start the following day 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 ...

, and also recorded his first Major League hit, a single to left field in the seventh inning off Javier López. After appearing in four games, he was placed on the disabled list on April 10 and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. He was activated off the DL on June 10 and outrighted to the AA

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

. He appeared in 66 games with the Lookouts, hitting .286 with 11 home runs and 54 RBI.

Chicago White Sox

He signed a minor league contract with the

on January 15, 2012. He also received an invitation to spring training. He was designated for assignment on July 5, 2013.

Toronto Blue Jays

Giménez was traded to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

in 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 ...

' organization on May 25, 2014. He was assigned to the Double-A

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major league club. During the team's first seaso ...

without playing for Buffalo. He was promoted to Buffalo on June 16, and was released on July 14.

Milwaukee Brewers

On July 16, 2014, Giménez was signed to a minor league contract by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Mexican League

He signed in 2015 for the

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team play its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in , , , ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. He became a free agent after the 2016 season.

References

External links

, o
Baseball America
o
Houston Astros news
o

o
Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gimenez, Hector 1982 births Living people Altoona Curve players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cardenales de Lara players Charlotte Knights players Chattanooga Lookouts players Chicago White Sox players Corpus Christi Hooks players Durham Bulls players Estrellas Orientales players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Houston Astros players Huntsville Stars players Indianapolis Indians players Leones de Yucatán players Lexington Legends players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Mexican League baseball catchers Mexican League baseball first basemen Mexican League baseball third basemen Navegantes del Magallanes players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players People from San Felipe, Venezuela Round Rock Express players Salem Avalanche players Tigres de Aragua players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Mexico Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Vero Beach Devil Rays players