Henry Alexander Urrutia Rodríguez ( ; born February 13, 1987) 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 ...

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

and

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

for the

Saraperos de Saltillo The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serape Wearers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (198 ...

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 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

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

Professional career

Urrutia played in the

Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, SNB) is the primary domestic professional baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. ...

for Las Tunas. He debuted in the 2005-06 Cuban National Series, and played through 2009-10. Urrutia attempted to defect from Cuba in 2010. After the failed attempt, he was suspended. He successfully defected to

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

in September 2011.

Baltimore Orioles

On July 24, 2012, Urrutia signed with the

, receiving a $778,500

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 ...

. After having trouble acquiring a

visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

, Urrutia reported to the

Bowie Baysox The Bowie Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium. History From 1989 to 1992, ...

of the Double-A Eastern League in April 2013. After playing 52 games for Bowie, the Orioles promoted him to the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

of the Triple-A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

on June 28. After playing in 15 games for Norfolk, the Orioles promoted Urrutia to the major leagues on July 19. Urrutia was optioned back on Norfolk on August 17. He was recalled on September 3. He was placed on the restricted list on September 13 when the Orioles travelled to Toronto due to visa issues, and re-activated on September 16. In 2013 for the Orioles, Urrutia batted .276/.276/.310 in 24 games. Urrutia did not appear in the majors in 2014, instead spending the season in the minor leagues with the Triple-A

. On August 19, 2015, Urrutia hit his first career home run off of

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

pitcher Carlos Torres. It was also his first career walk-off hit. Urrutia only played in 10 games for the Orioles in 2015, registering 9 hits in 36 plate appearances. After beginning the 2016 season in Double-A with the

, Urrutia was designated for assignment by the Orioles on July 19, 2016. He began the 2017 season in Norfolk before being released by the Orioles organization on May 25, 2017.

Boston Red Sox

On June 14, 2017, Urrutia signed a minor league deal 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 ...

. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Diablos Rojos del México

On January 29, 2018, Urrutia signed with the

Diablos Rojos del México The Diablos Rojos del Mexico (English: Mexico Red Devils) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Mexico City, Mexico. The team was founded in 1940 by Salvador Lutteroth and Ernesto Carmona. The Diablos Rojos play their hom ...

of the

Mexican Baseball 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 ...

Guerreros de Oaxaca

On August 16, 2018, Urrutia was traded to the

Guerreros de Oaxaca The Guerreros de Oaxaca (English: Oaxaca Warriors) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their home field is Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos. History In October 1995, a group of businessmen, l ...

of the

. He became a free agent following the season.

Toros de Tijuana

On February 19, 2019, Urrutia signed with the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (or Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican Baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They are members of the Mexican Baseball League and play their home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The fran ...

of the

Saraperos de Saltillo

On June 4, 2019, Urrutia was traded to the

of the

. He played in 68 games for Saltillo, slashing .407/.467/.795 with 26 home runs and 65 RBI. Urrutia did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican League season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In 2021, Urrutia played in 56 games for the Saraperos, hitting .385/.435/.606 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI. For the 2022 season, Urrutia was the Mexican League batting champion after he played in 90 games for Saltillo and hit .420/.479/.733 with 25 home runs and 88 RBI.https://www.milb.com/mexican/news/leones-realizan-con-mifel-alianza-historica

Personal

Urrutia is the son of

Ermidelio Urrutia Ermidelio Urrutia Quiroga (born August 25, 1963) is a Cuban baseball player and Olympic gold medalist. Urrutia is a one time Gold medalist for baseball, winning at the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos ...

and a cousin of

Osmani Urrutia Osmani Urrutia Ramírez (also spelled ''Osmany'') (born June 29, 1976 in Jobabo, Las Tunas Province, Cuba) is a Cuban baseball player. He plays right field for the Las Tunas Magos of the Cuban National Series and for the Cuba ...

. Both his father and cousin are Cuban outfielders. He is currently married to Suse Urrutia with two sons.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Urrutia, Henry 1987 births Living people Baltimore Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Cardenales de Lara players Defecting Cuban baseball players Diablos Rojos del México players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Gulf Coast Orioles players Leñadores de Las Tunas players Leones del Caracas players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Norfolk Tides players People from Las Tunas (city) Saraperos de Saltillo players Surprise Saguaros players Cuban expatriates in Haiti Charros de Jalisco players Portland Sea Dogs players Toros de Tijuana players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Mexico Gigantes del Cibao players Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic

Professional career

Baltimore Orioles

Boston Red Sox

Diablos Rojos del México

Guerreros de Oaxaca

Toros de Tijuana

Saraperos de Saltillo

Personal

See also

References

External links