Jorge Luis Pacheco Polanco (born July 5, 1993) is a Dominican

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

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

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).

Career

Polanco signed with the

as an international free agent in 2009. He made his debut in 2010 for the

Dominican Summer League The Dominican Summer League (DSL) is a branch of affiliated Minor League Baseball which is played in the Dominican Republic. The league was founded in 1985. After the demise of the Venezuelan Summer League after the 2015 season, it is the only L ...

Twins. He also played for the

Gulf Coast Twins The Florida Complex League Twins are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays in Fort Myers, Florida, at the Lee County Sports Complex. Prior to 2021, the ...

that year and hit .233./303/.294 overall. He remained with the Gulf Coast Twins in 2011, hitting .250/.319/.349 in 51 games. Playing for the

Elizabethton Twins The Elizabethton Twins were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They were located in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and were named for their major league affiliate. The team playe ...

in 2012, he hit .318/.388/.514 with five

home runs 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 51 games. He played the 2013 season for the

Cedar Rapids Kernels The Cedar Rapids Kernels are Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and play their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Kernels are owned ...

hitting .308/.362/.452 and five home runs in 115 games. After the season, he played for the

Leones del Escogido Leones del Escogido (English: ''Chosen One Lions'' or ''Lions of Chosen One'' or ''Picked Lions'') is a professional baseball team in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Established in , Leones are the third most successful team in the Dominican Wi ...

of the

Dominican Professional Baseball League Dominican may refer to: * Someone or something from or related to the Dominican Republic ( , stress on the "mi"), on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles, in the Caribbean ** People of the Dominican Republic ** Demographics of the Dom ...

. In November he was added to the Twins 40-man roster. Polanco started the 2014 season with the

Fort Myers Miracle The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex a ...

. Polanco was called up to the majors for the first time on June 26, 2014. Polanco totaled a combined 9 games between 2014 and the 2015 season with the Twins. He got his first extensive look in the majors in 2016, when he played in 69 games. He hit .282 with 4 home runs and 27 runs batted in. The following season, Polanco was the primary shortstop for the whole season for the Twins, hitting .256 with 13 home runs and 74 RBIs in 133 games. On March 18, 2018, Polanco was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for

Stanozolol Stanozolol (Abbreviation, abbrev. Stz), sold under many brand names, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is used to treat hereditary angioedema. It was developed by American pharmaceuti ...

, a performance-enhancing drug and was also ineligible for postseason play. He was reinserted as the Twins shortstop upon his return from suspension. In 77 games, he hit .288 with 6 home runs and 42 RBIs. On April 5, 2019, Polanco

hit for the cycle In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hits a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are rare in Major League Ba ...

against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

, going 5-for-5 with one RBI in a 10–4 loss. Polanco was the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

starting

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 ...

in the 2019 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. On the season, Polanco finished with a .295 batting average in 153 games. He hit 22 home runs, drove in 79 RBI and scored 107 runs. In 2020, Polanco hit .258 with 4 home runs and 19 RBI in 55 games. In 2021, Polanco batted .269/.323/.503 and set career highs with 33 home runs and 98 RBIs.

Personal life

Polanco is married to Lucero Polanco. They have three children together.

References

External links

* : {{DEFAULTSORT:Polanco, Jorge 1993 births Living people American League All-Stars Cedar Rapids Kernels players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic sportspeople in doping cases Dominican Summer League Twins players Elizabethton Twins players Fort Myers Miracle players Fort Myers Mighty Mussels players Gulf Coast Twins players Leones del Escogido players Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Minnesota Twins players New Britain Rock Cats players Baseball players from San Pedro de Macorís St. Paul Saints players

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links