José Alberto Godoy (born October 13, 1994) is a Venezuelan

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

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 ...

who is a free agent. 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

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

, Minnesota Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was signed by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

as an international free agent in 2011. When he made his MLB debut on May 21, 2021, he became the 20,000th player in MLB history.

Career

St. Louis Cardinals

On July 2, 2011, Godoy signed with the

as an international free agent. He made his professional debut with the DSL Cardinals in 2012. In 2013, he played for the

GCL Cardinals The Florida Complex League Cardinals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Cardinals. The team plays i ...

, slashing .263/.368/.307 in 36 games. Godoy split the 2014 season between the rookie ball

Johnson City Cardinals The Johnson City Cardinals were a Minor League Baseball team based in Johnson City, Tennessee. The team was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 1975 through 2020 and played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League. The team wo ...

and the High-A

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Rog ...

, posting a batting line of .320/.411/.377 in 122 at-bats. He split 2015 between Palm Beach and the Low-A

State College Spikes The State College Spikes are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in State College, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on the campus of Pennsylvania State University. T ...

, batting .230/.331/.310. In 2016, he played tor the Single-A

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Peor ...

and the Double-A

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

, hitting .295/.373/.344 with 1 home run and a career-high 31 RBI. He played 2017 in Palm Beach, slashing .265/.317/.374 with career-highs in home runs (4) and RBI (41). He split 2018 between Springfield and Palm Beach, hitting .281/.368/.360 in 77 games. Godoy catching a popup (48326751701) (cropped)

On November 19, 2018, Godoy re-signed with the Cardinals on a new minor league contract that included an invitation to Spring Training. He did not make the club and was assigned to Springfield. In 2019, Godoy reached Triple-A for the first time with the

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

, splitting the season between Memphis and Springfield, slashing .276/.354/.431 with 7 home runs and 42 RBI. He was invited to Spring Training for the 2020 season. Godoy did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor 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 identi ...

. He was added to the Cardinals 60-man player pool for the 2020 season but did not make an appearance for the club. On November 2, 2020, Godoy elected free agency.

Seattle Mariners

On November 20, 2020, Godoy signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960 ...

to begin the 2021 season. On May 20, 2021, Godoy was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. Godoy made his MLB debut that night against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

as a replacement for fellow backstop Tom Murphy. Godoy also became the 20,000th player in MLB history. In his rookie campaign, Godoy appeared in 16 major league games, hitting .162/.225/.189 with 3 RBI.

Minneosta Twins

On March 13, 2022, Godoy was claimed off waivers by 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 ...

. Godoy was subsequently waived by the Giants and claimed by the Minnesota Twins on March 17, 2022. He was designated for assignment on April 6, 2022. On April 10, Godoy was sent outright to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints. On April 23, the Twins promoted Godoy to the major leagues. On August 1, 2022, Godoy was designated for assignment.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On August 5, 2022, Godoy was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates. On August 20, 2022, Godoy was designated for assignment. After clearing waivers, he was outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis on August 23. Godoy was once again designated for assignment on October 18. On October 27, Godoy elected free agency.

Los Angeles Angels

On December 31, 2022, Godoy signed a minor league deal with the

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 h ...

. He was released by the team prior to the start of the regular season on March 14, 2023.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Godoy, Jose 1994 births Living people Sportspeople from Maracaibo Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball catchers Seattle Mariners players Minnesota Twins players Pittsburgh Pirates players Dominican Summer League Cardinals players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Gulf Coast Cardinals players Johnson City Cardinals players Palm Beach Cardinals players State College Spikes players Peoria Chiefs players Springfield Cardinals players Memphis Redbirds players Tacoma Rainiers players Caribes de Anzoátegui players St. Paul Saints players