José Miguel Fernández (born April 27, 1988) is a

Cuban Cuban or Cubans may refer to: Related to Cuba * of 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 Americ ...

professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

who is a free agent. He previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

, in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the

Doosan Bears The Doosan Bears () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. Founded in 1982, they are a member of the KBO League. The Bears have won six Korean Series titles (1982, 1995, 2001, 2015, 2016, and 2019) and play their home game ...

, and for the

Cuban national baseball team The Cuba national baseball team () represents Cuba at regional and international levels. The team is generally made up of players from the domestic Cuban national baseball system, though it has at times included professional players who defect ...

at the

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike the tw ...

(WBC).

Professional career

Cuban career

Fernández played for

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

in the

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

(CNS). In the 2014-15 season, he batted .326 with a .482

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batting (baseball), batter reaches base (baseball), base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA ...

(OBP), .456

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...

(SLG), 65 walks and 10 strikeouts in 314

plate appearance In baseball, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner. This ha ...

s, ranking second in the league in OBP. ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' ranked him as the #3 Cuban player in April 2015. With a notoriety as

contact hitter Contact may refer to: Interaction Physical interaction * Contact (geology), a common geological feature * Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye * Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects * ...

, Fernández struck out 113 times in 2,580 career CNS plate appearances, a 4.3 percent rate, compared with a 10.1 percent walk rate (263 total walks). For his career in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, Fernández batted .319 with a .403 OBP and .423 SLG. In the

(WBC), he took 21 turns at the plate, batting .524 with a .545 OBP and .667 SLG without striking out. He did not play in any professional games in 2015 – including the CNS – as he was suspended for previously attempting to

defect Defect or defects may refer to: Related to failure * Angular defect, in geometry * Birth defect, an abnormal condition present at birth * Crystallographic defect, in the crystal lattice of solid materials * Latent defect, in the law of the sale o ...

from Cuba and remained under heavy

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

guard. On December 2, 2015, reports emerged that he had defected from Cuba. However, at that time, he had yet to establish

residency Residency may refer to: * Artist-in-residence, a program to sponsor the residence and work of visual artists, writers, musicians, etc. * Concert residency, a series of concerts performed at one venue * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or m ...

in another country, and still required clearance from

(MLB) to sign a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

contract with a major league club.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On January 11, 2017, it was officially announced that he had signed a minor league contract with the

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. The Dodgers assigned him to the Double-A

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

of the

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 ...

to start the 2017 season. He played in 90 games for them, with a .306 average, 16 homers and 64 RBI. He was released by the Dodgers on November 14, 2017.

Los Angeles Angels

On January 4, 2018, he signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in South Jordan, Utah, the team plays its home games at The Ballpark at Am ...

to begin the year. On June 8, 2018, Fernández was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He went 1-for-3 in his debut and played in 36 games for the Angels in his rookie season, logging a .267/.309/.388 slash line with 2 home runs and 11 RBI. On November 20, 2018, Fernández was designated for assignment by the Angels. Fernández was granted his unconditional release on November 21, 2018.

Doosan Bears

On December 26, 2018, Fernández signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the

of the

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ) is the Sport governing body, governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League () and KBO Futures League ( (F ...

. In 2019, Fernández won the KBO League

Korean Series The Korean Series () is the final championship series of the KBO League. It has been held since the KBO League's first season in and is the final series of the post-season play-offs. From to 2013, the winner of the Korean Series went on to play ...

final with Doosan, and was awarded a

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...

after the year. He also led the KBO in hits, with 197, and placed second in the regular season batting standings, with a .344 average. Fernández re-signed with Doosan for the 2020 season, and slashed .340/.404/.497 with career-highs in home runs (21) and RBI (105). On December 23, 2020, Fernández again re-signed with the Bears for the 2021 season. He became a free agent following the 2022 season.

Saraperos de Saltillo

On January 9, 2023, Fernández signed with the

Saraperos de Saltillo The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serapes) 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 (1980, 2009 ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. In 9 games, he batted .219/.324/.406 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs. Fernández was released on May 2, 2023.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Jose Miguel 1988 births Living people Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in Mexico Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball infielders People from Colón, Cuba Baseball players from Matanzas Province 2013 World Baseball Classic players Los Angeles Angels players Cocodrilos de Matanzas players Águilas Cibaeñas players Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Tulsa Drillers players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Salt Lake Bees players Saraperos de Saltillo players Doosan Bears players KBO League infielders Cuban expatriate baseball players in South Korea Estrellas Orientales players Yaquis de Obregón players

Professional career

Cuban career

Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Angels

Doosan Bears

Saraperos de Saltillo

See also

References

External links