José Manuel Pirela (born November 21, 1989) is a Venezuelan

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 ...

second baseman and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

for the

Samsung Lions The Samsung Lions () are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in the southeastern city of Daegu and are members of the KBO League. Their home stadium is Daegu Samsung Lions Park. They have won the Korean Champ ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

. 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

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

, San Diego Padres and

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 ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

. He made his major league debut in 2014.

Early life

Pirela was born in

Valera Valera is a city in Trujillo State in Venezuela, situated between the rivers Momboy and Motatán. The mayor is José Karkom, who has had that post since 2013. The city is home to Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Colombian and Spanish communit ...

Trujillo, Venezuela Trujillo is the capital city of Trujillo State in Venezuela. About 40,000 people live in this city, located in El Valle de Los Mukas. History Founded by one of the "Conquistadores de America", Diego García de Paredes (1506 - 1563), son of Die ...

.Jose Pirela Stats, Highlights, Bio , MiLB.com Stats , The Official Site of Minor League Baseball
/ref>

Professional career

Minor leagues

Pirela signed with the

as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...

, receiving a $300,000

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 ...

. He made his professional debut with the Yankees in 2007 for the

Dominican Summer League Yankees 1 The Dominican Summer Yankees are a minor league baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The team plays in the Boca Chica South division and is affiliated with the New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional ba ...

He reached Triple-A for the first time in 2013 with the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

of the Class AAA

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 ...

. After the season, he played for the Aguilas del Zulia of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Pirela began the 2014 season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He ended the International League season with a .305 batting average (5th in the league), 87 runs (leading the league), 11 triples (leading the league), 10

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 60

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBIs). He was named a midseason All-Star, a postseason All-Star, and an MiLB.com Organization All Star.

New York Yankees

On September 16, 2014, the Yankees promoted Pirela to the major leagues. He made his major league debut on September 22, hitting a

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a "treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * In ...

in his first

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

, and a

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later in the game. In seven games with the Yankees in 2014, he batted .333 with two triples and three RBIs. On September 25, 2014, Pirela's single in the Yankees' last home game of the season against 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 ...

set up Derek Jeter's walk-off hit in his final at-bat at Yankee Stadium. Pirela singled to leftfield and subsequently replaced by pinch-runner

Antoan Richardson Antoan Edward Richardson (born October 8, 1983) is a Bahamian professional baseball first base coach for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a former MLB outfielder who played for the Atlanta Braves in 2011 and the New ...

, who scored the winning run on Jeter's hit. Pirela suffered a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

on March 22, 2015, in a

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

game against the

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 ...

while playing

center field A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the Baseball positions, baseball and softball fielding position between Left fielder, left field and Right fielder, right field. In the numberi ...

. He ran into the outfield wall while chasing a fly ball. On April 2, he was placed on the 7-day

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

to begin the season due to his concussion, and a week later he was transferred to the 15-day disabled list. On June 7, he hit his first major league home run against the Los Angeles Angels. He batted .256 with 1 RBI in 18 games before he was optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 10.

San Diego Padres

On November 11, 2015, the Yankees traded Pirela to the San Diego Padres for minor league pitcher

Ronald Herrera Ronald José Herrera Aular (born May 3, 1995) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Professional career Oakland ...

. He began the 2016 season with the El Paso Chihuahuas of the Class AAA

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

, and was promoted to the Padres on April 22. Pirela played in 15 games with the Padres in 2016, making nine starts at second base and one in right field, before being optioned to El Paso when

Yangervis Solarte Yangervis Alfredo Solarte (born July 3, 1987) is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Mexican League. He made his MLB debut for the New York Yankees on April 2, 2014, and has also played for th ...

was activated from the disabled list on May 21. Pirela was shut down in June with an

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (h ...

injury after playing in only 35 minor league games on the season. He had originally hurt the Achilles in the spring and it affected his performance all season. Pirela was non-tendered in the 2016 offseason, and became a free agent. He signed a minor league contract with the Padres on December 13, 2016. Pirela began the 2017 season with El Paso, where he batted .331/.387/.635 with 13 home runs in 181 at bats. The Padres promoted Pirela to the Major Leagues on June 6. Pirela was slotted into left field and impressed with his bat, securing the number three spot in the batting order by August and holding onto the left field position after

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

left fielder

Travis Jankowski Travis Paul Jankowski (born June 15, 1991) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Texas Rangers organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phi ...

came off the disabled list. Pirela saw his season ended in mid-September with a sprained finger, but he led the Padres regulars in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, and was the Padres nominee for the

Hank Aaron Award The Hank Aaron Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players selected as the top hitter in each league, as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media. It was introduced in 1999 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Hank ...

. He finished 2017 with a .288/.347/.490 batting line with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs in 83 games, playing 72 games in the outfield, 7 games at second base, 5 games at first base, and 1 game at third base.Jose Pirela Stats , Baseball-Reference.com
/ref> Pirela began 2018 as a starter for the Padres, but he saw his playing time significantly shrink as the season progressed. He began the season as the regular left fielder, but took over second base from

Carlos Asuaje Carlos A. Asuaje (; born November 2, 1991) is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He previously played for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Lotte Giants of the KBO League. Amate ...

in May as

Franchy Cordero Franchy Cordero Vargas (born September 2, 1994) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder and first baseman in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He made his MLB debut in 2017 with the San Diego Padres and has also played for the Kansas ...

moved over to left. When Asuaje was recalled from El Paso on July 1 and moved back onto second base, Pirela had no regular position but continued to appear as a pinch hitter and utility player. In 2018 with San Diego he batted .249/.300/.345 with 5 home runs and 32 RBIs in 146 games. Pirela started the 2019 season in AAA but was recalled to the majors on April 19, 2019, before being placed on the injured list with an oblique strain five days later. For El Paso he batted .353/.401/.674 with 18 home runs in 221 at bats. He was designated for assignment on July 22.

Philadelphia Phillies

On July 27, 2019, the Padres traded Pirela to the

in exchange for cash considerations. With the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs he batted .281/.331/.455 with 4 home runs and 14 RBIs in 121 at bats. With the Phillies he batted .235/.316/.471 with one home run and two RBIs in 17 at bats. In the major leagues through 2019, Pirela had played 127 games at second base, 105 games in left field, 14 games at first base, 14 games in right field, and one game at third base.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp

On November 2, 2019, Pirela signed with the

(NPB). On June 19, 2020, he made his NPB debut. On December 2, 2020, he become a free agent.

Samsung Lions

On December 16, 2020, Pirela signed with the

of the

for $600,000 in salary and signing bonus, with an additional $200k possible from incentives. Pirela led the team with 29 home runs and 97 RBIs in 140 games played. On December 16, 2021, Pirela re-signed with the club for the 2022 season for $800,000 in salary and signing bonus, with an additional $400k possible from incentives. On December 7, 2022, Pirela re-signed a one-year deal for the 2023 season worth $1.7 million.

Playing style

Pirela is a free-swinger in the batter's box, with a 6.4% walk rate in the major leagues. Despite this, he has kept his strikeout rate at 19.9%. In the field, Pirela has appeared in the majors at first base, second base, third base, and in both of the outfield corners.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pirela, Jose 1989 births Living people Águilas del Zulia players Charleston RiverDogs players Dominican Summer League Yankees players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic El Paso Chihuahuas players Gulf Coast Yankees players Hiroshima Toyo Carp players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball right fielders New York Yankees players category:Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders People from Valera Philadelphia Phillies players Phoenix Desert Dogs players San Diego Padres players Samsung Lions players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Tampa Yankees players Trenton Thunder players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Japan Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in South Korea