Juan Jose Graterol Montevideo (pronounced GRAD-er-all;Juan Graterol Stats, Fantasy & News , MLB.com
/ref> born February 14, 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 currently a free agent. 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

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 ...

, Minnesota Twins, and Cincinnati Reds. Graterol made his major league debut in 2016.

Early life

Graterol was born in

Maracay, Venezuela ) , image_skyline = , image_caption =Top:Maracay Municipal Garden and Las Delicias area, Second:Sindoni Tower, Los Tamarindo residential area and overview to Maracay, Third:Maestranza Cesar Giron Bullring Stadium, Girardot Square and Maracay ...

.2017 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook – Jay Blue – Google Books
/ref>

Career

Kansas City Royals

Graterol was signed as an undrafted 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 ...

by scout Juan Indriago in 2005, and began his professional career in the Kansas City Royals organization.Juan Graterol Stats , Baseball-Reference.com
/ref> As a 17 year old for the Royals' Dominican League team, Graterol slashed .296/.386/.349. In 2007, playing for the rookie-ball

Burlington Royals The Burlington Royals were a minor league baseball team in Burlington, North Carolina, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team was affiliated with the Cleveland Indians from 1986 to 2006 as the Burlington I ...

, Graterol's production tanked as he hit only .225/.292/.235, but bettered his production the next year playing for the

Idaho Falls Chukars The Idaho Falls Chukars are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and play their home games at Melaleuca ...

, as he batted .276/.366/.316. Graterol spent the majority of the next two season with the Single-A

Burlington Bees The Burlington Bees are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Burlington, Iowa, and have played their home games at Community Field since 1947. Founded in 1889, the Bees played in Minor League Baseball' ...

, batting a solid .300/.343/.340. That season, he also made it as high as the advanced Single-A

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. ...

, only appearing in 3 games for the team. Through his first 4 years as a professional player, Graterol managed a .278/.349/.315 batting line with no home runs or triples, and only 21 doubles. In 2011, Graterol split the season between the

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are an independent professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play thei ...

and Wilmington, but his production hit a wall as he batted only .195/.255/.235, however he did hit his first professional home run with Wilmington. In 2012, Graterol spent the entire season with Wilmington, with great production as he hit .301/.338/.393. On May 12, 2013, while playing for the Double-A

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at Arvest Ballpark, whic ...

, Graterol hit the game-deciding home run in a 5-4 victory against the

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 ...

in a game that had lasted 20 innings. The game, which lasted 5 hours and 38 minutes was the longest in Naturals history. He ended the season batting .286/.314/.368 with 3 home runs and 17 RBI. Graterol was invited to Spring Training with the Royals for the 2014 season. In 2014, Graterol reached Triple-A for the first time, appearing in 7 games for the

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, and play their home games at We ...

, but spent the majority of the season with Northwest Arkansas as he hit .278/.307/.387 between the two teams.

New York Yankees

On December 10, 2014, Graterol signed a minor league contract with the

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

organization. Graterol split the season between the Single-A

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Hi ...

, the Double-A

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the ...

, and the Triple-A

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 affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

, hitting a meager .198/.235/.250 between the three teams. He became a free agent on November 6, 2015.

Los Angeles Angels

He signed with the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 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 ...

on January 12, 2016, and was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on July 18, 2016. After Graterol was with the Angels for five days he was

optioned In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement pertaining to film rights between a potential film producer (such as a movie studio, a production company, or an individual) and the author of source material, such as a book, play, or s ...

to the minor leagues, without having appeared in a game. Graterol was called up and made his major league debut on September 2, 2016, and had 14 major league at bats in the season. He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Angels on November 22.

Cincinnati Reds

On November 28, 2016, the Cincinnati Reds claimed Graterol off waivers. He was designated for assignment by the Reds in December.

Arizona Diamondbacks

He was claimed off waivers by the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

on December 24, 2016. They designated Graterol for assignment on January 13, 2017, after signing

Chris Iannetta Christopher Domenic Iannetta (, ; born April 8, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle Mariners, and Arizona Diamondbac ...

Second stint with Angels

The Angels claimed Graterol off waivers on January 19, 2017. The Angels then waived Graterol again.

Toronto Blue Jays

The

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

claimed him off waivers on January 23, 2017. Graterol was designated for assignment on April 14.

Third stint with Angels

On April 18, 2017, Graterol was traded by the Blue Jays back to the Angels in exchange for cash or a player to be named later. In 2017 he batted .202/.207/.250 with no home runs and 10 RBIs in 84 at bats. He was designated for assignment on April 4, 2018. He was outrighted to the

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and play their home games at Smith's Ballpark. The ballpark o ...

on May 8. He was designated for assignment on June 19, and released on June 24.

Minnesota Twins

On June 28, 2018, Graterol signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins as a free agent. In the majors with the Twins, he batted .143/.250/.143 in seven at bats.

Second stint with Reds

On October 10, 2018, Graterol was claimed off waivers by the Reds. He was non-tendered on November 30, and became a free agent. On December 3, 2018, Graterol re-signed a minor league deal with the Reds. He was called up to the major leagues on July 17, 2019. On October 16, Graterol was designated for assignment. He elected free agency on October 21.

Second Stint with Twins

On November 26, 2019, Graterol signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.

Fourth Stint with Angels

On December 30, 2020, Graterol signed a minor league contract with the

organization.

Second Stint with Blue Jays

On March, 31, 2021, Graterol was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations and assigned to Triple-A Buffalo on May 3, 2021.

Second Stint with Diamondbacks

On November 13, 2021, Graterol signed a minor league contract with the

. He was released on August 1, 2022.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graterol, Juan 1989 births Living people Águilas del Zulia players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Burlington Bees players Burlington Royals players Charleston RiverDogs players Cincinnati Reds players Dominican Summer League Royals players Idaho Falls Chukars players Kane County Cougars players Los Angeles Angels players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Minnesota Twins players Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Sportspeople from Maracay Omaha Storm Chasers players Rochester Red Wings players Salt Lake Bees players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Tiburones de La Guaira players Tigres de Aragua players Trenton Thunder players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Wilmington Blue Rocks players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic