Luis Alberto Maza Mayorca (born June 22, 1980 in Cumaná,

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder. He played for 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 (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

of the

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) in 2008. Listed at 5'9", 180 lb., he bats and throws right-handed. Primarily a second baseman, Maza is a versatile player who can play at

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 wh ...

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

, and

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

Career

Minnesota Twins

He was signed as an undrafted

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 the Minnesota Twins on October 28, 1997, and started his professional career with 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, t ...

in , before joining Elizabethton (), Quad City (), Ft. Myers (–), New Britain (–) and

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

(2004, 2005-).

Los Angeles Dodgers

A Free agent after 2006, Maza signed with the

and split time between Double-A

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

and Triple-A

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. Through , he was a .284 hitter with 525 runs and a .334 on-base percentage in 924 minor league games. He hit .378 with Las Vegas and made his major league debut as a defensive replacement for the Dodgers in the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 14, . He made his first start at shortstop the following day and went 1 for 3, getting his first career

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

off Brewers starter

Ben Sheets Ben Michael Sheets (born July 18, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, and Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. Sheets is a four-time MLB All-Star (2001, 2004, 2 ...

. In 45 games with the Dodgers in 2008, Maza hit .228. In 2009, Maza spent the entire year with the AAA

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an e ...

. He hit .300 with 5 homers and 44 RBI. He was a utility player for Albuquerque. He played second, third, left, two innings in center, and got two outs as a pitcher in a blowout loss to the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

on July 20.

Philadelphia Phillies

He signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies on January 25, 2010. With the

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...

, he hit only .220 in 51 games.

Houston Astros

The Phillies sent Maza to the Houston Astros on June 25, 2010. He played in 15 games for the

, hitting .258. He was released on August 6.

BBC Grosseto

In 2011, Maza signed one-year contract with the Italian team Bbc Grosseto.

Highlights

* Appalachian League All-Star (2000) * Florida State League All-Star (2002) *

Caribbean Series The Caribbean Series (''Spanish'': ''Serie del Caribe''), also called Caribbean World Series, is the highest tournament for professional baseball teams in Latin America. The tournament location is rotated annually among the countries and is norma ...

All-Star (2008)

External links

Luis Maza
at B-R Bullpen
Pura Pelota
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maza, Luis 1980 births Living people Albuquerque Isotopes players Bravos de Margarita players Cardenales de Lara players Elizabethton Twins players Fort Myers Miracle players Grosseto Baseball Club players Gulf Coast Twins players Jacksonville Suns players Las Vegas 51s players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball players from Venezuela New Britain Rock Cats players Sportspeople from Cumaná Quad City River Bandits players Rimini Baseball Club players Rochester Red Wings players Round Rock Express players Tigres de Aragua players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Italy Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2009 World Baseball Classic players