Maikel Jose Cleto (born May 1, 1989) is a Dominican

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 professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

who is 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 (A ...

(MLB) for 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 ...

and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

Professional career

New York Mets

Cleto began his professional career in with the

GCL Mets The Florida Complex League Mets are a Rookie-level affiliate for the New York Mets, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Mets. The team plays its home games a ...

. He went 1–2 with a 5.03 ERA, one save and 28

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

. In Cleto split the season between the Class-A

Savannah Sand Gnats The Savannah Sand Gnats were a minor league baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. They were a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. The Sand Gnats were an affiliate of the New York Mets in their final nine seasons. The team relocated ...

and the Class-A Advanced St. Lucie Mets. He had a combined record of 5–12 with a 4.41 ERA, one

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

and 82 strikeouts in 26 games, 23 starts between the two clubs.

Seattle Mariners

On December 11, 2008, Cleto was traded to the Mariners with Aaron Heilman, Endy Chávez, Jason Vargas, Mike Carp and

Ezequiel Carrera Ezequiel Manuel Carrera Reyes (born June 11, 1987) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, and Toronto Blue Jays. Profess ...

in exchange for

J. J. Putz Joseph Jason Putz (; born February 22, 1977) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks. High school an ...

, Jeremy Reed and Sean Green. Cleto split the season between the Rookie-Level Peoria Mariners and the Class-A

Clinton LumberKings The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest Leag ...

. He went 0–4 with a 5.54 ERA and 25 strikeouts in nine games, eight starts. He attended

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 roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

with the Mariners but was assigned to the Minor Leagues early in camp. Cleto was placed on the

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 ...

of July 7 due to back discomfort and made his return on August 15.

St. Louis Cardinals

On December 12, 2010, it was announced Cleto was traded to the

for shortstop Brendan Ryan. Cleto was activated on June 2, 2011 (the same day Lance Lynn was also called up), directly from AA (

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 ...

) to shore up an overworked bullpen.

Kansas City Royals

Cleto was claimed off waivers to the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

on June 23, 2013. On February 17, 2014, 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 Royals.

Chicago White Sox

Cleto was claimed off waivers by the

on February 26, 2014. To make room on the roster the Sox designated infielder Jake Elmore for assignment. Cleto was designated for assignment on May 10 to make room for

Frank Francisco Franklin Thomas Francisco (born September 11, 1979) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets and Chicago White Sox. Baseball career Fr ...

on the White Sox roster. He was called back up on August 4, 2014. On February 2, 2016, the Chicago White Sox resigned Cleto to a minor league contract. He was released on March 31, 2016.

Vaqueros Laguna

On May 30, 2016, Cleto signed with the Vaqueros Laguna of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five t ...

. They released him on July 1, 2016.

Atlanta Braves

On July 3, the Braves signed Cleto to a minor league deal. He was assigned to the AAA

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevi ...

. He became a free agent after the season.

Chicago Cubs

On December 13, 2016, Cleto signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

. He was released on March 13, 2017.

Mexican League (2017–2021)

On May 4, 2017, Cleto signed with the

Vaqueros Unión Laguna The ''vaquero'' (; pt, vaqueiro, , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in Mexico from a methodology brought to Latin America from Spain. The vaquero became t ...

of the

. On June 20, 2017, he was traded to the

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team play its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in , , , ...

. On March 19, 2018, Cleto was traded back to the

Algodoneros de Unión Laguna The Algodoneros de Unión Laguna (English: Laguna Union Cotton Farmers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Torreón, Coahuila. History Early years The team was established in 1940 under the name Algodoneros de Unió ...

prior to the beginning of the 2018 season. On July 17, 2018, Cleto was traded back to the

. On June 1, 2019, Cleto was loaned to the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (or Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican Baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They are members of the Mexican Baseball League and play their home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The fran ...

. On July 2, 2019, he was loaned to the

Rieleros de Aguascalientes The Rieleros de Aguascalientes (English: Aguascalientes Railroaders) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Aguascalientes, Mexico. History Baseball arrived in Aguascalientes in hand with the railroad at the beginning o ...

. On February 27, 2020, Cleto signed with the

Piratas de Campeche The Piratas de Campeche (English: Campeche Pirates) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Campeche, Campeche, Mexico. History In 1980, the Alacranes de Durango moved to Campeche, and played their home games at Ven ...

. Cleto did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the LMB 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 identif ...

. On April 7, 2021, Cleto signed with the

. On October 20, 2021, Cleto was traded back to the

. He was released prior to the 2022 season on March 1, 2022.

Pitching style

Cleto is a hard-thrower, wielding a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is ca ...

at 96–99 mph. The fastball is by far his most used pitch, but he also throws three off-speed pitches: a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

(89–91) to lefties, a

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(84–86) to righties, and a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

(79–82) to hitters from both sides of the plate.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleto, Maikel 1989 births Living people Águilas de Mexicali players Algodoneros de Unión Laguna players Arizona League Mariners players Cañeros de Los Mochis players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Clinton LumberKings players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Gulf Coast Mets players High Desert Mavericks players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Memphis Redbirds players Mexican League baseball pitchers Omaha Storm Chasers players Palm Beach Cardinals players Peoria Javelinas players Rieleros de Aguascalientes players Savannah Sand Gnats players Springfield Cardinals players Sportspeople from Santo Domingo St. Louis Cardinals players St. Lucie Mets players Tigres del Licey players Toros de Tijuana players Vaqueros Laguna players Yaquis de Obregón players Gwinnett Braves players Leones de Yucatán players Toros del Este players