Mario Lisson Ortega (born May 31, 1984 in

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

, Miranda State, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball

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 who ...

and current

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

of the

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. ...

. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent by 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 April 1, 2002.

Professional career

Kansas City Royals

On April 1, 2002, Lisson signed with the

organization as an international free agent. He made his professional debut with the rookie ball

GCL Royals The Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals were a minor league baseball franchise in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League from 1971–1978, 1982–1983 and 1985–2002. The club was owned and operated by the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. The ...

. Lisson did not play in 2003 and spent the 2004 season with the rookie ball

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 ...

, slashing .289/.398/.438 with 8 home runs and 49 RBI. In 2005, he played for the Single-A Burlington Bees, batting .250/.386/.408 in 78 games. He remained in Burlington for the 2006 season, hitting .263/.368/.421 with 13 home runs and 73 RBI in 130 games. Lisson spent the next year with the High-A

, batting .285/.348/.408 in 126 contests. On November 20, 2007, Lisson was added to Kansas City's 40-man roster. He spent the 2008 season in Double-A with the

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The ...

, slashing .225/.284/.374 with 14 home runs and 65 RBI. He split the 2009 season between the Triple-A Omaha Royals and Northwest Arkansas, hitting .227/.283/.373 between the two teams. On January 25, 2010, Lisson was designated for assignment by the Royals to clear room on the 40-man roster for Rick Ankiel. He did not play in a game in 2010 and re-signed with the Royals on November 18, 2010, on a new minor league contract. Lisson spent the 2011 season with Northwestern Arkansas, slashing .293/.372/.527 with 15 home runs and 45 RBI. He elected free agency after the season and again re-signed with Kansas City on November 10, on another minor league deal. He again played in Northwest Arkansas for the 2012 season, where he hit .247/.338/.410 in 116 games. On November 2, 2012, Lisson elected free agency.

Guerreros de Oaxaca

On March 20, 2013, Lisson signed with the Guerreros de Oaxaca of the Mexican League. In 36 games for Oaxaca, Lisson batted .264/.331/.493 with 8 home runs and 22 RBI.

Petroleros de Minatitlan

On May 13, 2013, Lisson was traded to the Petroleros de Minatitlan of the Mexican League. He hit .254/.361/.430 in 30 games before being released by the club on June 24, 2013. On January 7, 2014, Lisson playing for the Magallanes tied a mark in the Venezuelan League with three

home runs 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 ...

in a postseason game.

San Francisco Giants

On December 13, 2013, Lisson signed a minor league contract with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

organization. He spent the year with the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels, where he was the team's regular third baseman On the year, he batted .266 with 18 home runs and 76 RBI.

Washington Nationals

On December 12, 2014, Lisson signed a minor league contract with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

organization. He split the year between the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs and the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, slashing .269/.321/.366 with 6 home runs and 37 RBI. On November 7, 2015, he elected free agency.

Saraperos Saltillo

On February 19, 2016, Lisson signed with the Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League. Lisson batted .278/.398/.474 in 111 games and was a mid-season all-star.

Washington Nationals (second stint)

On March 18, 2017, Lisson signed a minor league deal with the

. He split the year between Triple-A Syracuse and Double-A Harrisburg, slashing .191/.278/.348 between the two clubs. On November 6, 2017, he elected free agency.

Coaching career

Lisson was named manager of the GCL Nationals, the rookie ball affiliate of the

, for the 2018 season. Lisson managed the club through the 2019 season. On December 19, 2019, Lisson was named the manager of the Single-A Hagerstown Suns. However, Lisson never managed the club due to the cancellation of the minor league 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 December 15, 2020, the Nationals announced that Lisson would manage the Class-A Fredericksburg Nationals for the 2021 season. Lisson led the team to a 44-76 record in 2021 following an 0-15 start. In January 2022, The Nationals named Lisson the manager of Class-A

for the 2022 season.

References

External links

Pura Pelota
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lisson, Mario 1984 births Living people Águilas del Zulia players Burlington Bees players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Gulf Coast Royals players Harrisburg Senators players Idaho Falls Chukars players Leones del Caracas players Mexican League baseball first basemen Mexican League baseball outfielders Mexican League baseball third basemen Minor league baseball managers Navegantes del Magallanes players Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Royals players Petroleros de Minatitlán players Richmond Flying Squirrels players Saraperos de Saltillo players Baseball players from Caracas Syracuse Chiefs players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Mexico Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Wilmington Blue Rocks players World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2013 World Baseball Classic players