Mauricio Andre Dubón ( born July 19, 1994) is a Honduran

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 ...

utility player for the Houston Astros of

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). Selected during the 26th round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

, Dubón made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019, and has also played for 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 Y ...

. From San Pedro Sula, Dubón moved to

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, at age 15. He is the second native-born Honduran to play in the major leagues. In 2022, Dubón became the first-ever Honduran player to appear in the playoffs, as well as the first to win a

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

. In 2023, he became the first Honduran to win a Gold Glove Award.

Early life and high school career

Mauricio Dubón was born and raised in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, where he attended Liceo Bilingüe Centroamericano High School. At age 15, a Christian mission group that was visiting Honduras saw Dubón play baseball and invited him to move to the United States to hone his baseball skills while attending high school. Dubón accepted the offer and moved to

, where he enrolled at Capital Christian High School as a foreign exchange student. Dubón posted a .509

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

(86-for-169) after his junior and senior years at Capital Christian High School, including 23 doubles, 14 triples, eight

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 81

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 ba ...

(RBIs) before being drafted by the

. He was ranked by '' Baseball America'' as the best defensive player among the 2013 Red Sox draft picks. Dubón is the first Capital Christian alumnus to have been drafted into professional baseball.

Professional career

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox selected Dubón in the 26th round of the

. After batting .245 in 20 games for the

GCL Red Sox The Florida Complex League Red Sox are a professional baseball team competing in the rookie-level Florida Complex League (FCL) of Minor League Baseball. The team is owned and operated by the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Prior ...

shortly after signing, Dubón was promoted to the

Lowell Spinners The Lowell Spinners were a baseball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. With Major League ...

in 2014 and ranked among the top ten in the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

with a .320 batting average (82-for-256). For the

Greenville Drive The Greenville Drive are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and are a member of the South Atlantic League. They play their home games at Fluor Field at the West E ...

in 2015, Dubón hit .364 through his first 11 games and had hit safely in 10 of those contests. He finished the season with High-A

Salem Red Sox The Salem Red Sox are a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB), based in Salem, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. The team competes at the Single-A level in the Carolina League. Ho ...

of the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

, hitting a combined .288/.349/.376

slash line S sabermetrics :Sabermetrics is the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics. The term is derived from the SABR – the Society for American Baseball Research. The term was coined by Bill James, an ...

with 30 stolen bases in 120 games during the two stints. He was an SAL mid-season All Star. He then was invited by the Boston Red Sox to participate in their 2016 spring training. Dubón continued his development at Salem in 2016, earning a spot in the Carolina League All-Star team to play in the 2016 California-Carolina League All-Star Game. He was promoted to Double-A

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox syst ...

following his appearance in the All-Star Game. At the time of his promotion, Dubón had a .306/.387/.379 line over 238 at-bats with a good approach producing more walks (33) than strikeouts (25). The .306 average was good for third in the Carolina League, and the on-base percentage ranked sixth. Besides, his speed has also continued to be a huge part of his game, stealing 24 bases in 28 attempts, for the sixth best in the league. At Double-A, Dubón improved his slash line to .339/.371/.538 over 62 games with Portland, including 23 multi-hits games, six home runs and 40 RBI. Overall, he hit .323/.379/.461 with 101 runs, 69 RBI and 30 stolen bases in the two stints. Besides, he led the Red Sox minors system in runs and hits (157), while his .323 average was the second-best to Aneury Tavárez (.330).2016 Boston Red Sox Minor League batting statistics
''SoxProspects.com''. Retrieved on September 1, 2016. In addition, he finished third in stolen bases behind Yoan Moncada (45) and Danny Mars (31) and sixth in RBIs. He was a Carolina League mid-season All Star. He then was selected to join the

Surprise Saguaros The Surprise Saguaros are a baseball team that plays in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games in Surprise, Arizona, at Surprise Stadium. The ballpark is also the spring training facility of the Kansas City Royals ...

of the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fille ...

during the postseason.2016 Surprise Saguaros Roster
''MiLB.com''. Retrieved on August 31, 2016.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 6, 2016, the Red Sox traded Dubón,

Travis Shaw Travis Richard Shaw (born April 16, 1990) is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays—his nickname is Mayor of ...

, an
Josh Pennington
to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for

Tyler Thornburg Tyler Michael Thornburg (born September 29, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and Atlanta Braves. Early l ...

. He spent 2017 with both the

Biloxi Shuckers The Biloxi Shuckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Biloxi, Mississippi, and are named in reference to the city's oyster industry and seafood heri ...

and the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, posting a combined .274 batting average with eight home runs, 57 RBIs and 38 stolen bases in 129 total games between both teams. He was a Southern League mid-season All Star. The Brewers added him to their 40-man roster after the season.

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ranked Dubón as Milwaukee's 11th-ranked prospect going into the 2018 season. He spent the 2018 season with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, batting .343 with four home runs, 18 RBIs, and six stolen bases in only 27 games due to injury. He played most of 2019 with the San Antonio Missions, batting .297/.333/.475 with 59 runs, 16 home runs, and 47 RBIs in 404 at bats. On July 7,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, the Brewers promoted Dubón to the major leagues. He made his MLB debut that day against the Pittsburgh Pirates, grounding out as a pinch hitter; he had two major league at bats with the Brewers for the season. He became the second Honduran to make it to MLB, after outfielder Gerald Young.

San Francisco Giants

On July 31, 2019, the Brewers traded Dubón to the

in exchange for pitchers

Ray Black Raymond Anthony Black (born June 26, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and Brewers. Career Amateur career B ...

and

Drew Pomeranz Thomas Andrew "Drew" Pomeranz (born November 22, 1988), nicknamed Big Smooth, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, ...

. With the

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 ...

, the AAA affiliate of the Giants, in 2019 he batted .323/.391/.485 with 23 runs, 4 home runs, and 9 RBIs in 99 at bats. Dubón started at second base for the Giants on August 29, getting his first Major League hit, with his California family in attendance. With the Giants in 2019, he batted .279/.312/.442 with 12 runs, 4 home runs, and 9 RBIs in 104 at bats. He played 22 games at second base, and 9 games at shortstop. In

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, Dubón batted .274/.337/.389 for the Giants with 21 runs, 4 home runs, and 19 RBIs in 117 at bats in 54 games. He played 44 games in center field, 8 games at shortstop, and 8 games at second base. In the 2021 regular season, Dubón batted .240/.278/.377 with 9 doubles, 5 home runs, and 22 RBIs in 175 at bats in 74 games with the Giants. He played 27 games in center field, 21 games at shortstop, 20 games at second base, and 12 games at third base. He also played for the River Cats in 2021, where he batted .332/.410/.498 with 41 runs, 8 home runs, 31 RBIs, and 9 steals in 247 at bats.

Houston Astros

2022

On May 14, 2022, Dubón was traded to the Houston Astros in exchange for

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 ...

Michael Papierski. With this trade, Dubón also joined Gerald Young as the second Honduran to play for the Astros. Dubón started at shortstop on June 19, 2022, and hit his first home run in an Astros uniform, in the seventh inning versus

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 ...

starter

Michael Kopech Michael Talbert Kopech (born April 30, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2018. Kopech bats and throws right-handed. Amateur career Kopech attende ...

as the Astros won, 4–3. On August 21, Dubón batted leadoff and started at second base versus the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

, collecting two hits, a stolen base, and scoring two runs to catalyze a 5–4 Houston win. Dubón started in center field on August 28 versus 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) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

, collecting one single and two outfield assists, rifling out both

Robinson Chirinos Robinson David Chirinos González (; born June 5, 1984) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, New York ...

and Jorge Mateo at third base. In 2022, Dubón batted .208/.254/.294 in 197 at bats. On defense, he played 45 games in center field, 17 games at shortstop, 16 games at second base, nine games in left field, and three games in right field. He appeared in each of the Astros' series during the

postseason The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

for a total of six games. In the

, the Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games to give Dubón his first career World Series title. He also became the first Honduran-born player in Major League history to both play in and win a World Series.

2023

On January 13,

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

, Dubón avoided arbitration with the Astros, agreeing to a one-year, $1.4 million contract for the season. Early in April, he took over regular duties at second base and as

leadoff hitter In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. It can also refer to any batter who bats first in any inning. Strategy Traditionally, the leadoff hitter has been utilized as a contact-oriented position. The leadoff hit ...

for

José Altuve José Carlos Altuve (; born May 6, 1990) is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Astros signed Altuve as an amateur free agent in 2007, and he made his major league debut ...

, who was recovering from a fractured thumb sustained during the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Lea ...

(WBC). From April 2–26, Dubón compiled a 20-game

hitting streak In baseball, a hitting streak is the number of consecutive official games in which a player appears and gets at least one base hit. According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is not necessarily ended when a player has at least 1 pla ...

, making him the 15th Astro to do so, and the longest since 2011 when

Hunter Pence Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983), nicknamed "The Reverend", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, San F ...

hit in 23 consecutive games. When Altuve returned from the injured list on May 19, Dubón's .309 batting average ranked sixth in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

(AL) and his 46 hits led the Astros. On September 4, 2023, versus the Texas Rangers, Dubón and Altuve batted ninth and leadoff, respectively, and connected for back-to-back home runs in the sixth and ninth innings. Per OptaSTATS, it was the first time in major league history that the number nine and leadoff hitters hit back-to-back home runs twice in the same game. It was Dubón's first career multi-home run game. Dubón delivered his first career walk-off hit in the major leagues on September 20, 2023, hitting a single versus Danny Coulombe of the

to score Yainer Díaz. For the 2023 season, Dubón reached career highs in nearly every offensive category, playing in 132 games, accruing 492 plate appearances, and batting .278/.309/.411. His career highs included 76 runs scored, 130 hits, 26 doubles, 3 triples, 10 home runs, 46 RBI, 7 stolen bases, 19 walks, and 70 strikeouts. He appeared most at second base (79 games) and center field (29), and also shortstop (9), left field (9), right field (2), first base (2), and third base (1). Dubón was named a finalist for the Gold Glove Award at two positions: second base and utility player; he was awarded the Gold Glove for utility players and became the first-ever Honduran player to win a Gold Glove Award.

Personal life

Dubón is a Christian. In Honduras, a planned baseball stadium in

Juticalpa, Olancho Juticalpa () is the capital of Olancho Department in Honduras, with a population of 69,850 (2020 calculation), and the municipal seat of Juticalpa Municipality. Situated in a broad river valley alongside the Rio Juticalpa, the town is a commerc ...

will be named after him. The construction of Estadio Mauricio Dubón was expected to be completed by 2022, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dubón, Mauricio 1994 births Living people Biloxi Shuckers players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Expatriate baseball players in the United States Greenville Drive players Gulf Coast Red Sox players Honduran expatriate sportspeople in the United States Gold Glove Award winners Houston Astros players Lowell Spinners players Major League Baseball players from Honduras Major League Baseball shortstops Milwaukee Brewers players Sportspeople from San Pedro Sula Portland Sea Dogs players Sacramento River Cats players Salem Red Sox players San Antonio Missions players San Francisco Giants players Surprise Saguaros players