Meibrys John Viloria Oquendo (born February 15, 1997) is a Colombian professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

in the

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organization. He was the 2016 Pioneer League MVP. He has previously played in MLB for 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 ...

and Texas Rangers.

Career

Kansas City Royals

Viloria signed with the

as an 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 ...

in July 2013. He made his professional debut in 2014, and played for both the

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 ...

and the

DSL Royals The Dominican Summer League Royals or DSL Royals are a minor league baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The team plays in the Boca Chica Northwest division and is affiliated with the Kansas City Royals. The DSL Royals1 won the organizat ...

, batting a combined .278/.380/.417 in 151 at bats with three home runs and 25 RBIs in 46 combined games. He spent 2015 back with Burlington, where he batted .260/.335/.360 in 150 at bats with 16 RBIs in 45 games. In 2016, he played 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 ...

where he had a breakout season. He led the Pioneer League with 28 doubles and 44 RBIs, and batted .376(6th in the league)/.436/.606(9th) with 54 runs (3rd in the Pioneer League), six home runs, 54 runs, 8 hit by pitch (2nd), 5 sacrifice flies (3rd), and a 1.042 OPS (8th) in 58 games, earning him the Pioneer League MVP award. He was also a Pioneer League Mid-Season and Post-Season All Star, a ''

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'' Rookie All Star, and an MiLB.com Organization All-Star. Viloria was on Colombia's roster for the

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to March 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts ...

. In 2017, he played for the

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends have ...

, where he batted .259/.313/.394 in 363 at bats with eight home runs and 52 RBIs in 101 games. The Royals added him to their 40-man roster after the 2017 season.

2018–21

He was called up on September 1, 2018, amid

Drew Butera Andrew Edward Butera (; born August 9, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher who is currently on the coaching staff of the Los Angeles Angels. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodg ...

being traded and

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getting injured, and made his debut the following day. In 2018 he was the youngest player 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 ...

. For the Royals in 2018, he batted 7-for-27 with four RBIs. For Wilmington, he batted .260/.342/.360 in 358 at bats, with six home runs and 42 RBIs. On July 16, 2019, after starting the season with Kansas City's AA affiliate

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 ...

, Viloria was called up to the Royals upon

Martín Maldonado Martín Benjamín Maldonado Valdés (born August 16, 1986) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball catcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, K ...

being traded to 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 located ...

. In 2019 for the Royals he batted .211/.259/.286 in 133 at bats, with a home run and 15 RBIs. In 2019 with Northwest Arkansas he batted .264/.344/.332 in 220 at bats, with one home run and 24 RBIs. Overall with the 2020 Kansas City Royals, Viloria batted 4-for-21 without any home runs or RBIs. On April 1, 2021, Viloria was designated for assignment by the Royals. On April 6, he was outrighted to the Double-A

. In 2021 in the minor leagues, between AAA Omaha and AA Northwest Arkansas he batted .242/.368/.384 in 281 at bats, with 37 runs, 8 home runs, and 31 RBIs. On November 7, 2021, he was granted free agency.

Texas Rangers

On December 3, 2021, Viloria signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. He opened the 2022 season with the AAA

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 June 21, 2022, Texas selected his contract to the active roster. In 2022 with AAA Round Rock, he batted .280/.422(tied for 2nd in the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

)/.440 in 175 at bats, with 38 runs, 5 home runs, and 28 RBIs. In 2022 with the Rangers, he batted .159/.280/.270 in 63 at bats, with 10 runs, two home runs, and five RBIs. In 86 major league games at catcher through 2022, he caught 36% of runners attempting to steal.

San Francisco Giants

On November 10, 2022, Viloria was claimed off waivers by 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 ...

, along with

Drew Strotman Andrew Gregory Strotman (born September 3, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Houston Astros organization. Strotman attended Homestead High School in Cupertino, California. In 2014, his senior year, he went 6–3 with a 0. ...

. On November 18, he was non-tendered and became a free agent.

Cleveland Guardians

On December 4, 2022, Viloria signed a one-year minor league contract with the

. The deal includes an invitation to the Guardians' 2023 major league spring training camp.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viloria, Meibrys 1997 births Living people 2017 World Baseball Classic players 2023 World Baseball Classic players Burlington Royals players Colombian expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Royals players Colombian expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Idaho Falls Chukars players Kansas City Royals players Lexington Legends players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Colombia Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Storm Chasers players Round Rock Express players Sportspeople from Cartagena, Colombia Surprise Saguaros players Texas Rangers players Wilmington Blue Rocks players