Miguel Ángel Pérez (born September 25, 1983) is a Venezuelan former 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 t ...
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 ...
. He 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 (AL), ...
for the
Cincinnati Reds.
Professional baseball career
Born in
Guatire
Guatire is a city in Miranda (state), Miranda, Venezuela. In 2006, its population has been estimated at 200,417. Today, Guatire has virtually merged with its neighbour, Guarenas forming the Guarenas-Guatire conurbation.
Located in Miranda Stat ...
,
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 ...
, Pérez was signed by the
Cincinnati Reds in November 2000. He began his professional career in 2001, and spend the next seven seasons in the Reds' farm system. He opened the season with Single-A
Sarasota
Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...
and
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 ...
.268 in 80 games before being promoted to Triple-A
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
, where he hit .208 in 21 games. He made his major league debut with Cincinnati on September 7, 2005. In two games he went 0-for-3. After the season, Pérez became a
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 ...
.
On December 21, 2007, the
Pittsburgh Pirates signed Pérez to a minor league contract with an invitation to
spring training. After the season, he re-signed with the Pirates. After the 2009 season, he became a free agent.
He signed with the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
in March and played for the
Akron Aeros
The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 ...
that season. He signed 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 ...
after the 2010 season, but was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a
player to be named later
In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...
or cash considerations on June 27, 2011. He was traded back to Washington on August 9, but signed with Pittsburgh before the 2012 season. In November 2012, he became a free agent. In January 2013, Pérez resigned with the Pirates, and played for the AA
Altoona Curve
The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of th ...
for four games.
He served as a coach with the
West Virginia Power
The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The ...
in 2014, with the Altoona Curve in 2015 and with the
Indianapolis Indians in 2016. In 2017, he became the manager of the
Bristol Pirates
The Bristol Pirates were a Minor League Baseball team in Bristol, Virginia, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League.
The team played home games at DeVault Memorial Stadium. Opened in 1969, Devault Memorial Stadi ...
before moving to the
Greensboro Grasshoppers
The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National B ...
for the 2019 season.
See also
*
List of Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
From 1939 to 2019, 397 Venezuelan baseball players born in Venezuela have played in Major League Baseball. This list shows players who appeared in at least one game in MLB, including number indicating order of arrival, name of player, position, s ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Miguel
1983 births
Living people
Akron Aeros players
Altoona Curve players
Auburn Doubledays players
Billings Mustangs players
Chattanooga Lookouts players
Cincinnati Reds players
Dayton Dragons players
Gulf Coast Reds players
Harrisburg Senators players
Indianapolis Indians managers
Indianapolis Indians players
Louisville Bats players
Major League Baseball catchers
Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
Minor league baseball coaches
Potomac Cannons players
Sarasota Reds players
Baseball players from Caracas
Venezuelan baseball coaches
Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States