Rafael A. Fernandez Reyes (born August 3, 1988) 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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He was the batting practice pitcher for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

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) from 2021 to 2024.

Career

Playing career

Fernandez began his professional playing career in the Mets farm system signed as an undrafted free agent playing for seven years as an outfielder beginning in 2006 with the

Dominican Summer League Mets After withdrawing their affiliate from the Venezuelan Summer League, the Major League Baseball's New York Mets have had two affiliates in the Dominican Summer League The Dominican Summer League (DSL) is a branch of affiliated Minor League Base ...

. In 2007 with the

Gulf Coast League 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 ...

, 2008 for the

Kingsport Mets The Kingsport Mets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League from 1921 to 2020. They were located in Kingsport, Tennessee, and were last named for the team's major league affiliate, the New York Mets. The team played its home ...

and the

Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island Boar ...

, 2009 for the

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 ...

, 2010 for the Gnats and the

St. Lucie Mets The St. Lucie Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play their home games at Clover Park. The Mets have been members ...

, 2011 for St. Lucie before being demoted back to the Gnats. In 2012, he was promoted to the

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mira ...

before being demoted once again to St. Lucie. His playing career ended after spending two winter seasons with the

Gigantes del Cibao The Gigantes del Cibao (English: Cibao giants) are a baseball team that plays in the Dominican Winter League. The team was founded in 1996 as ''Gigantes del Noroeste ''then with a change of ownership the name was changed several times, being cal ...

for the 2012–2013 season and the

Estrellas de Oriente Estrellas Orientales (English: Eastern Stars), also known as Estrellas de Oriente, is a baseball team in the Dominican Winter League. Based in San Pedro de Macorís, the team has historically struggled, winning championships only in 1936, 1954, 196 ...

for 2013-2014 of the

Dominican Winter League Dominican may refer to: * Someone or something from or related to the Dominican Republic ( , stress on the "mi"), on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles, in the Caribbean ** People of the Dominican Republic ** Demographics of the Domi ...

Coaching career

Fernandez began his coaching career in the Mets minor league system as an outfield coach in May 2015 before being promoted to hitting coach in November 2015. In 2016 he was named the hitting coach for the Dominican Summer League Mets 2. From 2017 to 2018, he was the hitting coach for the Gulf Coast Mets. In 2019, Fernandez was hired as the hitting coach for the Kingsport Mets. In 2020, he was named the hitting coach for the Brooklyn Cyclones. In 2021, Fernandez was promoted to the Mets coaching staff as the batting practice pitcher replacing Ender Chávez.

References

External links

LinkedIn
1988 births Living people People from Hermanas Mirabal Province Dominican Summer League Mets players Gulf Coast Mets players Kingsport Mets players Brooklyn Cyclones players Savannah Sand Gnats players St. Lucie Mets players Binghamton Mets players Gigantes del Cibao players Estrellas Orientales players Minor league baseball coaches New York Mets coaches {{DominicanRepublic-baseball-bio-stub