Rainel Rosario (born March 29, 1989) is a Dominican-Mexican 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 ...
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
for the
Saraperos de Saltillo
The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serape Wearers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (198 ...
of the
Mexican Baseball League
The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country.
The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...
. He played in
Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
(NPB) for the
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...
and in the
Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...
(CPBL) for the
Uni-President Lions
The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...
.
Career
St. Louis Cardinals
Rosario signed with the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...
organization as an international free agent in 2006 and made his professional debut for the
GCL Cardinals
The Florida Complex League Cardinals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Cardinals. The team plays i ...
. He played the 2007 and 2008 seasons with the rookie ball
GCL Cardinals
The Florida Complex League Cardinals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Cardinals. The team plays i ...
, batting .096 and .243 respectively. In 2009, Rosario played for the rookie ball
Johnson City Cardinals
The Johnson City Cardinals were a Minor League Baseball team based in Johnson City, Tennessee. The team was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 1975 through 2020 and played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League. The team won ...
, batting .272/.350/.408 in 36 contests. He split the 2010 season between the Low-A
Batavia Muckdogs
The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city of Ba ...
and the Single-A
Quad Cities River Bandits
The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park (formerly John O'Donnell Stadium) in Davenport, Iowa, one ...
, accumulating a .284/.387/.507 batting line in 64 games. He spent the next year with the High-A
Palm Beach Cardinals
The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roge ...
, slashing .270/.333/.398 with 9 home runs and 70 RBI in 122 games. He split 2012 between Palm Beach and the Double-A
Springfield Cardinals
The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005.
The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...
, batting .213/.282/.288 in 121 games between the clubs. On November 2, 2012, Rosario elected free agency.
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
Rosario played the 2014 and '15 seasons in Japan for the
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...
of
Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
. He appeared in a total of 111 games, batting .309 with 16 home runs and 61 RBIs. in two seasons for Hiroshima, Rosario batted .309/.370/.503 with 16 home runs and 61 RBI.
Boston Red Sox
On December 12, 2015 he signed a minor league contract with 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 eight ...
and was assigned to their Double-A affiliate, the
Portland Sea Dogs
The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red ...
, to start the 2016 season. He split the year between Portland and the Triple-A
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...
, batting .248 in 103 games between the two clubs before electing free agency on November 7, 2016.
Saraperos de Saltillo
On March 30, 2017, Rosario signed with the
Saraperos de Saltillo
The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serape Wearers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (198 ...
of the
Mexican League
The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country.
The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...
. In 2017, Rosario batted a stellar .331/.406/.472 with 26 home runs and 104 RBI in 108 games. He played the entire 2018 season with the Saraperos, hitting 10 home runs with 50 RBI. In 2019, Rosario played in 114 games for Saltillo, slashing .324/.407/.569 with 28 home runs and 91 RBI. Rosario did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican 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 ...
.
Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions
On August 12, 2022, Rosario signed with the
Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions
The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, stylized as Uni-President 7-ᴇʟᴇᴠᴇn Lions, also known as Uni-Lions (), are a professional baseball team playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The Lions are based in Tainan City, Ta ...
of the
Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...
. He played in 35 games for the Lions, batting .232/.296/.370 with 4 home runs and 21 RBI.
Saraperos de Saltillo (second stint)
On March 16, 2023, Rosario signed with the
Saraperos de Saltillo
The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serape Wearers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (198 ...
of the
Mexican League
The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country.
The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...
. On June 18, Rosario beat his teammate, Fernando Villegas, to win the 2023 Home Run Derby.
International career
In June 2023, Rosario represented
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
at the
2023 Central American and Caribbean Games, where the team won the gold medal.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosario, Rainel
1989 births
Living people
Águilas Cibaeñas players
Batavia Muckdogs players
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Japan
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States
Dominican Summer League Cardinals players
Gulf Coast Cardinals players
Hiroshima Toyo Carp players
Johnson City Cardinals players
Leones del Escogido players
Mexican League baseball first basemen
Mexican League baseball right fielders
Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders
Palm Beach Cardinals players
Pawtucket Red Sox players
Portland Sea Dogs players
Quad Cities River Bandits players
Saraperos de Saltillo players
Springfield Cardinals players
Tomateros de Culiacán players
Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Mexico
Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in baseball