Robert Alexis Machado (born June 3, 1973) is a former
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 ...
n
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 ...
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), ...
who played from 1998 through 2004 for the
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 ...
,
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
,
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
,
Chicago Cubs,
Milwaukee Brewers and
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 ...
. Listed at 6' 1", 205 lb., Machado batted and threw
right-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
. He was born in
Puerto Cabello,
Carabobo.
Machado was a solid defensive catcher with a strong arm, but his little offensive value limited his effectiveness as an everyday player. His most productive season came in 2001 with the Cubs, when he posted a .997 of
fielding percentage and threw out 13 of 39 baserunners who attempted to
steal off him. He also had eight multi-hit games, including three over a six-game span, when he went 9-for-23 with three
doubles and a
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 ...
.
On June 9, 2002, the Cubs traded Machado to the Brewers for previously heralded prospect
Jackson Melián
Jackson Melián (born January 7, 1980) is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder. Considered a top prospect, Melián received a record signing bonus for a Latin American player from the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB) when ...
.
Machado also played in all or part of 13
Minor League seasons spanning 1991–2004, posting a .273 average with 70 homers and 392 RBI in 862 games.
In February 2009, Machado received a 15-game suspension for violating MLB-Minor League drug treatment and prevention program while trying to return to organized baseball.
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
, o
ESPN o
o
Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Machado, Robert
1973 births
Living people
Baltimore Orioles players
Baseball players suspended for drug offenses
Birmingham Barons players
Calgary Cannons players
Charlotte Knights players
Chicago Cubs players
Chicago White Sox players
Gulf Coast White Sox players
Iowa Cubs players
Major League Baseball catchers
Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
Milwaukee Brewers players
Montreal Expos players
Nashville Sounds players
Navegantes del Magallanes players
Ottawa Lynx players
Pastora de los Llanos players
Pastora de Occidente players
People from Puerto Cabello
Petroleros de Cabimas players
Prince William Cannons players
Seattle Mariners players
South Bend White Sox players
Tacoma Rainiers players
Utica Blue Sox players
Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada
Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States
Venezuelan sportspeople in doping cases