Robinson David Chirinos González (; born June 5, 1984) is a

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 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 ...

who is 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 ...

. He has previously 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), ...

(MLB) for the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

, Texas Rangers,

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

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 ...

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 ...

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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

. He signed with the Cubs as an undrafted

out of Venezuela in 2000.

Career

Chicago Cubs

Chirinos signed with the

as an undrafted

out of Venezuela on July 2, 2000.Robinson Chirinos Stats, Fantasy & News , MLB.com
/ref> Chirinos made his professional debut with the

AZL Cubs The Arizona Complex League Cubs are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays it home games at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The team is composed mainly of player ...

in 2001. In 2002, Chirinos played for the Low-A

Boise Hawks The Boise Hawks are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. Home games are played at Memorial Stadium in Garden City, Idaho, a small city surround ...

, where he batted .247/.311/.433 with 8 home runs and 38 RBI. He played for the Single-A

Lansing Lugnuts The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field (Lansing), Jackson Field. The Midwe ...

in 2003 and 2004, hitting .232 and .241 respectively, also logging 7 home runs and 39 RBI both seasons. In 2005, Chirinos played for the High-A

Daytona Cubs Daytona refers to the city of Daytona Beach, Florida, or things named after it. Daytona may also refer to: Locations * Daytona Beach Shores, Florida * South Daytona, Florida * The Daytona Beach metropolitan area * Halifax area, also known as Dayt ...

, logging a .273/.327/.392 slash line with 7 home runs and 27 RBI. The following season, Chirinos played for the Single-A

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Peori ...

, posting a .242/.360/.383 batting line with career-highs in home runs (9) and RBI (47). For the 2007 season, Chirinos split the year between the Double-A

Tennessee Smokies The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, directly off Int ...

and Daytona, and hit a cumulative .246/.357/.358 in 121 games between the two teams. The next season, Chirinos played for Tennessee, Daytona, and the AZL Cubs, accumulating a .275/.394/.441 slash line with 5 home runs and 29 RBI between the three teams. In 2009, Chirinos split the season between Tennessee and Daytona, posting a .294/.396/.519 slash with new career-highs in home runs (11) and RBI (52). In 2010, Chirinos split the year between Tennessee and the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The ...

, hitting a cumulative .326/.416/.583 with even newer career-highs in home runs (18) and RBI (74). Robinson Chirinos Batting for the Cubs in 2010 ST

Following the 2010 season, Chirinos was added to the Cubs'

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

Tampa Bay Rays

On January 8, 2011, Chirinos was traded to the

alongside

Sam Fuld Samuel Babson Fuld (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and the current general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. He played eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Tampa B ...

, Hak-Ju Lee,

Brandon Guyer Brandon Eric Guyer (born January 28, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians. His knack for getting hit by pitches earned him the nickname, ...

, and

Chris Archer Christopher Alan Archer (born September 26, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins. Archer attended Cla ...

in exchange for

Matt Garza Matthew Scott Garza (born November 26, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2006 with the Minnesota Twins, and also played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Texas ...

, Fernando Perez, and

Zac Rosscup Zachary Martin Rosscup (born June 9, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, and ...

. Chirinos was promoted to the majors for the first time on July 18, 2011, by the Rays. He doubled in his first major-league at bat against

A. J. Burnett Allan James Burnett (born January 3, 1977), is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia ...

of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. Chirinos hit his first MLB home run on August 3 against the Toronto Blue Jays. He also recorded his first career RBI earlier in the same game. In his rookie season, Chirinos batted .218/.283/.309.Robinson Chirinos Stats , Baseball-Reference.com
/ref> That season Chirinos allowed 21 stolen bases, as he caught 2 runners, for a caught-stealing percentage of 9%. Chirinos had an opportunity to make the big league club in 2012 out of spring training, but he suffered a concussion which prevented him from playing any baseball during the 2012 season.

Texas Rangers

Robinson Chirinos in 2017 (35903512951) (cropped)

On April 8, 2013, Chirinos was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for a player to be named later. He had a very limited role behind

A. J. Pierzynski Anthony John Pierzynski (; born December 30, 1976) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Minnesota Twins (1998–2003), San Francisco Giants (2004), Chicago White Sox (2005–2012) ...

as the backup, as he only played in 13 games batting .179/.233/.286 in 28 at-bats. Chirinos got his chance to start for the Rangers in 2014, playing in a career-high 93 games. He had many more career-highs in 2014 as well, with 13 home runs, 40 RBIs, and batting .239/.290/.415. He made six errors, third-most for a catcher in the AL. Chirinos started for the Rangers again in 2015 and batted .232/.325/.438 in 78 games. In the ALDS against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, Chirinos went 3-for-11 (.273) with one home run in 3 games played in a series loss. In 2016, he batted .224/.314/.483 with 9 home runs and 20 RBI in 57 games. That season Chirinos allowed 22 stolen bases, as he caught 8 runners, for a caught-stealing percentage of 27%. In 2017, Chirinos allowed 46 stolen bases, as he caught 15 runners, for a caught-stealing percentage of 25%. He also slashed .255/.360/.506 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI in 88 games. On June 13, 2018, Chirinos was struck by

Matt Kemp Matthew Ryan Kemp (born September 23, 1984) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He began his professional career in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in 2003, and played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Dodgers fr ...

during a home-plate collision. Chirinos, thinking that the collision was intentional, scolded Kemp for colliding into him, and the two fought, leading to the benches clearing. Both combatants were ejected and the Rangers lost against the Dodgers 3–2 in 11 innings. In 2018, he batted .222/.338/.419 with 18 home runs and 65 RBI in 113 games. Chirinos allowed 53 stolen bases, fourth-most for a catcher in the AL, as he caught 6 runners, for a caught-stealing percentage of 10%. The Rangers declined his $4.5 million option for 2019, and he became a free agent.

Houston Astros

On December 6, 2018, Chirinos signed a one-year contract with the

. On September 1, 2019, Chirinos caught

Justin Verlander Justin Brooks Verlander ( ; born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. From Manakin-Sabot, ...

's third career no-hitter. With the Astros in 2019, Chirinos batted .238/.347/.443.

Texas Rangers (second stint)

On January 15, 2020, Chirinos signed a one-year contract with the Texas Rangers (with a team option for 2021). In 14 games with Texas, Chirinos batted .119/.224/.143 with 2 RBI.

New York Mets

On August 31, 2020, the Rangers traded Chirinos to the

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 ...

. He finished the year batting .219/.242/.375 in 12 games for the Mets.

New York Yankees

On February 15, 2021, Chirinos signed a minor league contract with

organization that included an invitation to Spring Training. On March 10, 2021, in a game against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, Chirinos was hit in the hands by a Blake Cederlind pitch and was later diagnosed with a fractured right wrist. On March 15, Yankees manager

Aaron Boone Aaron John Boone (born March 9, 1973) is an American baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for 13 seasons from 1997 through 2009. As a player, ...

told reporters that Chirinos would undergo surgery the next day on his broken wrist and miss four to six weeks. On March 27, 2021, Chirinos was released from his minor league contract, making him a free agent. On March 29, Chirinos re-signed with the Yankees on a new minor league contract. Chirinos batted .278/.422/.556 with 3 home runs and 6 RBI in 13 games with the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

. On July 4, Chirinos was released by the Yankees organization.

Chicago Cubs (second stint)

On July 5, 2021, Chirinos signed a major league contract with the

. On July 6, Robinson Chirinos hit his first home run with the

against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

Baltimore Orioles

On March 14, 2022, Chirinos signed a one-year contract with the

. In 2022 he batted .179/.265/.287 in 195 at bats.

International career

Chirinos played for the

Venezuela national baseball team The Venezuela national baseball team (Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de Venezuela'') is the national team of Venezuela. It is currently ranked sixth in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, directly behind the US and ahead ...

at 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 ...

, batting .214. In October 2018 he was selected an MLB All-Star for the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chirinos, Robinson 1984 births Living people Arizona League Cubs players Baltimore Orioles players Boise Hawks players Chicago Cubs players Daytona Cubs players Durham Bulls players Houston Astros players Iowa Cubs players Lansing Lugnuts players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Navegantes del Magallanes players New York Mets players People from Falcón Peoria Chiefs players Round Rock Express players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Tampa Bay Rays players Tennessee Smokies players Texas Rangers players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2017 World Baseball Classic players