Yuniesky Betancourt Pérez (born January 31, 1982) is a
Cuban
Cuban may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean
* Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent
** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof
* Cuban citizen, a perso ...
former
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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...
. Betancourt 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
Milwaukee Brewers,
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 ...
, and
Kansas City Royals. He played in the
Cuban National Series
The Cuban National Series (, SNB) is the primary domestic professional baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. ...
for
Villa Clara before he
defected
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...
from Cuba. In 2019, he became the first former MLB player to return to the
Cuban national baseball system after defecting from the country. However, he never played a game for Villa Clara in 2019. In Cuba, he is nicknamed "
Riquimbili".
Cuban leagues
His early career was spent in the
Cuban leagues, including
Villa Clara of the
Serie Nacional. He was considered the fastest
second baseman in the Cuban leagues and the star of the Villa Clara team. In the finals against the Industriales in , he got a
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 ...
in nearly every
at bat, though the Industriales won, 4 games to 0. He left Cuba on a speedboat in December 2003 and ended up in Mexico, where he played for a while before signing with Seattle Mariners scouts Bob Engle and Patrick Guerrero on January 26, 2005. He made his major league debut on July 28, .
Professional career
Seattle Mariners (2005–09)
![YunieskyBetancourtField](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/YunieskyBetancourtField.jpg)
Betancourt's initial calling card had been his fielding. In his first few seasons, he had been considered one of the best fielders in the game, combining excellent range, quickness, soft hands, hand-eye coordination, and a strong, accurate throwing arm. He was named one of the top fielders in baseball in a online fan's poll. In 2007, he made many good fielding plays; however, he suffered through spells of throwing wildness that season. Bad throws accounted for most of his 18
errors in the first half of , almost as many as his total of 20. He turned things around and made only 5 errors in the second half of 2007. His defense suffered in , with several fielding metrics calling him one of the worst shortstops in baseball.
Betancourt has been a hitter with some gap power who rarely strikes out or walks. He has been criticized for his lack of plate discipline and inability to bunt. In 2006, he
walked only 3.0% of the time, the second-worst percentage in Major League Baseball.
However, he only
struck out
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denote ...
9.7% of the time, one of the top 20 percentages.
Betancourt was among the league leaders in batting with runners in scoring position and game-winning
RBI in 2007. In a late season game in 2007, former Mariner
Mike Blowers referred to Betancourt as being "unreal" when batting with runners on in close late games-a result at odds with his career statistics. He hit his first
grand slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
in a 7–6 win against 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 ...
on August 11, 2007.
In 2008, he again
walked only 3.0% of the time, the worst percentage in Major League Baseball.
His
strikeout rate dropped to 7.5%. He also saw the fewest pitches per plate appearance of all major leaguers, 3.15.
Kansas City Royals (2009–10)
On July 10, 2009, he was acquired by the
Kansas City Royals along with a portion of his salary for Minor League pitchers Derrick Saito and Dan Cortes.
In 2009, he had the lowest on-base percentage of any starter in the major leagues, at .274, and the lowest slugging percentage in the American League with .351.
In 2010, he hit an opening day home run off
Detroit Tigers pitcher
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, ...
, and went on to finish the season with a career-high 16 home runs. Many of his other statistics, including his batting average, on-base percentage, and fielding percentage, increased slightly from his 2009 numbers.
Milwaukee Brewers (2011)
On December 19, 2010, Betancourt was traded to the
Milwaukee Brewers along with teammate
Zack Greinke
Donald Zackary Greinke ( ; born October 21, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He made his MLB debut with the Kansas City Royals in 2004 and has also played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers, Los An ...
and
US$2,000,000, reportedly to offset the buyout of Betancourt's club option in 2012, for
Alcides Escobar
Alcides Escobar () (born December 16, 1986), is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals, and the Tokyo Ya ...
,
Lorenzo Cain
Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
,
Jeremy Jeffress
Jeremy Ross Jeffress (born September 21, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, and C ...
, and
Jake Odorizzi
Jacob Todd Odorizzi (born March 27, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, Houston As ...
.
In 2011, he batted .252 with a .271 on-base percentage, and led the NL in sacrifice flies, with 10. He saw the fewest pitches per plate appearance of all major league ballplayers with 512 or more plate appearances, at 3.16.
Betancourt hit his first career postseason home run on October 9, 2011 in a 9–6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the NLCS.
Despite having the lowest on-base-percentage of any qualifying shortstop in baseball, he started a majority of the games for the Brewers. Against the Padres on May 9, 2011, Betancourt had one of the most acrobatic double plays of the season, as he turned a ball hit up the middle into a running, behind-the-back toss to Rickie Weeks as they turned the double play. Nevertheless, he posted below average defensive marks by a number of advanced metrics.
Return to Kansas City (2012)
On December 20, 2011, Betancourt signed a one-year deal to return to Kansas City worth $2 million. He was released by the Royals on August 14, becoming a free agent. He had played in 57 games, starting 51, with a .228 average and .256 OBP.
Philadelphia Phillies (2013)
On January 28, 2013, Betancourt signed a minor league deal with the
Philadelphia Phillies with an invitation to spring training. On March 24, 2013 the Phillies released Betancourt.
Return to Milwaukee (2013)
On March 26, 2013, pending a physical, Betancourt signed a 1-year deal to return to the Milwaukee Brewers. In the first few weeks of the season, he was the MLB leader in home runs. He played 137 games with a
slash line
S sabermetrics
:Sabermetrics is the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics. The term is derived from the SABR – the Society for American Baseball Research. The term was coined by Bill James, an ...
of .212/.240/.355. His batting average and on-base percentage were the worst of his career, and his slugging percentage was well below his career average of .388.
Orix Buffaloes
On January 28, 2014 Betancourt signed a 1-year deal with the
Orix Buffaloes 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 ...
. On July 22, 2014 he was released from the Orix Buffaloes with an injury.
Mexican League
On April 21, 2015, Betancourt signed with the
Toros de Tijuana
The Toros de Tijuana (or Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican Baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They are members of the Mexican Baseball League and play their home games at Estadio Chevron.
Team history
Original Attempt
The fran ...
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 t ...
. He was released on April 29, 2015. On April 10, 2017, Betancourt signed with the
Leones de Yucatán
The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team play its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in , , , ...
. On March 11, 2018, Betancourt was traded to the
Guerreros de Oaxaca
The Guerreros de Oaxaca (English: Oaxaca Warriors) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their home field is Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos.
History
In October 1995, a group of businessmen, ...
.
Return to Cuba
In late March of 2019, it was reported that Betancourt had successfully
repatriated
Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...
and joined the Santa Clara team in the
Villa Clara Provincial League. He thus became the first Cuban ex-MLB player to return to the
Cuban national baseball system. Betancourt is expected to rejoin
Villa Clara for the 2019–20
Cuban National Series
The Cuban National Series (, SNB) is the primary domestic professional baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. ...
, as he has previously stated a desire to finish his career playing for his hometown team.
See also
*
List of baseball players who defected from Cuba
This is a list of notable Cuban baseball players who have defected since the beginning of Fidel Castro's presidency. Prior to the Cuban Revolution, which saw Castro rise to power in 1959, Cuban-born players often played in the American Negro lea ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Betancourt, Yuniesky
1982 births
Living people
Águilas de Mexicali players
Cuban expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Defecting Cuban baseball players
Guerreros de Oaxaca players
Kansas City Royals players
Leones de Yucatán players
Major League Baseball players from Cuba
Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States
Major League Baseball shortstops
Mexican League baseball infielders
Milwaukee Brewers players
Naranjas de Villa Clara players
Nippon Professional Baseball first basemen
Nippon Professional Baseball second basemen
Nippon Professional Baseball third basemen
Northwest Arkansas Naturals players
Omaha Storm Chasers players
Orix Buffaloes players
People from Santa Clara, Cuba
San Antonio Missions players
Seattle Mariners players
Tacoma Rainiers players
Toros de Tijuana players