Carlos A. Asuaje (; born November 2, 1991) is a Venezuelan-American

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 ...

infielder who is a free agent. He previously played for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

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) and the

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants ( ko, 롯데 자이언츠) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation, which also owns the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Pr ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

Amateur career

A native of

Barquisimeto, Venezuela Barquisimeto (; guc, Watkisimeeta) is a city in Venezuela. It is the capital of the state of Lara and head of Iribarren Municipality. It is an important urban, industrial, commercial and transportation center of the country, recognized as the fou ...

, Asuaje attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School and played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

Nova Southeastern University Nova Southeastern University (NSU or, informally, Nova) is a private nonprofit research university with its main campus in Davie, Florida. The university consists of 14 total colleges, centers, and schools offering over 150 programs of study ...

Broward County, Florida Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 m ...

.. Asuaje posted a .356/.451/.519

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 ...

in three seasons at Nova, being named Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year in 2011 and Sunshine State Conference Co-Player of the Year in 2012. After his freshman season in 2012, he played collegiate summer baseball for the

Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox The Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox, or Y-D Red Sox, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Red Sox play thei ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he batted .298 in 52 games, and was named to the East Division All-Star team. Asuaje was selected by 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 eigh ...

in the 11th round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

, and came to terms on a contract calling for a reported bonus of $100,000.

Professional career

Boston Red Sox

He debuted professionally with the Short-Season A

Lowell Spinners The Lowell Spinners were a baseball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. With Major League ...

in their 2013 season, starting his career as a

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 ...

, but eventually moved full-time to third base where his skills profiled best. He also showed the ability to play second base or

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

and spent some time at

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

. In just 52 games for Lowell, he hit .269/.366/.368 with 19 runs scored and 20 RBI. In 2014, Asuaje hit for a .305 average in 90 games for the Low A

Greenville Drive The Greenville Drive are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and are a member of the South Atlantic League. They play their home games at Fluor Field at the West E ...

, driving in 73 runs and scoring 69 times, while boasting a .391 OBP and collecting 45

extra-base hit In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire ano ...

s. Batting 11

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 ...

s, 10 triples and 24 doubles, he topped the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

with a .542 slugging percentage and made the All-Star team before joining the High A

Salem Red Sox The Salem Red Sox are a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB), based in Salem, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. The team competes at the Single-A level in the Carolina League. Ho ...

on July 14. At Salem, Asuaje reached base safely in 35 of his 39 games against the more advanced High-A

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

pitching. He showed a progressive approach with an 11-game hitting streak from August 14–25, 2014, to finish the year with a .323/.398/.516 line, four home runs and 28 RBI. Overall, Asuaje hit .310 and slugged .533 in 129 games in his two stints. Additionally, he was the only player in the Sox minors system to collect 100-or-more RBI (101) and went on to post the best slugging percentage (.533). He also ended fourth in homers (15) and OBP (.393) and 10th in batting average (.310), while his

on-base plus slugging On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important offensive skills, are ...

(.927) was surpassed only by

Mookie Betts Markus Lynn "Mookie" Betts (born October 7, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Boston Red Sox. In 2018, while with the Red Sox, he became ...

(.960). Besides, Asuaje was named Greenville Drive Player of the Year and added another All-Star selection to his list of accomplishments, as he was chosen to the 2014 South Atlantic League Annual All-Star team. Asuaje was promoted to the Double A

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox syst ...

in 2015, where was one of five Sea Dogs selected for the Eastern League All-Star team. ''SoxProspects.com. ''Retrieved on July 2, 2015. Asuaje ended 2015 with eight homers, seven triples, 23 doubles, 61 RBI, 60 runs scored and nine steals, as he slashed .251/.334/.374 over 131 games. He also gained a spot in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fille ...

as a member of the

Scottsdale Scorpions The Scottsdale Scorpions are a baseball team that plays in the East Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games in Scottsdale, Arizona, at Scottsdale Stadium, which is also the spring training facility of the San Francisco Gia ...

during offseason.

San Diego Padres

The Padres acquired Asuaje along with Javier Guerra, Manuel Margot and

Logan Allen Logan Shane Allen (born May 23, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Colorado Rockies organization. He previously played for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians/Guardians and the Baltimore Orioles. Early life Allen was ...

in November 2015, in the same transaction that sent

Craig Kimbrel Craig Michael Kimbrel (born May 28, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Chicag ...

to the

. Asuaje opened 2016 with the Triple-A

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in El Paso, Texas, and play their home games at Southwest University Park, which opened ...

of the Pacific Coast League as the regular second-baseman. He played in the 2016 All-Star Futures Game in his future home stadium, Petco Park, on July 10, then the

Triple-A All-Star Game The Triple-A All-Star Game was an annual baseball game held from 1988 to 2019 between professional players from the affiliated Triple-A leagues of Minor League Baseball. These leagues were the International League (IL) and Pacific Coast League ...

three days later and 2,079 miles away at BB&T Ballpark in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. He won the 2016 PCL Rookie of the Year Award, leading the league in hits (172) and runs (98), along with top-10 totals in doubles (32), triples (11), total bases (253), batting average (.321) and on-base percentage (.378). The Padres promoted Asuaje to the major leagues on September 21, 2016, once the Triple-A team ended their playoff run. He made six starts at second base for the Padres as they finished out the season. Asuaje opened the

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

season in Triple-A, where he batted .250 in 62 games. After a brief call-up in May, he joined the Padres again on June 23 to become the primary second-baseman after Yangervis Solarte went to the disabled list with an oblique strain. Asuaje continued to man the second-base position even after Solarte's return, as manager Andy Green said Asuaje had "played beyond my expectations". Asuaje finished the season with a .270/.334/.362 batting line in 307 at-bats with 78 starts at second base. The following season, Asuaje struggled offensively, hitting .196 in 79 games. He had the lowest batting average against left-handers among all MLB hitters (60 or more plate appearances), at .111. On December 7. 2018, the Padres designated Asuaje for assignment.

Texas Rangers

On December 10, 2018, Asuaje was claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers.

Lotte Giants

On December 19, 2018, Asuaje was sold by the Texas Rangers to the

of the

. Asuaje was released on June 9.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On June 19, 2019, Asuaje signed a minor league deal with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

. He elected free agency on November 7, 2019.

Chicago Cubs

On January 6, 2020, Asuaje signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs. Asuaje was released by the Cubs organization on May 28, 2020.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On December 10, 2020, Asuaje signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

organization. In 83 games for the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ba ...

, he batted .249. He elected free agency on November 7, 2021.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Asuaje, Carlos 1991 births Living people El Paso Chihuahuas players Greenville Drive players KBO League infielders Leones del Escogido players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Lotte Giants players Lowell Spinners players Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Major League Baseball second basemen Nova Southeastern Sharks baseball players Portland Sea Dogs players Reno Aces players Salem Red Sox players San Diego Padres players Scottsdale Scorpions players Baseball players from Barquisimeto Asuaje, Carlos Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in South Korea Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players Oklahoma City Dodgers players