Alexander Cintrón (born December 17, 1978) is a Puerto Rican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

and current

hitting coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisi ...

for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

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(MLB). He played in MLB for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) 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 America ...

, and

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

Playing career

Arizona Diamondbacks

Cintrón was drafted in the 36th round (1,103rd overall) of the

1997 Major League Baseball draft The 1997 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 2 and 3, 1997. A total of 1607 players were drafted over the course of 92 rounds. First round selections Supplemental first ...

by the

. He spent the 1997 season with the Arizona League Diamondbacks where he hit .197 with six doubles, a triple and 20 RBI in 43 games. He also appeared in one game with the Lethbridge Black Diamonds in the Pioneer League and went 1-for-3. In 1998, Cintrón spent the season with Rookie-League Lethbridge and hit .264 with 11 doubles, four triples, three

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 34 RBI in 67 games. Cintrón hit .307 with 25 doubles, four triples, three home runs and 64 RBI in 128 games with the Class-A Advanced

High Desert Mavericks The High Desert Mavericks were an American Minor League Baseball team in Adelanto, California, that played their home games at Heritage Field at Stater Bros. Stadium. They played in the Class A-Advanced California League. The franchise had eight d ...

during the 1999 season. He was also named to the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

All-Star team. Cintrón played in 125 games for the Double-A

El Paso Diablos "El Paso Diablos" refers to two different professional baseball teams based in El Paso, Texas, in the United States. The most recent Diablos were a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, wh ...

and hit .301 with 30 doubles, six triples, four home runs and 59 RBIs in 2000. He was fourth in the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

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with 157, fifth in

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

s with 522 and tenth in average. He was also named to the Texas League All-Star team. In 2001, Cintrón hit .292 with 24 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 35 RBIs in 107 games for the Triple-A Tucson Sidewinders. He was recalled from Tucson to the Diamondbacks on July 23. Cintrón made his major league debut with the D-Backs on July 24, 2001. He collected his first major-league hit with a single off the

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

' Donne Wall on August 3. Cintrón hit .286 with a triple in eight games with the Diamondbacks, and was optioned back to Tucson on August 6. Cintrón played in 38 games with the D'Backs over four separate stints in 2002, batting .213 with 4 RBI. He was initially recalled on May 8, but played in just two games. He was recalled a second time on June 11 and reported to

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

to play against the

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. He was optioned to Tucson again on June 26, but returned on July 1 after Erubiel Durazo was injured. Cintrón was returned to Tucson after the All-Star Break but was recalled for the final time on August 21. In 2003, Cintrón had a break-out season after being recalled on May 6 following an injury to Craig Counsell. Cintrón went on to lead Arizona with a .317 average, ranked second with 26 doubles and third with 70 runs scored and a .489 slugging percentage. He started 90 games at shortstop, 14 at

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

and five at

second base In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the infield, between second and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must ...

. He batted .311 with runners in scoring position. He hit his first major-league home run on May 14 against the

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

, a solo shot off Brett Myers. Cintrón posted three straight three-hit games from June 14 to June 17. He hit his first

walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not have an opp ...

on June 20 against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

off Scott Williamson. Cintrón continued his success into 2004, where he led the Diamondbacks in games played (154) and

s (564) and finished second in doubles (31) and third in hits (148). He was the everyday shortstop for most of the season until a late-season stretch of starts at second base. Cintrón became the first player in franchise history to hit a home run from both sides of the plate on July 8 against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, hitting a solo home run off Dustin Hermanson in the fourth inning and a three-run shot off Wayne Franklin in the seventh, finishing with a career-high 4 RBI. Cintrón appeared in 122 games with Arizona in 2005, down from 154 in 2004. He played in 39 games at shortstop, 32 at third base and 23 at second base. He hit .304 with three doubles, three home runs and 12 RBIs as a pinch-hitter, sharing the major-league lead among pinch-hitters in home runs, tied for third in the

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in RBIs and ranked ninth in average. He hit the pinch-hit homers off Jim Brower, Kent Mercker and Jon Lieber. Cintrón had four walk-off hits during the season, the most in MLB in 2005.

Chicago White Sox

On March 8, 2006, Cintrón was traded to the

for Jeff Bajenaru. That season, Cintrón made 41 appearances at shortstop, 26 at second base and 11 at third base, compiling a .972

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a baseball positions, defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putout ...

. Cintrón stole a career high 10 bases. He batted .288 with all of his five home runs left-handed and .274 from the right side of the plate. He went only 2–18 as a pinch hitter. Cintrón recorded at least one at-bat in all positions in the lineup except leadoff, his best spot being second batting .315. He made two starts at

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

going 2–12 and hit .310 in

interleague play Interleague play in Major League Baseball refers to regular-season baseball games played between an American League (AL) team and a National League (NL) team. Interleague play was first introduced during the 1997 Major League Baseball season. ...

. Cintrón hit two triples on April 13 against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

, the first Sox player to accomplish the feat since José Valentín in 2004. He batted .243 with two home runs and 19 RBI in 68 games in his second season with the White Sox in 2007. He made 19 appearances at third base, 17 at shortstop and 14 at second base. He also made two starts as designated hitter going 0–7. Cintrón compiled a .941 fielding percentage and batted .244 with two home runs left-handed and from the right side of the plate. He hit .273 on the road, compared to .209 at home. He hit .333 with runners in scoring position. The White Sox waived Cintrón on November 28, 2007.

Baltimore Orioles

Cintrón signed a minor league contract with an invitation to

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with the

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on February 18, 2008. He was released on March 26, and was signed to another minor league contract by the

on March 31. After starting the season with the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

, his contract was purchased by the Orioles, and he was added to the active roster on May 11. He went 4-for-4 in his first start with Baltimore on May 17 against the

. On July 1, Cintrón was placed on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. He was activated on August 1. He hit .352 at

Camden Yards Oriole Park at Camden Yards, commonly known as Camden Yards, is a ballpark in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the Baseball park#Retro-classic ballparks, "retro" major le ...

. 27 of 28 starts came at shortstop. Cintrón filed for free agency after the 2008 season.

Washington Nationals

Cintrón signed a minor league contract with the

for the 2009 season. Although he competed for a spot on the Nationals' roster during

, Cintrón was sent to the minors on April 4. His contract was purchased from the Triple-A

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

on April 18. He went 2-for-26 (.077) in 21 games with the Nationals before he was designated for assignment on May 19.

Later career

On July 8, 2009, Cintrón signed a minor league contract with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

. He played 30 games with the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

, batting .248 with two home runs and 9 RBI. After the 2009 season, he signed a minor league deal with the

. With the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

, Cintrón batted .228 with a home run and 3 RBI in 20 games. On February 8, 2011, Cintrón signed a minor league deal with the

. He signed a minor league contract with 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

on May 3, 2011. On May 24, 2011, Padres minor league broadcaster Tim Hagerty announced through

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that Cintrón had retired. No details were given; the tweet simply said "Alex Cintron has retired." It was reported on July 18 that he was considering coming out of retirement. In early 2012, Cintrón came out of retirement to play for the

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of the

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Coaching career

Cintrón was Manager of the Azucareros de Yabucoa (his hometown) in Puerto Rico's Superior Baseball League (Double A Category). The

hired Cintrón as the club's

Spanish-language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

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, advance scout, and assistant coach for the 2017 season. He served as the Astros' first base coach in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. The Astros reassigned him as hitting coach following the

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season. On August 11,

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, Cintrón was suspended 20 games for inciting a brawl with Ramón Laureano on August 9, one of the longest ever suspensions of an MLB coach for an on-field incident. Cintrón had stepped out of the Astros dugout onto the field and taunted Laureano to approach him, as if to fight, after Laureano complained about getting hit by pitches. Cintrón remained behind several Astros players when Laureano charged at him. Cintrón was announced as the first manager of RA12 before their inaugural 2020–21 season but withdrew from the team in late October due to health concerns. In

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, the Astros won 106 games, the second-highest total in franchise history. They advanced to the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

and defeated the

in six games. In the pivotal Game 6, Cintron and fellow hitting coach Troy Snitker noticed that Yordan Alvarez had a hitch in his swing (namely due to his weight being shifted in his front leg) that merited adjustment. Cintron looked at video from a few months ago and saw that Alvarez's hands had dropped in his stance from June, which made it harder to deal with a fastball. Alvarez would go on to hit the go-ahead home run in the sixth inning to deliver the championship. The win gave Cintrón his first

title as an Astro. Prior to the

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

season, 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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

interviewed Cintrón for their bench coach position. While the Blue Jays had still yet to finalize their decision, it was announced on November 21, 2022, that the Astros signed Cintrón to a contract to remain through the 2025 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cintron, Alex 1978 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Diamondbacks players Arizona League Mariners players Baltimore Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago White Sox players Diablos Rojos del México players Houston Astros coaches El Paso Diablos players Frederick Keys players High Desert Mavericks players Lethbridge Black Diamonds players Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball hitting coaches Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Major League Baseball shortstops Mexican League baseball infielders Norfolk Tides players Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Mexico Sugar Land Skeeters players Syracuse Chiefs players Tacoma Rainiers players Tucson Padres players Tucson Sidewinders players Vaqueros Laguna players Washington Nationals players 2006 World Baseball Classic players Sportspeople from Humacao, Puerto Rico