Andrés Muñoz
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Andrés Clemente Muñoz Apodaca (born January 16, 1999) is a Mexican 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 ...
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
for 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 ...
of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB). He made his MLB debut 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. ...
in 2019. Muñoz has been named an
All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...
in 2024 and 2025.


Career


San Diego Padres


2014–2018: Minor leagues

Muñoz signed 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. ...
as an international
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...
on July 7, 2015, receiving a $700,000 bonus. He made his professional debut in 2016 with the Arizona Padres of the
Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...
Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it fo ...
, going 1–1 with a 5.49 ERA in 16 games, mostly in relief, averaging 7.3 walks per nine innings. In 2017, he played mostly for the
Tri-City Dust Devils The Tri-City Dust Devils are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States ...
of the
Class A Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (crea ...
Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseba ...
, joining the
Fort Wayne TinCaps The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Minor League Baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The TinCaps compete in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Parkview Field. The TinCaps won the ...
of the Class A
Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
to pitch in three games at the end of the season. He was 3–0 with a 3.81 ERA in 24 relief appearances for both teams, with 38 strikeouts and 18 walks. After the season, he played 9 games for the
Peoria Javelinas The Peoria Javelinas are a baseball team based in Peoria, Arizona, that competes in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex. The ballpark is also the spring training facility for the S ...
of the
Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...
, where he was the league's youngest player. Muñoz started 2018 with Tri-City and was promoted to the
San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Missions compete in the Texas League as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Nelson W. W ...
of the Double-A
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 ...
in late June. In relief innings pitched between the two teams, he was 2–1 with a 0.73 ERA, with 28 strikeouts and 13 walks.


2019–2020: Major league debut and arm injury

Muñoz began the 2019 season back in the Texas League, with the
Amarillo Sod Poodles The Amarillo Sod Poodles, nicknamed the Soddies, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Amarillo, Texas, and play their home games at Hodgetown in downtow ...
, going 0–2 with a 2.16 ERA, 34 strikeouts, and 11 walks over innings. On May 21, he was promoted to the
El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team based in El Paso, Texas. The Chihuahuas compete in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) as the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Sou ...
of the Triple-A
Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
. On July 12, 2019, the Padres selected Muñoz's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his major league debut that night against the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
, striking out one batter and walking one in one inning, with his fastball topping out at 101.9 miles per hour. Muñoz earned his first career MLB save on August 29, allowing an RBI double to his future bullpen coach
Stephen Vogt Stephen Guy Vogt ( ; born November 1, 1984) is an American professional baseball Manager (baseball), manager and former catcher and Coach (baseball), coach who currently serves as the manager for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Basebal ...
in the ninth inning of a 5–3 win over 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 ...
. In 2019, his four-seam fastball was the second fastest in MLB, averaging . He finished with a record of 1–1 in 22 games, striking out 30 in 23 innings. On March 19, 2020, Muñoz underwent
Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...
, causing him to miss the entire 2020 season.


Seattle Mariners

On August 30, 2020, the Padres traded Muñoz, Ty France,
Taylor Trammell Taylor Walter-Lee Trammell ( ; born September 13, 1997) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played for the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Ya ...
, and
Luis Torrens Luis Alfonso Torrens Sáez (born May 2, 1996) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, and Chicago Cubs. He ma ...
to 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 ...
for catcher Austin Nola and relievers Dan Altavilla and Austin Adams. Muñoz went back on the 60-day injured list in February 2021, continuing to recover from Tommy John surgery. After four rehab appearances in the minors, he returned to make his Mariners debut in the team's last game of 2021. On December 1, 2021, Muñoz and the Mariners agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $7.5 million. The contract included three additional team options for up to $24 million and bonuses for Muñoz based on the number of games he finishes. Muñoz returned to a setup role in 2022, working with several other relievers generally ahead of closer
Paul Sewald Paul Stanton Sewald (born May 26, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Se ...
. He had a 2–5 record and 4 saves, with a 2.45 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 65 innings. His fastball averaged 100.2 miles per hour, but his slider was his most effective pitch, with batters hitting only .126 off his breaking ball. Walks, an issue for Muñoz earlier in his career, were not a concern, as he walked 6 percent of batters he faced, which was better than the MLB average. Muñoz pitched in every Mariners postseason game in 2022 but, like his team, was much less effective in the
American League Division Series In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series (ALDS) determines which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring ea ...
. He pitched scoreless innings 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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
in the
Wild Card Series The Wild Card Series (formerly known as Wild Card Game from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021) are games that serve as the opening round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason. A single wild card game was instituted in 2012. This became a best ...
, picking up the series-clinching win in Game 2. In the Division Series, Muñoz allowed three runs in three innings, as the Mariners were swept in three games by 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 ...
. Injuries slowed Muñoz to start 2023. A right deltoid strain sent him to the 10-day
injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...
on April 9, and shoulder inflammation kept him there until June 6. Ankle surgery also stalled his offseason preparation before 2023. Muñoz became a closer after Mariners dealt Sewald at the 2023 trade deadline. He handled the higher leverage role well, being named the American League Reliever of the Month for August. After getting two saves through the end of July, Muñoz earned 11 more after the Sewald trade. He finished his second full season in the Seattle bullpen with a 4–7 record with 67 strikeouts in 49 innings over 52 games. On July 12, 2024, Muñoz was named to the
All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...
as a replacement for teammate
Logan Gilbert Logan Keith Gilbert (born May 5, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021. Amateur career Gilbert attended Wekiva High School in Apopka, Florida. ...
, though Muñoz did not pitch in the game. Muñoz did not allow a hit in 12 consecutive appearances, from July 5 to August 14, breaking a franchise record and yielding no runs during that streak. He had a career-high 22 saves in 2024, with a 3–7 record and 2.12 ERA, striking out 77 batters in innings. After beginning his 2025 campaign with 15 straight scoreless appearances, including 11 saves, Muñoz received the American League Reliever of the Month award for March/April 2025. Muñoz was named to the 2025 All-Star Game roster.


Personal life

Muñoz and his wife Wendy married in July 2022, during the All-Star break. They met as teenagers when they both competed in
track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
. They have a pet cat, Matilda, who joins them on road trips. Wendy and Muñoz's older brother Helmond would provide Andrés with scouting reports on opposing batters. Muñoz was introduced to baseball at the age of 11 by his grandfather, Damazo. His parents are Alberto and Maria, and he has a second older brother, Miguel.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Muñoz, Andrés 1999 births Living people Amarillo Sod Poodles players American League All-Stars Arizona Complex League Mariners players Arizona League Padres players El Paso Chihuahuas players Fort Wayne TinCaps players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Mexico 21st-century Mexican sportsmen Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States Peoria Javelinas players San Antonio Missions players San Diego Padres players Seattle Mariners players Baseball players from Los Mochis Tacoma Rainiers players Tri-City Dust Devils players