Jorge Luís Cantú Guzmán (born January 30, 1982) is an American-born Mexican 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 ...

. He played in

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) for the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one of two major league clubs based i ...

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 ...

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

, Texas Rangers, and

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. ...

, and in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the Doosan Bears. Cantú bats and throws right-handed. He was born in

McAllen, Texas McAllen is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Hidalgo County. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexican border. The city limits extend south to the Rio Grande, acros ...

and went to Sharyland High School, but was raised and makes his home in

Reynosa Reynosa () is a border city in the northern part of the state of Tamaulipas, in Mexico which also holds the municipal seat of Reynosa Municipality. The city is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande in the international Reynosa–McAlle ...

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. It is located in nor ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Career

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Cantú was spotted by a scout while playing in a Junior Olympic tournament in Mexico City while in high school, and offered a contract with the

at age 16. In 2003, Cantú played for the Mexico national team in the regional Olympic qualifying tournament. His team defeated the U.S. team, eliminating them from the 2004 summer games in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. Cantú made his major league debut with the

in the season, batting .301 with two

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 17

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

in 50

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Associat ...

. In , Cantú began the season expecting to play a utilityman role, but due to the retirement of

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

Roberto Alomar Roberto Alomar Velázquez (; ; born February 5, 1968) is a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican former second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seventeen seasons. He is regarded as one of the greatest second basemen and all-around pla ...

during spring training, he became the full-time second baseman. He showcased his talents, having a breakout year, and was named the Devil Rays Most Valuable Player by Tampa Bay sportswriters, after hitting .289 with 28 home runs, 117 RBIs, 40 doubles, and 171

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

in 150 games (80 at second base, 63 at

third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...

). Cantú was a valuable young player for the rebuilding Devil Rays, who finished last in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

that season. In however, he had a down year as he struggled with injuries. His production from the previous year dropped precipitously, as he hit just .249 with 14 home runs and 62 RBIs. The following season, he failed to make the Opening Day 25-man roster for , and was assigned instead to the Triple-A

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

. He threatened not to report, and demanded a trade. However, on the April 4, 2007, edition of

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

's '' Baseball Tonight'', Cantú retracted his trade demand and said he would voluntarily report to Durham. He hit just .207 with zero home runs and 4 RBIs in 25 games with Tampa Bay that year.

Cincinnati Reds

On July 28, , Cantú was traded to the

along with minor league

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

Shaun Cumberland for

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, ...

s Brian Shackelford and Calvin Medlock. With the Reds, he hit .298 with 1 home run and 9 RBI. During the 2007 season, he played primarily first base (as opposed to second base) as he played 21 games at first base, 2 games at second base and one game at third base (combined with Tampa Bay and Cincinnati). The Reds released him during the offseason on December 5 of that year.

Florida Marlins

On January 4, , the

signed Cantú to a minor league contract with an invitation to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. On March 22, Jose Castillo was claimed off waivers by 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 ...

, opening the door for a possible roster spot for Cantú. Cantú was added to the active roster on March 27. Cantú impressed the Marlins so much during spring training that he was named the team's starting third baseman. He spent the season hitting third in the Marlins lineup. On September 12, Cantú hit his 25th home run of the season joining Hanley Ramírez, Dan Uggla, and Mike Jacobs as the first group of infielders on the same team to have 25 or more home runs. Cantú finished the year with a career high 29 home runs, 95 RBI, and a .277 batting Average. In the offseason Cantú signed a 1-year, $4.5 million contract, avoiding arbitration. After

2009, the Marlins announced that they would shift Cantú to

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

after

Gaby Sánchez Gabriel Sánchez (born September 2, 1983) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida/Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the ...

struggled in the spring, and Emilio Bonifacio would play third base. Cantú's left wrist was injured during the third game of the 2009 season and he was forced to miss five games. He played well after returning to the lineup despite lingering pain. On May 4, he was named the National League Player of the Week. Cantú started the 2010 season with a 21-game hitting streak Cantú hit his 100th career home run on June 23, 2010.

Texas Rangers

On July 29, 2010, Cantú was dealt to the Texas Rangers (with $600,000 cash) for Evan Reed and Omar Poveda. Though he was a good home run and RBI hitter when in Florida, Cantú did not hit a single home run or RBI in his first 83 plate appearances for the Rangers. However, on September 25, he got his first RBI, and later his first home run, the latter giving his team a 4–3 lead, which turned out to be the final score, clinching the Rangers' their first divisional title since 1999. That year he played in the World Series with the Rangers.

San Diego Padres

Cantú signed a one-year deal with the

on January 26, 2011. He was designated for assignment on June 15 after hitting just .194/.232/.285 in 57 games and was released on June 21.

Colorado Rockies

On July 30, 2011, Jorge Cantú was signed by the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

to a minor league contract. He played in 30 games for the

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado R ...

but was never called up to the Majors and elected free agency on November 2, 2011.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

On January 6, 2012, Cantù signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

. He played in 24 games for the Triple-A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in South Jordan, Utah, the team plays its home games at The Ballpark at Am ...

before he was released on April 30, 2012.

Tigres de Quintana Roo

On March 20, 2013, Cantú signed with the Tigres de Quintana Roo of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. Due to an injury he was limited throughout the season but still led the team with 31 Home Runs in 83 games. He played first base and DH, leading the team to a Championship.

Doosan Bears

On December 9, 2013, Cantú signed a $250,000 contract with the Doosan Bears of the

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ) is the Sport governing body, governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League () and KBO Futures League ( (F ...

that included a $50,000 signing bonus. In 111 games for Doosan, Cantú slashed .309/.375/.524 with 18 home runs and 177 RBI. He became a free agent after the season.

Tigres de Quintana Roo (second stint)

On April 2, 2015, Cantú re-signed with the Tigres and led Quintana Roo to another title run. During the season, he won a Home Run Derby Title and was an All-Star. This year saw a slight decline in home runs, hitting just 25 for the year, but finishing up with 100 RBI's for the regular season with 75 runs in 106 games played.

Toros de Tijuana

Cantú was traded to the Toros de Tijuana on June 20, 2016. Cantú struggled in 23 games for Tijuana in 2016, batting just .195/.264/.244 in 91 plate appearances. In 2017, Cantú slashed .282/.370/.452 with 12 home runs and 55 RBI in 99 games played. He appeared in 87 games for Tijuana in 2018, hitting 12 home runs with 58 RBI.

Diablos Rojos del México

On December 17, 2018, Cantú was traded to the Diablos Rojos del México of the

. In 2019, Cantú batted .283/.364/.488 with 12 homers and 38 RBI in 74 games played. Cantú did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the LMB season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Cantú played in 36 games for México in 2021, batting .240/.313/.306 with 1 home run and 13 RBI. He fell on harder times in 2022, slumping to a .192/.236/.258 line with 1 home run and 8 RBI in an abbreviated stint of 23 games with the team. On January 12, 2023, Cantú retired from professional baseball.

References

External links

Career statistics and player information
from

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cantu, Jorge 1982 births Living people American baseball players of Mexican descent American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Baseball players from Tamaulipas Baseball players from Hidalgo County, Texas Charleston RiverDogs players Cincinnati Reds players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Diablos Rojos del México players Doosan Bears players Durham Bulls players Florida Marlins players Hudson Valley Renegades players KBO League first basemen Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball players from Mexico Major League Baseball second basemen Mexican expatriate baseball players in South Korea Mexican League baseball first basemen Mexican League baseball third basemen Montgomery Biscuits players Naranjeros de Hermosillo players Orlando Rays players Sportspeople from McAllen, Texas Sportspeople from Reynosa Salt Lake Bees players San Diego Padres players St. Petersburg Devil Rays players Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Texas Rangers players Tigres de Quintana Roo players Tomateros de Culiacán players Toros de Tijuana players 2003 Baseball World Cup players 2006 World Baseball Classic players 2009 World Baseball Classic players 2013 World Baseball Classic players World Baseball Classic players of Mexico