Jorge Alberto Vázquez (born March 15, 1982), nicknamed El Chato, is a Mexican 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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

first baseman 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 ...

. Vázquez played in 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 ...

from 1999 through 2008, and played in the minor league system of the

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

from 2009 through 2011. He returned to the Mexican League in 2012. He also played for the

Mexico national baseball team The Mexico national baseball team (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de México'') is the baseball team that represents Mexico in international tournaments. It is currently the 2nd-ranked baseball team in the world. Current rost ...

at the

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an International Baseball Federation, international baseball competition. It began on March 5 and finished March 23. Unlike in 2006 World Baseball Classic, 2006, when the Round-robin tournament, round- ...

Playing career

Tigres de Quintana Roo

Vázquez debuted in the

in 1999 at age 17, going 0-for-4 with two

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s for the

Tigres de Quintana Roo The Tigres de Quintana Roo (English: Quintana Roo Tigers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve championships to date: ...

. In 2000, he hit .244/.396/.319 in 62 games for two Mexican League clubs. He spent 2001 back with the Tigres, hitting .284 with 5 HR and 24 RBI. In 2002, the 20-year-old batted .275 and hit 10 home runs. The next season, he continued to develop, hitting .279 with 14 HR and 60 RBI. In 2004, Vázquez posted a batting line of .329/.374/.588 for the Tigres in 289 AB, with 21 home runs and 61 runs batted in. He was 6th in the Mexican League in homers. In 2005, when he hit .379/.413/.796. He led the league in slugging, finished second in average and home runs. He was named to the League All-Star team as the best first baseman in the league. In 2006, Vázquez batted .359/.419/.739 with 31 HR and 98 RBI in just 75 games. He led the league in slugging once more, this time by .023 ahead of

Derrick White Derrick Richard White (born July 2, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Buffalo," White played three years of college basketball in Division ...

. He was third in RBI despite having 141 fewer at-bats than the leader and 86 fewer than the runner-up. He was second in homers. Vázquez batted .323/.383/.605 with 17 HR and 49 RBI in 58 games for the Tigres in 2007, again showing an excellent bat in limited action. He hit .339/.398/.612 for the 2008 Tigres with 59 RBI and 18 homers in 56 games.

New York Yankees

Vázquez signed with the

on December 7, 2008, after he was noticed by the Yankees' director of quantitative analysis. He was assigned to the Double-A

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the D ...

. In 57 games with Trenton, Vázquez slashed .329/.357/.578 with 13 home runs and 56 RBI. Vázquez was invited to spring training by the Yankees in 2010. After missing the beginning of the 2010 season due to an

appendectomy An appendectomy (American English) or appendicectomy (British English) is a Surgery, surgical operation in which the vermiform appendix (a portion of the intestine) is removed. Appendectomy is normally performed as an urgent or emergency procedur ...

, he was assigned to the Thunder. In 2010, he split the year between Trenton and the Triple-A

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders, are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

, accumulating a .284/.324/.521 with 18 home runs and 68 RBI. Vázquez was again invited to spring training by the Yankees in 2011, getting noticed for his power. However, his path in the Yankees organization was blocked by corner infielders with better defensive ability. He was named the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

Batter of the Week for weeks ending April 17 and July 31, 2011. He spent the 2011 season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, finishing with a .262/.314/.516 with career-highs in home runs (32) and RBI (93). He was invited to Spring Training for the 2012 season, but was released on April 1, 2012.

Tigres de Quintana Roo (second stint)

Following his stint with the Yankees organization, Vázquez signed with the

on April 6, 2012. He finished the season with a .294/.366/.538 slash line. In 2013, he slashed .290/.347/.469 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI. The following year, Vázquez batted .332/.429/.488 with 8 home runs and 48 RBI in 61 games. In 2015, Vázquez appeared in 36 games with the Tigres, posting a batting line of .274/.327/.481 with 8 home runs and 27 RBI. In 2016, Vázquez played in 33 games for the team, logging .319/.403/.513 with 6 home runs and 31 RBI.

Diablos Rojos del México

On February 28, 2017, Vázquez was traded to the

Diablos Rojos del México The Diablos Rojos del Mexico (English: Mexico Red Devils) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Mexico City, Mexico. The team was founded in 1940 by Salvador Lutteroth and Ernesto Carmona. The Diablos Rojos play their ho ...

of the

. In 34 games for the team, he batted .281/.399/.518 with 8 home runs and 24 RBI. On May 26, 2017, Vázquez retired from professional baseball.

Generales de Durango

Vázquez came out of retirement on April 25, 2018, and signed with the

Generales de Durango The Generales de Durango (English: Durango Generals) were a professional baseball team in the Mexican League (LMB) that was established in November 2016. The team was based in Durango, the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Durango. ...

of the

. In 48 games with Durango in 2018, Vázquez hit 8 home runs with 27 RBI. He became a free agent after the season.

Saraperos de Saltillo

On April 4, 2019, Vázquez signed with the

Saraperos de Saltillo The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serapes) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (1980, 2009 ...

of the

. In 2019 with Saltillo, Vázquez slashed .318/.361/.577 with 20 home runs and 68 RBI. Vázquez did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican League 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 ...

. On September 14, 2020, Vázquez was released by the team.

Rieleros de Aguascalientes

On May 20, 2021, Vázquez signed with the

Rieleros de Aguascalientes The Rieleros de Aguascalientes (English: Aguascalientes Railroaders) are a professional baseball team based in Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes that competes in the Mexican League. Established in 1975, the Rieleros have won the Mexican League cha ...

of the

. After hitting .214/.214/.310 in 11 games for the club, he was released on June 16, 2021.

Toros de Tijuana

On June 26, 2021, Vázquez signed with the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (English: Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican baseball team based in Tijuana, Mexico, that competes in the Mexican Baseball League. The team plays its home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The franchise w ...

of the

. Vázquez went 1-for-12 in 5 games with Tijuana before he was released on July 13.

Saraperos de Saltillo (second stint)

On July 22, 2021, Vázquez signed with the

of the

. He retired for the second time following the season.

Coaching career

On February 1, 2022, Vázquez was hired by

El Águila de Veracruz El Águila de Veracruz (English: The Eagle of Veracruz) is a professional baseball team that plays in the Mexican League. Based in Veracruz, Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico, they play their home games at the Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila. Histor ...

to serve as the team's hitting coach for the 2022 season. On May 17, 2024, Vázquez was hired as part of the staff for the

. On December 26, he was removed from Tijuana's staff.

International career

In the 2006 Americas qualifier for the 2008 Olympics, he hit .323/.353/.742 for Mexico with 4 HR and 7 RBI in 9 games; he was their main DH. Mexico failed to qualify for the Olympics but did earn a spot in the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament. In the 2006 qualifying event, Vázquez tied for the home run lead. He was on Mexico's roster for the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games () and commonly known as Rio 2007, were a major Americas, continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of ...

but did not play as his team won a Bronze Medal. He participated in the

as Mexico's DH, hitting .294/.368/.529 with 5 runs and 5 RBI in 5 games, tying for second on the team in runs (one behind

Adrián González Adrián González Savín (born May 8, 1982), also known by his nicknames "A-Gon" and "Titán", is a Mexican-American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, ...

). He hit a grand slam to put Mexico ahead 5-3 in a 17-7 win over Australia off Craig Anderson. Vázquez was named Most Valuable Player in the 2011 Caribbean Series.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vazquez, Jorge 1982 births Living people Baseball players from Sinaloa Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalists for Mexico Competitors at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games Diablos Rojos del México players Generales de Durango players Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States Mexican League baseball catchers Mexican League baseball first basemen Mexican League baseball third basemen Naranjeros de Hermosillo players People from Sinaloa Rieleros de Aguascalientes players Saraperos de Saltillo players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Tigres de la Angelopolis players Tigres de Quintana Roo players Tigres del México players Tomateros de Culiacán players Trenton Thunder players Venados de Mazatlán players Yaquis de Obregón players 2009 World Baseball Classic players Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in baseball World Baseball Classic players of Mexico