José Manuel Lobatón (born October 21, 1984) is a

Venezuelan Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

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 professiona ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher ...

who is a free agent. He has played in

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)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 penna ...

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadi ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

Early life

Lobatón was the youngest of four children raised in northeastern Venezuela by their father, a taxi driver, and their stay-at-home mom. In 2002, at 17 years old, he signed with the

for $70,000.

Career

San Diego Padres

On May 13, 2002, Lobatón signed with the

organization as an international free agent. Lobatón made his professional debut in with the rookie ball Idaho Falls Padres, slashing .272/.352/.366 in 56 games. The next year, Lobatón played for the Low-A

Eugene Emeralds The Eugene Emeralds (nicknamed the Ems) are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Eugene, Oregon. The Emeralds are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants. Eugene plays their ...

, batting .219/.298/.437 with 7 home runs and 23 RBI. In 2005, he split the season between Eugene, the AZL Padres, and the Single-A

Fort Wayne Wizards A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, accumulating a .250/.368/.313 slash line with 6 RBI between the three teams. In 2006, he split the year between the High-A

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The Storm plays their home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond (Pete Lehr Field), which opened in 1994; the park s ...

and Fort Wayne, posting a .235/.355/.383 batting line with 5 home runs and 26 RBI. He returned to Lake Elsinore for the 2007 season, and hit .260/.346/.428 paired with career-highs in home runs (10) and RBI (47). In 2008, Lobatón played for the Double-A

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded ...

, logging a .259/.338/.422 slash line with 9 home runs and 45 RBI. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

to begin the 2009 season. Jose Lobaton 01

On July 5, 2009, Lobatón was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his Major League debut that day against 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 Brookly ...

. He only played in 7 games with the Padres, going .176 in 17 at-bats with 3 hits and no RBI's. He was designated for assignment by the team on July 28.

Tampa Bay Rays

On July 30, 2009, Lobatón was claimed off waivers by the

and was assigned to the Double A

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League. The team was found ...

, where he finished the year batting .262 in 26 games. In 2010, Lobatón spent the entire season split between Montgomery and 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 i ...

, posting a .260/.339/.385 slash line with 7 home runs and 35 RBI. Lobatón spent the majority of the 2011 season split between Durham and the High-A

Charlotte Stone Crabs The Charlotte Stone Crabs were a Minor League Baseball team located in Port Charlotte, Florida, from 2009 to 2020. They competed in the Florida State League (FSL) as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball (MLB ...

, and also hit .118 with only 4 hits in 34 at-bats for the Rays. Lobaton hit his first Major League

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 is ...

against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles 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 American League's eight charter ...

on July 25, 2012. During a three-game series 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) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

from August 16–18, 2013, Lobaton hit a walk-off triple and walk-off home run, becoming the first catcher to do so since

Wally Schang Walter Henry Schang (August 22, 1889 – March 6, 1965) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from to for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, St. Lou ...

in and only the fourth player overall since . José Lobatón on September 13, 2011

In 2013, Lobatón hit .249/.320/.394 with 7 home runs and 32 RBI in 100 games for Tampa Bay. Lobatón hit a 9th inning walk-off home run off of

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 eig ...

closer

Koji Uehara is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He previously played for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), as well as the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (M ...

to defeat the Red Sox in game three of the

2013 American League Division Series The 2013 American League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the teams that would participate in the 2013 American League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded 1-3 based on record) and a fourth team ...

. Lobatón became the only Rays player to hit a walk-off home run in the postseason, and the first Ray to hit a home run into the Rays Touch Tank (the others being Luis Gonzalez and

Miguel Cabrera José Miguel Cabrera Torres (born April 18, 1983), nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since his debut in 2003 he has been a two-t ...

). It was the only walk-off home run of the 2013 postseason.

Washington Nationals

On February 13, 2014, Lobatón was traded to the

(along with Felipe Rivero and Drew Vettleson) in exchange for Nathan Karns. In 2014, Lobatón played in 66 games for the Nationals, slashing .234/.287/.304 with 2 home runs and 12 RBI. The next year, he played in 44 games for Washington, slashing .199/.279/.294. In 2016, Lobatón hit .232/.319/.374 in 39 games for the big league club. Lobatón and the Nationals avoided salary arbitration on December 1, 2016, agreeing to a $1.575 million salary for the 2017 season. In March 2017, he declined an offer to replace

Salvador Pérez Salvador Johan Pérez Diaz (born May 10, 1990), nicknamed "Salvy", is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball catcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a seven-time MLB All-Star, five-time Gold Glove Award wi ...

on the roster of the

Venezuela national baseball team The Venezuela national baseball team (Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de Venezuela'') is the national team of Venezuela. It is currently ranked sixth in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, directly behind the US and ahead ...

at the

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to March 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts ...

so that he could stay in spring training with Nationals and compete for a spot on the club's roster. In 51 games for the Nationals in 2017, Lobatón slashed .170/.248/.277, and became a free agent after the season

New York Mets

On December 15, 2017, Lobatón signed a minor league contract with the

organization. On April 13, 2018, Lobatón was selected to the active roster. He was designated for assignment on May 19 after hitting .152 in 52 plate appearances and was outrighted to the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s. He had his contract purchased again on June 1, 2018. Lobatón was again

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the play ...

on June 11, 2018. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A. He finished the year in New York, after again being selected to the roster on September 8, with a major league slash line of .143/.246/.224

Seattle Mariners

On December 7, 2018, Lobatón signed a minor league contract with the

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

organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960 ...

to begin the year. In 75 games with Tacoma, he batted .236/.305/.434 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On August 9, 2019, Lobatón was traded the

in exchange for cash considerations. He finished the year with 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 (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their hom ...

, posting a batting line of .234/.339/.383 in 15 games. Lobatón was released by the Dodgers organization on July 1, 2020.

Chicago Cubs

On July 15, 2020, Lobatón signed a minor league deal with the

. Lobatón was released by the organization on September 7, 2020. On February 12, 2021, Lobatón re-signed with the Cubs on a minor league contract that included an invitation to Spring Training. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The Cubs play their ho ...

to begin the season, and hit .179/.347/.410 in 15 games for the team. On June 11, Lobatón was selected to the active roster. In a June 29 game against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

, Lobatón sprained his shoulder attempting to avoid a collision with

Josh Hader Joshua Ronald Hader (born April 7, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers. Hader is a four-time All-Star and three-ti ...

at first base. He was placed on the 60-day injured list the following day. He became a free agent after the 2021 season.

Personal life

Lobaton married his wife, Nina, at

Tropicana Field Tropicana Field (commonly known as the Trop) is a multi-purpose domed stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. The stadium has been the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) since the team's inaugural seas ...

on July 3, 2012. The couple had a son in 2013.

References

External links

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lobaton, Jose 1984 births Arizona League Padres players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Chicago Cubs players Durham Bulls players Eugene Emeralds players Fort Wayne Wizards players Idaho Falls Padres players Iowa Cubs players Lake Elsinore Storm players Las Vegas 51s players Leones del Caracas players Living people Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Montgomery Biscuits players New York Mets players Oklahoma City Dodgers players People from Acarigua Portland Beavers players San Antonio Missions players San Diego Padres players Syracuse Chiefs players Tacoma Rainiers players Tampa Bay Rays players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Washington Nationals players