Dayán Viciedo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dayán Viciedo |
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Viciedo with the Chunichi Dragons in 2022
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| Free agent | |||
| Outfielder/First baseman | |||
| Born: March 10, 1989 Remedios, Villa Clara Province, Cuba |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: June 20, 2010, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| NPB: March 26, 2016, for the Chunichi Dragons | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2014 season) |
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| Batting average | .254 | ||
| Home runs | 66 | ||
| Runs batted in | 211 | ||
| NPB statistics (through 2024 season) |
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| Batting average | .287 | ||
| Home runs | 139 | ||
| Runs batted in | 549 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Dayán Viciedo Pérez, born on March 10, 1989, is a talented baseball player from Cuba. He plays as an infielder and outfielder. Dayán has played in two major baseball leagues: Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. He is currently a free agent, meaning he is looking for a new team.
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Dayán's Early Baseball Journey
Dayán Viciedo started playing in Cuba's National Series when he was just 15 years old. He played for the Villa Clara team. People often compared him to Omar Linares, a famous Cuban baseball player who was Dayán's hero.
In his first season, Dayán had a batting average of .243. But in his second season, at age 16, he improved a lot. He hit .337 and scored 14 home runs. Dayán was even considered for Cuba's national team for the 2006 World Baseball Classic.
In May 2008, Dayán and his family left Cuba. They traveled to Mexico and then crossed into the United States. He settled in Miami and was approved to play in Major League Baseball in November 2008.
Professional Baseball Career
Playing for the Chicago White Sox
Starting in the Minor Leagues
On December 12, 2008, Dayán Viciedo signed a four-year contract with the Chicago White Sox. This deal was worth $10 million. It included a $4 million bonus just for signing.
He started his journey in 2009 with the Double-A Birmingham Barons. There, he hit .280 with 12 home runs and 78 RBI.
In 2010, Dayán played for the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. He was hitting .290 with 14 home runs. Because of his great performance, the White Sox called him up to the Major Leagues.
Making it to the Major Leagues
Dayán Viciedo made his Major League debut on June 17, 2010. In his very first game against the Washington Nationals, he got his first hit. The White Sox won that game 6–3.
He hit his first Major League home run on July 5, 2010. It was against Scott Kazmir of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Two days later, he hit his first double.
In 2010, Dayán played in 38 games. He had a batting average of .308 with 5 home runs and 13 RBI. The next year, in 2011, he played in 29 games. He hit .255 with 1 home run and 6 RBI.
In 2012, Dayán became a regular starter for the White Sox. He played in 147 games, which was a career high. He also hit a career-best 25 home runs and 78 RBI. His batting average was .255.
In 2013, Dayán had an injury in April. He played in 124 games, hitting .265 with 14 home runs and 56 RBI. The 2014 season saw him play in 145 games. He hit 21 home runs and 58 RBI, but his batting average was .231.
He signed a new contract for 2015, but was later released by the White Sox.
Time with Other Teams
In March 2015, Dayán signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. However, he asked to be released soon after.
Later, in June 2015, he signed with the Oakland Athletics. He played for their Triple-A team, the Nashville Sounds. He was released in July after hitting .221 in 113 at-bats.
In August 2015, Dayán returned to the White Sox on another minor league deal.
Playing in Japan for Chunichi Dragons
On December 1, 2015, Dayán Viciedo signed a one-year contract with the Chunichi Dragons. This team plays in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan.
He started his Japanese career in an amazing way. He hit three home runs in his first three games! This set a new record for a foreign player in Japan. He was also chosen for the 2016 NPB All-Star Game.
In the 2018 NPB season, Dayán had a fantastic year. He hit .348 with 26 home runs. He won the batting average title and was named to the Central League Best 9 team. After this great season, he signed a new three-year deal with the Dragons.
Dayán continued to make history with the Dragons. On August 27, 2021, he reached 450 RBI in NPB. This made him the player with the most RBI for a non-Japanese player in the Chunichi Dragons' history.
On September 26, 2021, he got his 765th hit for the Dragons. This meant he had the most hits by a non-Japanese player for the club. In December, he signed another three-year contract extension.
On September 24, 2023, Dayán got his 1,000th hit in NPB. He was the 317th player in NPB history to do this. He also became the only foreign player in Dragons history to reach 1,000 hits.
In 2024, Dayán played in 15 games for Chunichi. He hit one home run and had two RBI. On October 6, 2024, it was announced that he would not be staying with the Dragons. This made him a free agent once again.
See also
- List of baseball players who defected from Cuba
