Donovan Solano facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Donovan Solano |
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Solano with the Cincinnati Reds in 2022
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| Seattle Mariners – No. 39 | |||
| Infielder | |||
| Born: December 17, 1987 Barranquilla, Colombia |
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| debut | |||
| May 21, 2012, for the Miami Marlins | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) |
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| Batting average | .279 | ||
| Home runs | 40 | ||
| Runs batted in | 279 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Donovan Solano Preciado, also known as "Donnie Barrels", was born on December 17, 1987. He is a professional baseball player from Colombia. He plays as an infielder for the Seattle Mariners in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Donovan has played for several other MLB teams. These include the Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, and San Diego Padres. In 2020, he won a special award called the Silver Slugger Award.
Contents
Early Life
Donovan Solano was born and grew up in Barranquilla, Colombia. He started playing baseball when he was young. He often played with his older brother, Jhonatan Solano.
Professional Career
Starting with the Cardinals
Donovan began his professional baseball journey in January 2005. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as an international free agent. He spent seven seasons playing in the Cardinals' minor league system. He played for teams like the Palm Beach Cardinals and the Memphis Redbirds. Even though he played well, he never made it to the main Major League team with the Cardinals. He became a free agent in November 2011.
Miami Marlins Years
In November 2011, Solano signed a contract with the Miami Marlins. He was invited to their spring training in 2012. On May 20, 2012, he got his first chance to play in MLB. He became the 12th player from Colombia to reach the major leagues.
In his first MLB at-bat on May 22, he hit a single. He started his first MLB game on May 26. He had two hits and one run batted in (RBI) in that game. Later that season, he became a regular player for the Marlins. He finished the year with a .295 batting average. Baseball America even named him the second baseman on their Major League All-Rookie Team.
In 2013, Solano played in 102 games. He was named the Marlins' Defensive Player of the Year by Wilson. He mostly played second base. In 2014, he played in 111 games. In 2015, he played in 55 games, splitting time between shortstop, third base, and second base. After the 2015 season, he became a free agent.
New York Yankees Time
On January 9, 2016, the New York Yankees signed Solano to a minor league contract. He spent the 2016 season with their Triple-A team, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He had a great year, batting .319. The Yankees called him up to the MLB team on September 18. He played in a few games, hitting .227. After the season, he was sent back to the minor leagues.
He spent all of 2017 with the RailRiders, batting .282. He became a free agent in November 2017. After that season, he played in the Dominican Winter League.
Los Angeles Dodgers
In January 2018, Solano signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He played in 81 games for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers. He batted .318 for them. A hamstring injury caused him to miss some games that year. He became a free agent again in November 2018.
San Francisco Giants Success
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On December 18, 2018, Solano signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants. He started the 2019 season with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. He batted .322 in 24 games. The Giants called him up to the MLB team on May 7. This was his first time in MLB since 2016.
With the Giants in 2019, he batted .330. He hit four home runs and had 23 RBIs. He was especially good when playing away games, batting .402 on the road. He mostly played second base, but also filled in at shortstop and third base. In December, he signed a new contract with the Giants.
The 2020 season was shorter than usual, but Solano had a fantastic year. He had a 17-game hitting streak. On September 1, he had a career-high 6 RBIs in one game. He finished the 2020 season with a career-high .326 batting average, which was fifth-best in the National League. He also had 15 doubles and three home runs. For his great hitting, he won the Silver Slugger Award for National League second basemen. He also received a sportsman award from Colombian journalists.
In 2021, Solano signed a $3.25 million contract. He batted .280 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs. He made his first appearance in the MLB postseason that year. He became a free agent in November 2021.
Cincinnati Reds
On March 16, 2022, Solano signed a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds. He started the season on the injured list because of a hamstring injury. He made his first appearance for the Reds on June 22. Solano played in 80 games for Cincinnati, batting .284 with 4 home runs and 24 RBI.
Minnesota Twins
Solano signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Twins on February 23, 2023. He played in 134 games for Minnesota. He batted .282 with five home runs and a career-high 38 RBI. The Twins won their division, the American League Central. He played in the postseason again. Solano became a free agent in November 2023.
San Diego Padres
On April 15, 2024, Solano signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres. He played well for their Triple-A team, the El Paso Chihuahuas. On May 5, the Padres added Solano to their main team. He mostly played third base for the Padres. He hit a career-high 8 home runs in the regular season. He batted .286 in 96 games. The Padres made it to the playoffs, but were eliminated by the Dodgers. He became a free agent again on October 31.
Seattle Mariners
On January 13, 2025, Solano signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners.
International Career
Donovan Solano has proudly represented his home country, Colombia, in international baseball.
He played for the Colombia national baseball team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifiers. He batted very well, leading his team in hits and RBIs. However, Colombia did not make it past the qualifiers that year.
After Colombia qualified for the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Solano played for the national team again. He played alongside his brother, Jhonatan Solano. Colombia was eliminated in the first round of the tournament.
Solano had planned to play in the 2023 World Baseball Classic but decided not to. He wanted to focus on getting ready for his upcoming season with the Minnesota Twins.
Personal Life
Donovan Solano's older brother is Jhonatan Solano. Jhonatan is a catcher who also played in MLB. Both brothers made their MLB debuts in May 2012. Donovan played for the Marlins, and Jhonatan played for the Washington Nationals. They were the first brothers to make their MLB debut in the same month since 1996.
The Solano brothers also played together for the Marlins in 2015. They also played together for Colombia in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Donovan's parents are Luis Solano and Myriam Preciado. His father, Luis, also played baseball in Colombia.
Donovan and his wife, Laura, have three sons named Donovan, Enoc, and Jeremias. Donovan Solano is a Christian.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players from Colombia
