Juan Lagares facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Juan Lagares |
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Lagares with the Mets in 2019
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| Center fielder | |||
| Born: March 17, 1989 Constanza, Dominican Republic |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: April 23, 2013, for the New York Mets | |||
| KBO: July 12, 2022, for the SSG Landers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: June 22, 2022, for the Los Angeles Angels | |||
| KBO: September 30, 2022, for the SSG Landers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .250 | ||
| Home runs | 31 | ||
| Runs batted in | 217 | ||
| KBO statistics | |||
| Batting average | .315 | ||
| Home runs | 6 | ||
| Runs batted in | 32 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Juan Osvaldo Lagares (born March 17, 1989) is a former professional baseball player from the Dominican Republic. He was known for being an amazing center fielder. Juan played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets and Los Angeles Angels. He also played in the KBO League for the SSG Landers. In 2014, he won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, which is a big award for defensive players.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Start
Juan Lagares grew up in a cool, mountainous area called Constanza, Dominican Republic. There weren't many baseball fields or teams there. So, Juan mostly played softball when he was young. He says throwing the bigger, heavier softball helped make his arm strong.
Juan didn't start playing baseball until he was a teenager. After only about seven or eight months of practice at a baseball academy, the New York Mets signed him. He started as a shortstop.
Professional Baseball Career
Starting with the Mets
The New York Mets signed Juan Lagares on May 5, 2006. In 2009, he changed from playing shortstop to playing in the outfield.
He started his professional journey in the Dominican Summer League Mets in 2006. He played 57 games, hitting .255 and getting 33 runs batted in (RBIs) and 12 stolen bases.
In 2007, Juan moved up to Single-A Savannah. He played 83 games, hitting .210. After an arm injury, he played 46 games with Savannah in 2008 before moving to Low-A Brooklyn.
Moving Up in the Minor Leagues
In 2009, a wrist injury stopped most of his season. He came back in September. After the 2009 season, he played for Águilas Cibaeñas in the Dominican League.
In 2010, Juan started with Savannah again. He played 67 games, hitting .300 with 5 home runs and 39 RBIs. He then moved to High-A St. Lucie. His season ended early in July because of a broken ankle.
In 2011, Juan started in St. Lucie and then moved to Double-A Binghamton. In total, he played 120 games, hitting an impressive .349 with 9 home runs and 71 RBIs. The Mets added him to their main roster on November 18, 2011. He also played for Cibaeñas in the Dominican League again.
In 2012, Juan was back in Binghamton, playing 130 games. He hit .283 with 4 home runs and 48 RBIs. He continued to play for Cibaeñas in the Dominican League after this season.
Major League Debut with the Mets
In 2013, Juan started with Triple-A Las Vegas. After 17 games, he was called up to the New York Mets! He made his MLB debut on April 23, 2013, against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He got his first major league hit that same day.
Juan hit his first major league home run on May 19, 2013, against the Chicago Cubs. For one week in July, he was named the NL Player of the Week because he hit incredibly well, with a .700 batting average.
In his first MLB season, he played 121 games. He was known for his amazing defense. He led all center fielders in the major leagues with 14 assists. He also saved 26 runs defensively, which means his great fielding stopped opponents from scoring. He set a Mets rookie record with 15 outfield assists. He was named the Mets' best defensive player that year.
After the 2013 season, he played for Cibaeñas again and won the Rookie of the Year award in the Dominican League.
Winning the Gold Glove Award
In 2014, Juan made the Mets' team for Opening Day. He had a few injuries, including a pulled hamstring and a sprained elbow, which caused him to miss some games. Despite this, he improved his hitting, raising his batting average to .281.
On November 4, 2014, Juan Lagares won his first Rawlings Gold Glove Award! This award goes to the best defensive players in baseball. He was only the third outfielder in Mets history to win this award. He also won the Fielding Bible Award for being the best defensive center fielder in the National League.
Later Years with the Mets
In 2015, Juan signed a four-year contract extension with the Mets. He was the starting center fielder. Later that season, the Mets traded for Yoenis Céspedes, who also played center field. Juan then became a backup outfielder, often coming into games late to play defense. He played in 143 games, hitting .259.
Juan played well in the postseason that year. In the 2015 National League Division Series, he hit .429. In the 2015 National League Championship Series, he hit .333. In the 2015 World Series, he played in all 4 games, hitting .300. After the 2015 season, he played for Cibaeñas again.
In 2016, Juan continued as a backup outfielder for the Mets. He had a sprained left thumb that required surgery, which caused him to miss time. He hit .239 for the season.
In 2017, Juan continued to deal with injuries but still played in 58 games, hitting .250. In 2018, he had a toe injury that needed surgery, and he missed the rest of that season.
The Mets decided not to keep him for the 2020 season, making him a free agent on November 1, 2019. He continued to play for Cibaeñas in the Dominican League.
Other Teams and Later Career
In 2020, Juan signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres but later became a free agent. He then signed another minor league deal with the New York Mets and played a few games for them before becoming a free agent again. He also played for the Dominican Republic in the 2021 Caribbean Series.
In 2021, Juan signed with the Los Angeles Angels. He played 112 games, hitting .236. In 2022, he returned to the Angels on a minor league contract and was called up to the major league team in May. He played 20 games before being released.
On July 8, 2022, Juan Lagares signed a contract with the SSG Landers in the Korean Baseball League. He became a free agent after the 2022 season.
Images for kids
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Lagares batting during Spring Training, March 2016
See also
In Spanish: Juan Lagares para niños
