Rico Washington facts for kids

Enrico Aliceno Washington (born May 30, 1978), known as Rico Washington, is an American former professional baseball player. He was an infielder, which means he played positions like first, second, or third base, or shortstop. Rico played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals. He also played in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) for the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions. He finished high school at Jones County High School in 1996.

Rico's Baseball Journey

Rico Washington was picked by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 10th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft. This happened right after he graduated from Jones County High School. He spent six seasons playing for teams in the Pirates' minor league system. Even though he played well, he couldn't quite make it to the main Pirates team.

Moving Between Teams

In 2002, the Pirates didn't add Rico to their main roster. This meant other teams could pick him in something called the Rule 5 draft. The San Diego Padres chose him in this draft. Rico played for the Padres' minor league teams in 2003 and 2004. He even reached Triple-A, which is just one step below the Major Leagues! But he still didn't get to play for the Padres' main team.

After that, Rico became a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team. He joined the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and played in their farm system in 2005. Later, the Devil Rays released him. But Rico didn't give up! He then signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. He spent 2006 and 2007 playing for the Cardinals' minor league teams.

Finally, the Major Leagues!

In 2008, Rico Washington's dream came true. He was almost 30 years old. After ten years and nearly 4,000 turns at bat in the minor leagues, he finally made it to the Major Leagues! The St. Louis Cardinals chose him to be a backup infielder on their main team. This showed how much hard work and determination Rico had.

After his time with the Cardinals, Rico was sent back to their Triple-A team in Memphis in April 2009.

Playing Overseas and Independent Baseball

Before the 2009 season started, Rico signed with the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions. This team plays in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan.

In 2010, Rico signed with the Kansas City T-Bones. This team is part of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. Independent leagues are not connected to Major League Baseball teams. He played for them again in 2011. In 2012, Rico played for another independent team, the Gary SouthShore RailCats, also in the American Association.

See also

• Rule 5 draft results