Yuniesky Betancourt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yuniesky Betancourt |
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Betancourt with the Kansas City Royals in 2009
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| Shortstop | |||
| Born: January 31, 1982 Santa Clara, Cuba |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: July 28, 2005, for the Seattle Mariners | |||
| NPB: March 28, 2014, for the Orix Buffaloes | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: September 29, 2013, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |||
| NPB: May 14, 2014, for the Orix Buffaloes | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .261 | ||
| Home runs | 80 | ||
| Runs batted in | 457 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .141 | ||
| Home runs | 0 | ||
| Runs batted in | 4 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Yuniesky Betancourt Pérez (born 31 January 1982) is a Cuban former professional baseball player. He was a shortstop, a key defensive position in baseball. Betancourt played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, and Kansas City Royals.
Before joining MLB, he played in the Cuban National Series for Villa Clara. In 2019, he became the first former MLB player to return to the Cuban national baseball system. In Cuba, he is known by his nickname "Riquimbili".
Contents
Early Baseball Days in Cuba
Yuniesky Betancourt started his career in the Cuban leagues. He played for Villa Clara in the Serie Nacional. People thought he was the fastest second baseman in the Cuban leagues. He was also a star player for the Villa Clara team.
In the 2002 finals against the Industriales, he hit the ball well almost every time. However, the Industriales won the series 4 games to 0. Betancourt left Cuba in December 2003. He went to Mexico and played there for a short time. On January 26, 2005, he signed with the Seattle Mariners. He made his first appearance in Major League Baseball on July 28, 2005.
Playing in Major League Baseball
Seattle Mariners (2005–2009)
When Betancourt first started, he was known for his great fielding skills. Many thought he was one of the best fielders in baseball. He had excellent range, was very quick, and had soft hands. He also had a strong and accurate throwing arm. In a 2006 fan poll, he was named one of the top fielders.
In 2007, he made many good plays. However, he sometimes threw the ball wildly. Most of his 18 errors in the first half of 2007 were due to bad throws. This was almost as many errors as he had in all of 2006 (20 errors). He improved in the second half of 2007, making only 5 errors. In 2008, his defense was not as strong. Some experts said he was one of the worst shortstops that year.
Betancourt was a hitter who could hit for power, getting balls into the gaps. He rarely struck out or walked. Some people criticized him for not being patient enough at the plate. He also struggled with bunting. In 2006, he only walked 3.0% of the time. This was the second-lowest rate in Major League Baseball. But he only struck out 9.7% of the time, which was one of the best rates.
In 2007, Betancourt was among the top players for hitting with runners in scoring position. He also had many game-winning RBIs. An announcer once called him "unreal" when he batted with runners on base in close games. On August 11, 2007, he hit his first grand slam. This helped his team win 7–6 against the Chicago White Sox. In 2008, he again walked only 3.0% of the time, the lowest in MLB. His strikeout rate dropped even more to 7.5%.
Kansas City Royals (2009–2010)
On July 10, 2009, Betancourt joined the Kansas City Royals. He was traded along with some of his salary for two minor league pitchers. In 2009, he had the lowest on-base percentage among all major league starters. His slugging percentage was also the lowest in the American League.
In 2010, he hit a home run on opening day against Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander. He finished the season with a career-high 16 home runs. Many of his other stats, like his batting average and fielding percentage, improved slightly from 2009.
Milwaukee Brewers (2011)
On December 19, 2010, Betancourt was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. This trade also included his teammate Zack Greinke and some money. In return, the Royals received four other players.
In 2011, Betancourt batted .252. He led the National League in sacrifice flies with 10. A sacrifice fly is when a batter hits a fly ball that is caught, but a runner on third base scores after the catch.
On October 9, 2011, Betancourt hit his first career postseason home run. This happened in a 9–6 win against the St. Louis Cardinals. Even though his on-base percentage was low for a shortstop, he started most games for the Brewers. On May 9, 2011, he made an amazing play against the Padres. He turned a ball hit up the middle into a running, behind-the-back toss. This helped them complete a double play.
Return to Kansas City (2012)
On December 20, 2011, Betancourt signed a one-year deal to play for the Kansas City Royals again. He was released by the Royals on August 14, 2012. He had played in 57 games that season.
Philadelphia Phillies (2013)
On January 28, 2013, Betancourt signed a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was invited to their spring training. However, the Phillies released him on March 24, 2013.
Return to Milwaukee (2013)
On March 26, 2013, Betancourt signed a one-year deal to return to the Milwaukee Brewers. In the first few weeks of the season, he was a leader in home runs in MLB. He played 137 games that year. His batting average and on-base percentage were the lowest of his career. After 2013, he did not play in MLB again. During his MLB career, Betancourt earned about $16 million.
Playing in Other Leagues
Orix Buffaloes (2014)
On January 28, 2014, Betancourt signed a one-year deal with the Orix Buffaloes. This team plays in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. He was released from the team on July 22, 2014, due to an injury.
Mexican Baseball League (2015–2018)
Betancourt also played for several teams in the Mexican Baseball League.
- On April 21, 2015, he signed with the Toros de Tijuana. He played 21 games before being released on April 29, 2015.
- On April 10, 2017, Betancourt signed with the Leones de Yucatán. He played 50 games for them.
- On March 11, 2018, Betancourt was traded to the Guerreros de Oaxaca. In 56 games, he had a very high batting average of .406.
Return to Cuba
In March 2019, it was reported that Betancourt had returned to Cuba. He joined the Santa Clara team in the Villa Clara Provincial League. This made him the first Cuban former MLB player to return to the Cuban national baseball system. Betancourt had said he wanted to finish his career playing for his hometown team, Villa Clara.
Images for kids
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Betancourt with the Kansas City Royals in 2009
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Betancourt playing for the Seattle Mariners in 2007.
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Betancourt during Brewers Spring Training in 2011
See also
- List of baseball players who defected from Cuba
