Julio Lugo
Encyclopedia
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
but is currently a free agent. He bats and throws right-handed. Lugo is the older brother of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Ruddy Lugo
Ruddy Lugo
Ruddy Joraider Lugo is a Dominican-American Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher in the Detroit Tigers organization. Lugo is the younger brother of Atlanta Braves shortstop Julio Lugo...
.
Baseball career
Lugo attended Fort Hamilton High SchoolFort Hamilton High School
Fort Hamilton High School is a public high school in Brooklyn, New York, USA, under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Education. Students in Bay Ridge, Sunset Park and Dyker Heights are zoned to Fort Hamilton HS. It has stood overlooking the Narrows and Lower New York Bay since...
in Brooklyn, New York, where he batted .350. He also played sandlot baseball for the Youth Service League in Brooklyn, New York whose alumni include Manny Ramírez
Manny Ramírez
Manuel "Manny" Arístides Ramírez Onelcida is a retired Dominican-American professional baseball outfielder. He was recognized for great batting skill and power, a nine-time Silver Slugger and one of 25 players to hit 500 career home runs. Ramirez's 21 grand slams are third all-time, and his 28...
and Shawon Dunston
Shawon Dunston
Shawon Donnell Dunston is a former shortstop and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball. He resides in Fremont, CA. He was the first overall pick in the 1982 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs, and played for the Cubs , San Francisco Giants , Pittsburgh Pirates , Cleveland Indians , St...
. Lugo starred at Connors State College
Connors State College
Connors State College is public college located in Warner and Muskogee, Oklahoma. Founded as an agricultural high school in 1908, it was soon converted to a school of agriculture. In 1958, the Oklahoma State Legislature once again changed its designation: this time to junior college. The school...
in Warner, Oklahoma
Warner, Oklahoma
Warner is a town in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,430 at the 2000 census. The town is also home to part of the Connors State College campus.-Geography:Warner is located at ....
prior to being drafted by the Astros in the 43rd round of the 1994 amateur draft. He signed with them on May 17, 1995.
After being released by the Astros
Astros
Astros in sports may refer to:*The Houston Astros, a Major League Baseball team*Astros , an American football team in Australia*Astros Field, now renamed Minute Maid ParkAstros may also refer to:...
in , Lugo played very briefly in Triple-A, but after a month was signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
. After spending three seasons with the Devil Rays, he was traded at the trade deadline, to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza.
On December 5, 2006, Lugo signed a four-year, $36 million contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
.
2007
Lugo was brought on to bat leadoff, but was moved by managerManager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Terry Francona
Terry Francona
Terry Jon Francona , nicknamed "Tito," is a former Major League Baseball manager and a former player. He was a first baseman and outfielder in the majors from 1981 to 1990. After retiring as a player, he managed several minor league teams in the 1990s before managing the Philadelphia Phillies for...
to the bottom part of the order primarily due to his inability to consistently get on base. From June 15 to July 3 Lugo went 0-31 from the plate. Since 1996, only one other Major League
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player with more than 250 at bats 80 games into the season has had a lower batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
: Greg Vaughn
Greg Vaughn
Gregory Lamont Vaughn is a former Major League Baseball left fielder and right-handed batter who played for the Milwaukee Brewers , San Diego Padres , Cincinnati Reds , Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Colorado Rockies . He was born in Sacramento, California, where he attended Kennedy High School...
, .163 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
in 2002.
After the first week of July 2007, Lugo turned his hitting performance around, compiling a 14-game hitting streak
Hitting streak
In baseball, a hitting streak refers to the number of consecutive official games in which a player gets at least one base hit.According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is ended when a player has at least 1 plate appearance and no hits...
on July 25, 2007. He was 24-for-54 (.444) during the career-best streak, raising his average from .189 to .226.
2008
As of July 5, 2008, Lugo had committed 16 errors, which not only led all big-league players, but was also nearly one-third of the 50 errors made by the Red Sox as a team. He was hitting .268 with one home run and 22 RBIs. Rookie shortstopShortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
Jed Lowrie
Jed Lowrie
Jed Carlson Lowrie is an American professional baseball infielder with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.-Baseball career:Lowrie was born on April 17, 1984 and later attended North Salem High School....
was called up from the Pawtucket Red Sox
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...
to fill in for Lugo while he was on the Disabled List
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
.
2009
On March 17, 2009, Lugo underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to repair a torn meniscusMeniscus
The meniscus is the curve in the upper surface of a liquid close to the surface of the container or another object, caused by surface tension. It can be either convex or concave. A convex meniscus occurs when the molecules have a stronger attraction to each other than to the material of the...
cartilage
Cartilage
Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...
. Lugo was expected to be out for three to four weeks. Upon his return, Lugo got off to a slow start and was on a day-to-day playing rotation with fellow shortstop Nick Green.
On July 17, 2009, Lugo was designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, and was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
for Chris Duncan
Chris Duncan
Christopher Edwin Duncan is a Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman who is currently a free agent.He is the youngest son of Dave Duncan, a former catcher and current pitching coach for the St. Louis Cardinals...
and cash considerations along with a player-to-be-named-later, or cash on July 22, 2009.
2010
On April 1, 2010, Lugo was traded to the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
for a player-to-be-named-later. He batted .249 in 241 at-bats, playing in 93 games.
2011
Lugo signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta BravesAtlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
on May 23, 2011. He had his contract purchased on June 21.
Personal life
Lugo and his wife Mabely have two sons: Josmael Aquiles and Julio Alejandro. The family splits the offseason between homes in Houston and the Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
.