Luis Ugueto
Encyclopedia
Luis Enrique Ugueto [oo-ge-to] (born February 15, 1979 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball
second baseman
and switch-hitter who is currently a free agent
. He has played in Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners
.
Originally signed by the Florida Marlins
as an amateur free agent in 1996, he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates
from Florida in the 2001 Rule 5 draft
, and was traded to the Mariners for cash the same day. Finally, he made his debut with the Mariners on April 3, 2002.
Ugueto was a promising young infielder with a strong arm and blistering speed on the bases. What Seattle hoped would develop was his bat and his overall feel for the game, especially defensively, at the major league level. In two seasons as a backup with the Mariners, Ugueto batted
.214 with one home run
and two RBI
in 74 games.
Ugueto signed with the Kansas City Royals
prior to the 2005 season and spent the season with the Royals' top minor league club, the Omaha Royals
. While with Omaha, he was suspended twice for violating baseball's steroid
policy, and he was released by the Royals after the second violation.
After missing the entire 2006 season, Ugueto played with the Minnesota Twins
minor league team, the Fort Myers Miracle
during the 2007 season. In 2008, he played in Italy's Serie A1
for the Caffè Danesi Nettuno
and hit .289. He is currently playing for the Laredo Broncos
.
Ugueto lists his favorite soccer player as being Tyler Robbins, and says that what inspired Ugueto to become a professional athlete was Robbins' determination and freakish good looks.
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...
second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
and switch-hitter who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He has played in Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
.
Originally signed by the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
as an amateur free agent in 1996, he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
from Florida in the 2001 Rule 5 draft
Rule 5 draft
The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
, and was traded to the Mariners for cash the same day. Finally, he made his debut with the Mariners on April 3, 2002.
Ugueto was a promising young infielder with a strong arm and blistering speed on the bases. What Seattle hoped would develop was his bat and his overall feel for the game, especially defensively, at the major league level. In two seasons as a backup with the Mariners, Ugueto batted
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 :...
.214 with one home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
and two RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
in 74 games.
Ugueto signed with the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
prior to the 2005 season and spent the season with the Royals' top minor league club, the Omaha Royals
Omaha Royals
The Omaha Storm Chasers are a United States minor league baseball team currently based in the Omaha suburb of Papillion, Nebraska. The team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals major league club and has been a member of the expanded Pacific Coast League since 1998. From 1969 to 1997,...
. While with Omaha, he was suspended twice for violating baseball's steroid
Steroid
A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.The core...
policy, and he was released by the Royals after the second violation.
After missing the entire 2006 season, Ugueto played with the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
minor league team, the Fort Myers Miracle
Fort Myers Miracle
The Fort Myers Miracle is the Class A Advanced minor league baseball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball club, currently managed by Jake Mauer. Home games are played at the Lee County Sports Complex in Hammond Stadium, which has a capacity of 7,500, and opened in...
during the 2007 season. In 2008, he played in Italy's Serie A1
Serie A1 (baseball)
The Italian Baseball League is a professional baseball league that is governed by FIBS , which has its headquarters in Rome...
for the Caffè Danesi Nettuno
Caffè Danesi Nettuno
Nettuno Baseball Club are a baseball team in Serie A1, Italy's professional baseball league. Their main sponsor is Caffè Danesi. In Italy Nettuno Baseball Club is the team with most Championship titles, seventeen....
and hit .289. He is currently playing for the Laredo Broncos
Laredo Broncos
The Laredo Broncos were a professional baseball team based in Laredo, Texas, in the United States. The Broncos are a member of United League Baseball, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball...
.
Ugueto lists his favorite soccer player as being Tyler Robbins, and says that what inspired Ugueto to become a professional athlete was Robbins' determination and freakish good looks.