Raúl Chávez

Raúl Chávez
Raúl Chávez
	Chávez with the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees
	Catcher
	Born: March 18, 1973 (age 51); Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
	August 30, 1996, for the Montreal Expos
Last MLB appearance
	September 24, 2009, for the Toronto Blue Jays
MLB statistics
Batting average	.231
Home runs	7
Runs batted in	65
Teams
	Montreal Expos (1996–1997); Seattle Mariners (1998); Houston Astros (2000, 2002–2005); Baltimore Orioles (2006); Pittsburgh Pirates (2008); Toronto Blue Jays (2009);

Raúl Alexander Chávez (born March 18, 1973) is a Venezuelan former baseball catcher. He bats and throws right-handed.

Career

Chávez played for the Montreal Expos (1996–1997), Seattle Mariners (1998), Houston Astros (2000, 2002–2005), Baltimore Orioles (2006), Pittsburgh Pirates (2008), and Toronto Blue Jays (2009). He also played in the New York Yankees minor league system in 2007.

Pittsburgh Pirates

In 2008, he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He declined a minor league assignment on December 10, 2008, becoming a free agent.

Toronto Blue Jays

On December 22, he signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays. He did not make the 25-man Jays' roster out of spring training, and was assigned to Triple A Las Vegas 51s. But an injury to Michael Barrett on April 17 sent Barrett to the disabled list, and Chavez was called up to the Blue Jays the next day to fill the roster spot. He made his 2009 debut catching Ricky Romero at Rogers Centre in Toronto on April 19, in a 1–0 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Chávez is known for his defense, specifically his exceptional arm, and is considered to call a solid game. On June 6, 2009, Chavez hit his first home run for the Toronto Blue Jays, giving them a 2–0 lead over the Kansas City Royals. On December 11, 2009, the Blue Jays declined to tender Chavez a contract, however two days later they signed him to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

New York Mets

On January 14, 2011, the New York Mets signed Chávez to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.^[1] He spent the season with the Buffalo Bisons before retiring.

References

^ Bollinger, Rhett (January 14, 2011). "Mets sign catcher Chavez to Minors deal". MLB.com. Retrieved January 15, 2011.

External links

Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)

[1] Bollinger, Rhett (January 14, 2011). "Mets sign catcher Chavez to Minors deal". MLB.com. Retrieved January 15, 2011.

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