Carlos Almanzar

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Carlos Manuel Almanzar Girón (b. November 6, 1973 in Santiago, Dominican Republic) is a pitcher currently in the Minor League system of the Boston Red Sox. Previously, he had pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, and Atlanta Braves.

Almanzar was involved in an infamous incident involving some Rangers teammates and Oakland Athletics fans on September 13, 2004, that ultimately resulted in teammate Frank Francisco throwing a chair into the stands and hitting a fan, causing her to suffer a cut. He was suspended briefly for the incident.^[1]^[2]

On October 4, 2005, Almanzar, who had missed most of the 2005 season due to a torn elbow ligament that required Tommy John surgery to repair, was suspended for 10 days by MLB authorities for failing a steroids test.^[3] He indicated that he would appeal the suspension.

Almanzar's 16-year-old son, Michael Almanzar, recently signed a deal with the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent. He was awarded with a signing bonus of $1.5 million, the largest signing bonus that the Red Sox have given to an international free agent ever. Michael currently plays shortstop but is projected to be a third baseman at the Major League level. He is expected to begin the 2008 season playing for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox.