| Héctor Giménez | |
|---|---|
| Free Agent | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: September 28, 1982 | |
| Bats: Switch | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 25, 2006 for the Houston Astros | |
| Career statistics (through 2011 season) |
|
| Batting average | .143 |
| Hits | 1 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Teams | |
Héctor Eliner Giménez [Ec-tor he-MEH-nes] (born September 28, 1982 in San Felipe, Venezuela) is a catcher in Major League Baseball. Giménez is a switch hitter and throws right-handed.
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Giménez was signed by the Houston Astros as an amateur free agent in 1999. He spent two years in the Venezuelan Summer League before joining the Astros U.S. based minor league system. At one point, Giménez was ranked the best defensive catcher in the Houston Astros system, according to Baseball America. In 2005, he led the Corpus Christi Hooks with 58 RBI and earned Texas League All-Star honors. He hit .273 (75-for-275) with eight home runs and 37 RBI in 76 games for the Round Rock Express in his first season at the Triple-A level in 2006.
He made his major league debut with the Astros on September 25, 2006 striking out as a pinch hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. He made one other major league appearance, also as a pinch hitter, against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 27 and groundout to the shortstop.
On February 26, 2007, Giménez decided to have surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and as a result, missed the entire 2007 season.
On November 27, 2007, he signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays that included an invitation to spring training. He split the season between the A+ Vero Beach Devil Rays and the AAA Durham Bulls and then became a free agent at the end of the season.
He signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates in January 2009 and split the season between the AA Altoona Curve and AAA Indianapolis Indians. In 2010 he was with Altoona for the whole season and hit .305 in 94 games with 16 home runs, his highest total in any of his professional seasons.
He signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in November 2010 but on November 19 he was purchased by the Dodgers and added to their 40-man roster. He appeared as a pinch hitter for the Dodgers on April 1, 2011, his first appearance in the Majors since 2006 with the Astros. He made his first career start the following day against the San Francisco Giants, and also recorded his first Major League hit, a single to left field in the seventh inning off Javier López. After appearing in four games, he was placed on the disabled list on April 10 and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.[1] He was activated off the DL on June 10 and outrighted to the AA Chattanooga Lookouts. He appeared in 66 games with the Lookouts, hitting .286 with 11 home runs and 54 RBI.