| Omar Infante | |
|---|---|
Infante with the Braves in 2008 |
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| Miami Marlins – No. 12 | |
| Second Base | |
| Born: December 26, 1981 Puerto la Cruz, Anzoátegui, Venezuela |
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| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 7, 2002 for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Career statistics (through 2011) |
|
| Batting average | .275 |
| Home runs | 52 |
| Runs batted in | 317 |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
Omar Rafael Infante [in-FAHN-tay] (born December 26, 1981 in Puerto la Cruz, Anzoátegui, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball second baseman who is currently on the Miami Marlins. He bats and throws right-handed.
In his career, Infante is a .272 hitter with 46 home runs and 295 RBI in 892 games.
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Infante entered the 2003 season as the starting shortstop for the Detroit Tigers. Ramón Santiago, considered a better glove-man started the season at second base. Considered 2 of the Tigers better prospects, both proved overmatched; Infante hit only .222 with 0 home runs and 8 RBI in over 200 at-bats. Midway through the season, Tigers manager Alan Trammell sent Infante to the minor leagues for failiing to hustle on a consistent basis. Santiago switched to shortstop after Infante was sent down.
In 2004, Infante lost any chance to claim the starting shortstop role when the Tigers acquired Carlos Guillén, who went on to be an All-Star that year (Ramón Santiago had been included in the trade for Guillén) . With Guillén at shortstop and free agent acquisition Fernando Viña at second base, Infante was likely to spend much of the season in the minors. Then he received an opportunity in mid-May to play every day at second base when Viña was sidelined for the year by a hamstring injury. He responded by playing solid defense and hitting .264 with 16 home runs and 55 RBI in 142 games.
Infante's rebound in 2004 fueled speculation that he may one day become a star at second base. In 2005, however, he regressed, and the Tigers sought his replacement. In June of that year, the Tigers traded for Plácido Polanco, who had been filling a utility role with the Philadelphia Phillies. Polanco became the starting second baseman, and Infante moved to the bench.
Following his move to the bench, Infante played seven different positions during the 2007 season.
On November 12, 2007 Infante was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Jacque Jones. On December 4, 2007 Infante was traded again, this time along with Will Ohman to the Atlanta Braves for Jose Ascanio. A Cub for less than a month during the off-season, Infante never appeared in a game.
On January 12, 2009 Infante signed a two-year contract worth $4.3 million with the Atlanta Braves.[1]
National League manager Charlie Manuel selected Infante to the 2010 National League All-Star Team, earning Infante his first selection after proving to be one of the most valuable utility men in the National League. Infante was one of six Braves on the All-Star team.
After the 2010 season, Infante and reliever Michael Dunn were traded to the Florida Marlins for second baseman Dan Uggla.[2] On May 13, 2011, Infante helped the Marlins win with a great play as a baserunner. In the 11th inning, with the game tied at 5, the Marlins were playing the Nationals at Nationals Park. Infante was on first with two out. Greg Dobbs lined a double down the right-field line. Jayson Werth caught up to the ball as Infante rounded second and headed for third. Infante tried to score, but Werth had a gun to the plate. Ivan Rodriguez appeared to tag Infante, but Infante avoided the tag by pulling his hand back and as Rodriguez tried to tag Infante again, Infante put his hand onto the plate. Infante was called safe. Rodriguez argued, but replays showed that when Infante reached out, he just touched the plate with his fingertips. The Marlins went on to win 6-5. On September 27 it was announced that Infante and the Marlins had agreed on a two-year extension, worth around $8 million. [3]