José Miguel Fernández

José Miguel Fernández
Infielder
Born: (1988-04-27) April 27, 1988
Santa Clara, Cuba
Bats: Left Throws: Right

José Miguel Fernández (born May 27, 1988) is a Cuban professional baseball infielder.[1] He played for the Cuba national baseball team at the 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC).[2] He is awaiting clearance from Major League Baseball (MLB) to sign a free agent contract with one of its 30 clubs.

Professional career

Fernández played for Matanzas in the Cuban National Series (CNS).[3] In the 2014-15 season, he batted .326 with a .482 on-base percentage (OBP), .456 slugging percentage (SLG), 65 walks and 10 strikeouts in 314 plate appearances, ranking second in the league in OBP. Baseball America ranked him as the #3 Cuban player in April 2015.[4] With a notoriety as contact hitter, Fernández struck out 113 times in 2,580 career CNS plate appearances, a 4.3 percent rate, compared with a 10.1 percent walk rate (263 total walks). For his career in Cuba, Fernández batted .319 with a .403 OBP and .423 SLG. In the 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC), he took 21 turns at the plate, batting .524 with a .545 OBP and .667 SLG without striking out.[5]

He did not play in any professional games in 2015 – including the CNS – as he was suspended for previously attempting to defect from Cuba and remained under heavy police guard. On December 2, 2015, reports emerged that he had defected from Cuba. However, at that time, he had yet to establish residency in another country, and still required clearance from Major League Baseball (MLB) to sign a free agent contract with a major league club.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Cuba's latest crown baseball jewels
  2. ↑ Cuba World Baseball classic roster
  3. ↑ Badler, Ben (October 14, 2014). "Whereabouts of Cuban second baseman Jose Fernandez unknown". Baseball America. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  4. ↑ Badler, Ben (December 2, 2015). "Jose Miguel Fernandez leaves Cuba to pursue MLB deal". Baseball America. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Adams, Steve (December 2, 2015). "Second baseman Jose Miguel Fernandez leaves Cuba, seeks MLB deal". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

External links

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