Elieser Marrero (born November 17, 1973), is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player. Marrero started his career as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

, but spent time at first base,

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

and in the

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball a ...

Playing career

Marrero was selected in the third round of the June 1993 MLB draft by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

. He missed much of the 2000 season due to

thyroid cancer Thyroid cancer is cancer that develops from the tissues of the thyroid gland. It is a disease in which cells grow abnormally and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body. Symptoms can include swelling or a lump in the neck. C ...

. During that time, he lost his job as the starting catcher for the Cardinals, so when he returned he started logging time in the outfield and at first, in addition to occasional duty behind the plate. While with the Cardinals, Marrero caught

Bud Smith Robert Allan "Bud" Smith (born October 23, 1979) is an American retired baseball pitcher. Smith was active at the major league level in 2001 and 2002, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. Minor leagues In 2000, Smith led the minor league Cardin ...

's no-hitter on September 3, 2001. The Cardinals traded Marrero to the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

in December 2003 as part of a package for

pitchers In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a ...

Jason Marquis Jason Scott Marquis (; born August 21, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, Ariz ...

and rookie prospect

Adam Wainwright Adam Parrish Wainwright (born August 30, 1981), nicknamed "Waino" and "Uncle Charlie", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Atlanta Braves selected him 29th overall in th ...

, where he hit .415 against

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...

pitchers as a platoon outfielder. Following the 2004 season, the Braves dealt him to the Kansas City Royals, who were in need of a power-hitting corner outfielder, in exchange for minor-league pitcher Jorge Vasquez. He saw action at all three outfield positions and first base, but hit only .159 in 32 games. The Royals designated him for assignment on May 31, 2005, giving them 10 days to trade or release him. On June 8, the Royals traded him to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

for minor-league infielder

Peter Maestrales Peter Maestrales (born 4 July 1979) is CEO and founder of Airstream Jets, a Worldwide On-Demand Air Charter & Aircraft Management Company founded in 2008 with headquarters at (KBCT) Boca Raton Airport in Boca Raton, Florida. Maestrales attended t ...

. On June 9, 2006, while playing for the AAA affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, Marrero was traded to the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

for infielder Kaz Matsui. On July 2, 2006, Marrero saw his first Major League action at

, playing two innings there for the Mets. On August 8, 2006, he was designated for assignment. On November 28, 2006, Marrero was signed to a minor league deal by the St. Louis Cardinals. On May 21, 2007, Marrero was released by the

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

, the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate, after just one game.

Post-playing career

In July 2011, Marrero was named the batting coach of the

Billings Mustangs The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Dehler ...

. Marrero was the manager of the

Arizona League Reds The Arizona Complex League Reds are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. The team is composed ...

for the 2013 season. On December 1, 2014, Marrero was named manager of the Reds Class A-Advanced affiliate, the

Daytona Tortugas The Daytona Tortugas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and play their home games at Jackie Robinson Ballpark; opened in ...

. Marrero was with the Tortugas until late in the 2017 season.

Personal life

Marrero is the uncle of professional baseball players

Chris Marrero Christopher Marrero (born July 2, 1988) is a Cuban-American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played for the Washington Nationals and the San Francisco Giants in Major League Baseball (MLB) and for the Orix Buffaloes of ...

and Deven Marrero. Marrero's son Elih was a 29th round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in the

2015 MLB draft Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

, but he elected to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univer ...

. Elih later transferred to St. Thomas University in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, and was selected by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

in the eighth round of the 2018 MLB draft.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marrero, Eli 1973 births Living people Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States St. Louis Cardinals players Atlanta Braves players Baltimore Orioles players Kansas City Royals players Colorado Rockies players New York Mets players Memphis Redbirds players Greenville Braves players Richmond Braves players Arkansas Travelers players St. Petersburg Cardinals players Savannah Cardinals players Louisville Redbirds players Johnson City Cardinals players Minor league baseball managers Baseball players from Havana Cuban emigrants to the United States Leones de Ponce players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico Coral Gables Senior High School alumni