Maicer Eduardo Izturis (; born September 12, 1980) is a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

infielder. During his career he played for the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

, and the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

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), ...

(MLB). Izturis is the half brother of

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

César Izturis César David Izturis (; born February 10, 1980) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball shortstop. He is the half-brother of shortstop Maicer Izturis. Career Toronto Blue Jays Signed by the Toronto Blue Jays as an amateur free agent in ...

and minor league shortstop Julio Izturis.

Professional career

Montreal Expos

Izturis was signed by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

as a non-drafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on April 1, 1998. He, and

Ryan Church Ryan Matthew Church (born October 14, 1978) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the Montreal Expos / Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Career Minors Drafte ...

were traded to the

for Scott Stewart on January 5, 2004. In 2004, Izturis hit .338 with three

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 36 RBI for the Triple-A

Edmonton Trappers The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in Edmonton, Alberta. They were a part of the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Their home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton. T ...

before being promoted to the Major League level with the Montreal Expos. He registered a

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

in his August 27, 2004 debut, singling off

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

right-hander

Dennis Tankersley Dennis Lee Tankersley (born February 24, 1979) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. From 2002 through 2004, Tankersley played for the San Diego Padres. He batted and threw right-handed. Career Tankersley was originally drafted by the Bosto ...

in the second inning. In 32 games with the Expos, Izturis hit .206 (22-for-107) with one home run and 14 RBI.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

On November 19, 2004, Izturis was traded to the

along with

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

Juan Rivera for outfielder

José Guillén José Manuel Guillén (pronounced ; born May 17, 1976) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. Guillén played for ten Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in his career. Professional career Pittsburgh Pirates Guillén was signed b ...

. Though a

by trade,

Gold Glove The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

winner

Orlando Cabrera Orlando Luis Cabrera Ramírez, nicknamed "O-Cab" and "The OC", (born November 2, 1974) is a Colombian-American former baseball infielder. He won a World Series championship in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox. He also played for the Montreal Exp ...

was already at shortstop on the Angels roster, relegating Izturis to the role of a

utility infielder In baseball, a utility player is a player who typically does not have the offensive abilities to justify a regular starting role on the team but is capable of playing more than one defensive position. These players are able to give the various s ...

. After the placement of veteran

Darin Erstad Darin Charles Erstad (; born June 4, 1974) is an American former professional baseball player and the former head coach of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball, baseball team. Erstad spent most of his playing caree ...

on the disabled list, the Angels moved star utilityman

Chone Figgins Desmond DeChone Figgins (; ; born January 22, 1978) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle Mariners, and Los Angeles Dodgers ...

center field A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

during the 2006 campaign, and Izturis emerged as the club's starting

third baseman 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 ...

, until the Angels signed Gary Matthews, Jr. to start in center field for the 2007 season, forcing Figgins back to third base. In a game against the

on July 17, 2006, he had a career high four hits in one game, going 4–5 with 1 RBI and 3 runs. On January 25, 2010, the Angels signed Izturis to a three-year contract worth $10 million, avoiding arbitration. '' FanGraphs Matthew Carruth called it a "fantastic deal" at "an insanely discounted rate" estimating his market value at about $20 million over three years. '' Baseball Prospectus'' called the deal a good 'insurance policy', adding, "he's a good enough offensive contributor to add value whatever the position among second, short, and third, and a good enough defender at any of them to be playable". After Scot Shields' retirement following the 2010 season, as well as the trade of Juan Rivera to the

, Izturis became the longest-tenured Angel.

Toronto Blue Jays

On November 8, 2012, the

announced that they had signed the free agent Izturis to a three-year $9 million deal with a $3 million club option for 2016. His option has a $1 million buyout. On August 1, 2013, Izturis returned to

Angel Stadium of Anaheim Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a baseball stadium located in Anaheim, California. Since its opening in 1966, it has served as the home ballpark of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), and was also the home stadium to the Los Ange ...

for the first time as a visitor, and was greeted with warm cheers from the Angel fans. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 22 with a sprained left ankle. Ryan Goins was called up to replace Izturis. He was moved to the 60-day disabled list on August 24, effectively ending his first season as a Blue Jay. Izturis batted .236 in 2013 with 5 home runs and 32 RBI in 107 games. On April 13, 2014, in the final game of a three-game series against 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 ...

, he had to be scratched from the lineup shortly before the start of the game after tripping on the dugout stairs. Izturis told the team he heard two loud pops when he tripped, and was taken for an MRI the following day. The MRI determined that he had torn his lateral collateral ligament in his left knee, and would require surgery. Izturis told reporters he would seek a second opinion before undergoing surgery, as the expected recovery time of 4–6 months would likely sideline him for the rest of the 2014 season. He was later put on the 60-day disabled list. In 11 games in 2014, Izturis batted .286 with 1 RBI. Izturis suffered a groin strain near the end of 2015 spring training, and opened the 2015 season on the 15-day disabled list. On May 1, he was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. Izturis began a rehab assignment with the

Dunedin Blue Jays The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpar ...

in mid-May, but was shut down on May 23 after diving to make a play and injuring his shoulder. On May 30, it was announced that he had suffered a tear in his shoulder. Izturis underwent surgery to repair the tear in his shoulder in mid-June, and missed the remainder of the 2015 season. On November 3, Izturis's option for 2016 was declined by the Blue Jays, making him a free agent. On January 29, 2016, Izturis signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays that included an invitation to spring training. He would have earned $900,000 for the season if added to the 40-man roster, and incentives based on plate appearances could have totaled an additional $100,000. However, on March 4, 2016, Izturis announced his retirement from baseball, stating "I put my heart, my soul and my body into it this year to see how I was going to feel, but my body couldn't handle it anymore. So I decided this is the last time I'm going to be playing baseball.". His retirement left

Bartolo Colón Bartolo Colón (born May 24, 1973), nicknamed "Big Sexy," is a Dominican-American professional baseball pitcher. He has played for 11 different Major League Baseball (MLB) teams: the Cleveland Indians (1997–2002), Montreal Expos (2002), Chicago ...

as the last active

player.

Personal life

During his career Izturis spoke to the English-speaking press through an interpreter. In his retirement, he runs an academy in

Barquisimeto, Venezuela Barquisimeto (; guc, Watkisimeeta) is a city in Venezuela. It is the capital of the state of Lara and head of Iribarren Municipality. It is an important urban, industrial, commercial and transportation center of the country, recognized as the fou ...

with his half brother Cesar. His half nephew Cesar Daniel is a minor league prospect for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

References

External links

, o
RetrosheetVenezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Izturis, Maicer 1980 births Living people Akron Aeros players Bravos de Margarita players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Burlington Indians players (1986–2006) Caribes de Anzoátegui players Columbus RedStixx players Edmonton Trappers players Kinston Indians players Leones del Caracas players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Montreal Expos players Pastora de los Llanos players Sportspeople from Barquisimeto Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Salt Lake Bees players Salt Lake Stingers players Tiburones de La Guaira players Toronto Blue Jays players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States