Ramón Luis Vázquez (born August 21, 1976) is a Puerto Rican

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 ...

coach and a former infielder. He is currently the bench coach for 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 ...

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). Vázquez played in MLB 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 ...

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 ...

, Red Sox,

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 ...

, Texas Rangers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. As a player, he was listed as tall and ; he batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

Playing career

Vázquez attended Barrio Valle Real High School in

Cidra, Puerto Rico Cidra () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central region of the island, north of Cayey; south of Comerío and Aguas Buenas; east of Aibonito and Barranquitas; and west of Caguas. Cidra is spread over 12 barrios and ...

and

Indian Hills Community College Indian Hills Community College (IHCC) is a public community college in Iowa with campuses in Ottumwa and Centerville. IHCC serves both traditional residential students and commuter students, primarily from a ten-county area in southeast Iowa as ...

in Centerville, Iowa. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 27th round (734th overall) of the

1995 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Background Outfielder Darin Erstad of the University of Nebraska was the first pick in the 1995 Rule 4 Draft. Erstad ...

. Vázquez debuted with the Mariners in 2001. Following the 2001 season, he was traded with

Tom Lampkin Thomas Michael Lampkin (born March 4, 1964) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played in , –, and –. Career Lampkin was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Mike and Shirley Lampkin and grew up in Clyde Hill, Washington. He was one of f ...

Brett Tomko Brett Daniel Tomko (born April 7, 1973) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Los Ange ...

and cash to the

for

Alex Arias Alejandro Arias (born November 20, 1967) is an American former professional baseball infielder, who played Major League Baseball from 1992 to 2002. In his career, Arias played for the Chicago Cubs (), Florida Marlins (–), Philadelphia Phillies ...

, Ben Davis and Wascar Serrano. Following the 2004 season, Vázquez was traded with

David Pauley David Wayne Pauley (born June 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Pauley pitched for five Major League Baseball (MLB) teams from 2006 to 2012. He batted and threw right-handed. Career Early life Pauley is a graduate of ...

, Jay Payton and cash to the

for Dave Roberts. On July 7, 2005, he was traded by the Red Sox to the

for Alex Cora. Vázquez became a minor league

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 ...

after the 2006 season, and on November 17, 2006, signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. Midseason injuries to Rangers

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 ...

Hank Blalock and second baseman

Ian Kinsler Ian Michael Kinsler ( he, איאן קינסלר; born June 22, 1982) is an American-Israeli former professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for ...

forced Vázquez into an everyday role for the first time since the 2003 season. On August 22, 2007, Vazquez had seven RBI with two homers in a record-setting 30–3 win over 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 ...

. On May 12, 2008, against his former team, the Seattle Mariners, Vázquez hit a

walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will no ...

in the 10th inning off

Brandon Morrow Brandon John Morrow (born July 26, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. Amateu ...

. On July 29, 2008, Vázquez victimized the Mariners again with last at-bat heroics. After his third

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

of the game allowed the Mariners to take a 10–9 lead in the top of the 9th, Vázquez doubled to right-center field off Mariners closer J. J. Putz, just out of Ichiro's reach, to drive in 2 runs as the Rangers won the game 11–10. On December 12, 2008, Vázquez signed a two-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ramón also participated in the

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international baseball competition. It began on 5 9 and finished 5 26. Unlike in 2006, when the round-robin format of the first two rounds led to some eliminations being decided by run-difference tie ...

, representing Puerto Rico, where he played third base. On April 4, 2010, in a last-minute roster move, Vazquez was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Pirates, and was released four days later. Vazquez signed a minor league contract with the

on April 16, 2010. He was later released on June 16, 2010. He signed on to play with the Houston Astros Triple-A affiliate Round Rock Express on June 24, 2010. After signing a minor league contract with 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 ...

for 2011, he was released on June 1. He signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

on June 19. He was released on July 22. On August 15, he signed a minor league contract with the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

Managing and coaching career

After retiring as an active player, Vázquez was recruited as a minor league instructor by the Houston Astros. During the 2014 season, he served as the hitting coach of the Rookie-class

Gulf Coast League Astros The Florida Complex League Astros are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Houston Astros, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Astros. The team plays ...

. The following season, Vázquez served as an infield development specialist for the

Lancaster JetHawks The Lancaster JetHawks were a baseball team located in Lancaster, California. They were named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and played their home games at The Hangar. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League ...

in the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

California League. On November 19, 2015, Vázquez was named interim manager of the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the

Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (LBPRC) is the main professional baseball league in Puerto Rico; it is colloquially referred to as the Puerto Rican Winter League. Consisting of seven teams as of the 2020–21 season, the league's ...

(Puerto Rican Winter League), replacing Pedro López in the office. Despite being the defending champions, the team had stalled and was last in the standings with a record of 4–10 when he took charge of it. Under Vázquez, the Cangrejeros made a comeback and were able to classify to the postseason in second place, guaranteeing him the office for the rest of the season. There, the team was paired against the Criollos de Caguas in the semifinals, winning a series of close games to advance. In the finals, Vázquez managed the team to its second consecutive championship, defeating the

Indios de Mayagüez The Indios de Mayagüez (Mayagüez Indians) are a baseball team in Puerto Rico's Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League, in Spanish). Based in Mayagüez, the ''Indios'' have won 18 national ...

despite falling behind early in the series. Ultimately, Santurce managed to clinch the series by picking up the first visitor win of the series, allowing them to play a decisive outing in their home field, the

Hiram Bithorn Stadium Hiram Bithorn Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Hiram Bithorn) is a baseball park in San Juan, Puerto Rico, built in 1962 and designed by Puerto Rican architect Pedro Miranda. It is operated by the municipal government of the city of San Juan. Its name ho ...

. In 2016, Vázquez returned to the Lancaster JetHawks as their manager for their 20th anniversary season. In 2017, he joined the San Diego Padres as a coach, working primarily with infielders. In 2018, Vázquez joined the Boston Red Sox as a uniformed member of the coaching staff, under manager Alex Cora. During their playing days, Vázquez and Cora had been traded for each other in 2005. Through the 2020 season, Vázquez coordinated statistical analysis and advanced scouting data. On November 20, 2020, his role was updated to that of quality control coach / interpreter. In the first-half of August 2021, Vázquez filled in as Boston's first base coach for several games, following the quarantining of regular first base coach

Tom Goodwin Thomas Jones Goodwin (born July 27, 1968) is an American professional baseball coach and former player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 14 seasons, primarily as a center fielder, from 1991 to 2004. As a player, he was listed at and ...

, who was deemed to be a close contact with bench coach Will Venable after the latter had a positive

COVID-19 test COVID-19 testing involves analyzing samples to assess the current or past presence of SARS-CoV-2. The two main types of tests detect either the presence of the virus or antibodies produced in response to infection. Molecular tests for viral p ...

. On August 30, Vázquez himself tested positive. Near the end of September, Vázquez took over as Boston's first base coach in preparation for the playoffs, as MLB mandated that only COVID-vaccinated staff would be allowed in dugouts and on the field during the 2021 postseason, and Boston's regular first base coach (Goodwin) was not in compliance. In December 2021, Vázquez was named the first base coach of the Red Sox. On November 29, 2022, Vazquez was named the bench coach of the Red Sox.

Personal life

Vázquez and his wife, Griselda, have two children. They reside in

Lancaster, California Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 173,516, making Lancaster the 153rd largest city in the United ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vazquez, Ramon 1976 births Living people Arizona League Mariners players Boston Red Sox coaches Boston Red Sox players Bridgeport Bluefish players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cleveland Indians players Everett AquaSox players Indian Hills Falcons baseball players Lake Elsinore Storm players Lancaster JetHawks players Las Vegas 51s players Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Memphis Redbirds players New Haven Ravens players New Orleans Zephyrs players Oklahoma RedHawks players People from Aibonito, Puerto Rico People from Centerville, Iowa People from Lancaster, California Portland Beavers players Pittsburgh Pirates players Round Rock Express players San Diego Padres coaches San Diego Padres players Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Rainiers players Texas Rangers players Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players 2009 World Baseball Classic players