Adeiny Hechavarría Barrera (born April 15, 1989) is a Cuban professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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

for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for 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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

Miami 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

, and

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

. He has also played in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba, Chiba, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings, Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. The Marines were a founding member of the Pacific Le ...

Early life

Hechavarria was born in

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

in Cuba to Diosmede and Mirta Hechavarria. He has an older brother, Alien. Hechavarria participated in a Pan American tournament in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

in 2006, and played shortstop for the Cuban Junior National team in 2008. In 2009, he defected to

on a boat with 11 others. Agents and other representatives of the

watched him play in workouts in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

, and signed him after his visa paperwork went through in 2010.

Professional career

Toronto Blue Jays

On April 13, 2010, Hechavarria signed a four-year, $10 million contract with the

. He was assigned to extended spring training and first appeared in a game 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 Ballpark, ...

of the High–A

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

. On June 30, 2010, Hechavarria was promoted to the Double-A

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League, is the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Ja ...

of the Eastern League, where he recorded a .273 batting average and .303

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batting (baseball), batter reaches base (baseball), base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA ...

. On August 4, 2012, Hechavarria was called up to the Toronto Blue Jays active roster for the first time. Hechavarria had a .312

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

and had scored 78 runs in 102 games with the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

(PCL). He appeared in the

Triple-A All-Star Game The Triple-A All-Star Game was an annual baseball game held from 1988 to 2019 between professional players from the affiliated Triple-A leagues of Minor League Baseball. These leagues were the International League (IL) and Pacific Coast League (P ...

for the PCL. Hechavarria played third base in his debut due to Brett Lawrie's oblique strain. Hechavarria finished his debut 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and one walk. Hechavarria recorded his first career hit on August 7, against the

. Hechavarria was returned to Las Vegas on August 25, when

Yunel Escobar Yunel Escobar Almenares (born November 2, 1982) is a Cuban-born American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Na ...

returned to the Jays from paternity leave. Hechavarria was recalled on August 26 when José Bautista and David Cooper were added to the disabled list. Hechavarria hit his first career home run, a solo shot off starter Phil Hughes, in a game against the

on August 28, 2012.

Miami Marlins

On November 19, 2012, Hechavarria was traded to the

along with Henderson Álvarez,

Jeff Mathis Jeffrey Stephen Mathis (born March 31, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Toronto Blue Jays, Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Range ...

, Jake Marisnick, Anthony DeSclafani, and Justin Nicolino, in exchange for

Mark Buehrle Mark Alan Buehrle (; born March 23, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Chicago White Sox, playing twelve seasons for the team and winning the World ...

, Josh Johnson, José Reyes, John Buck, and Emilio Bonifacio. On January 29, 2013, Hechavarria was named number 82 on MLB's Top Prospects list. Hechavarria was the Marlins' starting shortstop for the first 14 games of the 2013 season until he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore throwing arm. He was activated from the disabled list on May 2. On May 5, Hechavarria hit a bases-loaded triple and a grand slam against

Roy Halladay Harry Leroy Halladay III (May 14, 1977 – November 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies between 1998 and 2013. His nickname, "Doc ...

of the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. On June 8, Hechavarria had an RBI single off Shaun Marcum to score

Plácido Polanco Plácido Enrique Polanco (; born October 10, 1975) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins. He was ...

in what would be the game winner, as the Marlins beat the

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 club of the National League (NL) East Division. They are one of two major l ...

in 20 innings. Overall, Hechavarria appeared in 148 games for Miami during the 2013 season. He batted .227./.267/.298, with 3 home runs and 42 runs batted in. He also recorded 8 triples and went 11–for–21 in stolen base attempts. Hechavarria played in 146 games during the 2014 season. His average climbed to .276, 49 percentage points higher than the previous season. He had one home run, 34 runs batted in, and 10 triples. In 2015, Hechavarria made 130 appearances for the Marlins. He batted .281, hit 5 homers, and drove in 48 runs. He was named the National League Player of the Week on April 26 after posting a .500 batting average and 10 RBI during the preceding week. During the 2016 season, Hechavarria appeared in 155 games. His batting average fell to .236. He had three home runs and 38 runs batted in. His .311 slugging percentage was the lowest of all qualified major league batters. He also had the lowest Isolated Power of all MLB players in 2016, at .075. On May 10, 2017, Hechavarria went on the disabled list with a strained oblique muscle. In mid-June he played in 10 rehab games.

Tampa Bay Rays

On June 26, 2017, the Marlins traded Hechavarria to the

for minor leaguers Braxton Lee and Ethan Clark. Hechavarria finished the year with a .267 batting average and a career high 8 home runs. On April 26, 2018, Hechavarria broke Chris Gomez's 2002 franchise record by recording 242 consecutive chances without an error. He also owns the Rays franchise record for 71 consecutive games without an error. On August 1, 2018, Hechavarria was designated for assignment to clear space for the newly acquired

Tommy Pham Thomas James Pham (born March 8, 1988) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, Cin ...

Pittsburgh Pirates

On August 6, 2018, Hechavarria was acquired by the

in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Matt Seelinger. The Pirates also received cash considerations in the trade.

New York Yankees

On August 31, 2018, the Pirates traded Hechavarria to the

for a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

. On October 3, 2018, Hechavarria played in his first ever postseason game, the

2018 American League Wild Card Game The 2018 American League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2018 postseason contested between the American League's (AL) two wild card teams, the New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics. The game took plac ...

. He entered the game in the sixth inning as a defensive replacement for Miguel Andújar.

New York Mets

On February 18, 2019, Hechavarria signed a minor league, spring training invite deal with the

. On May 3, Hechavarria triggered an opt-out clause in his deal, and the Mets selected his contract to their MLB roster. He was designated for assignment on August 9 to make room for newly signed second baseman

Joe Panik Joseph Matthew Panik (born October 30, 1990) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Miami Marlins. Panik was an Al ...

. He was released on August 14. With the Mets in 2019 he batted .204/.252/.359 with five home runs and 18 RBIs.

Atlanta Braves

On August 16, 2019, the

signed Hechavarria to fill the Braves' shortstop vacancy with Dansby Swanson on the injured list. In 2018 with the Braves he batted .328/.400/.639 in 61 at bats with four home runs and 15 RBIs. With both teams combined, in 2019 he batted .241/.299/.443 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs. On January 16, 2020, the Braves re-signed Hechavarría to a one-year deal worth $1 million. In 2020 he batted .254/.302/.305 with seven runs, no home runs, and two RBIs in 59 at bats, playing second base primarily, as well as third base and shortstop.

Chiba Lotte Marines

On December 25, 2020, Hechavarria signed with the

on a one-year, $970K contract. On April 30, 2021, Hechavarria made his NPB debut. He played in 79 games for the team in 2021, slashing .203/.222/.314 with 4 home runs and 24 RBI. In 2022, Hechavarria hit .222/.251/.300 with 2 home runs, 20 RBI, and four stolen bases.

Atlanta Braves (second stint)

On January 30, 2023, Hechavarria signed a minor league contract with the

organization. Hechavarria went 1-for-11 in spring training before he was released by the Braves on March 22.

Long Island Ducks

On April 11, 2023, Hechavarria signed with the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "par ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. In 38 games for the Ducks, Hechavarria hit .297/.382/.538 with 7 home runs and 34 RBI.

Kansas City Royals

On June 16, 2023, Hechavarria's contract was purchased by the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

organization. In 36 games for the Triple–A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, Nebraska, Omah ...

, he batted .221/.291/.425 with 6 home runs and 24 RBI. On August 14, Hechavarria was released by Kansas City.

Olmecas de Tabasco

On January 8, 2024, Hechavarria signed with the Olmecas de Tabasco of the

. In 70 games for Tabasco, he batted .249/.312/.414 with eight home runs and 25 RBI. On December 11, 2024, Hechavarria was traded to the

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team plays its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in 1957 ...

of the

in exchange for Rubén Tejada. He was released by the Leones on March 31. On April 18, Hechavarria re-signed with Tabasco.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hechavarria, Adeiny 1989 births Living people Atlanta Braves players Avispas de Santiago de Cuba players Defecting Cuban baseball players Dunedin Blue Jays players Jupiter Hammerheads players Las Vegas 51s players Long Island Ducks players Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in Canada Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball shortstops Miami Marlins players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players New York Mets players New York Yankees players Omaha Storm Chasers players Peoria Javelinas players Phoenix Desert Dogs players Pittsburgh Pirates players Baseball players from Santiago de Cuba Syracuse Mets players Tampa Bay Rays players Toronto Blue Jays players Chiba Lotte Marines players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico Gigantes de Carolina (baseball) players

Early life

Professional career

Toronto Blue Jays

Miami Marlins

Tampa Bay Rays

Pittsburgh Pirates

New York Yankees

New York Mets

Atlanta Braves

Chiba Lotte Marines

Atlanta Braves (second stint)

Long Island Ducks

Kansas City Royals

Olmecas de Tabasco

See also

References

External links