Angel Miguel Villalona (born August 13, 1990) is a Dominican Republic

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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

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. He had been rated by many baseball websites as the

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' No. 1

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Career

San Francisco Giants

In August 2006, the

gave Villalona a club-record $2.1 million signing bonus. In 2007, they assigned him to extended spring training with the idea of sending him to rookie or short-season ball later in the minor league season. He was then assigned to the Arizona Giants of the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it fo ...

as a 3rd baseman, hitting .264 and with an OPS in excess of .800 through July 30, 2007. Villalona played 2008 with the

Augusta GreenJackets The Augusta GreenJackets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina. History Augusta was a member of the S ...

of the Single–A

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, and was named to the

2008 All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

. He played the year with the

San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark. Games San Jose Giants g ...

of the High–A

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

. On November 19, 2011, the Giants added Villalona to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

to avoid exposing him to the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. He was subsequently optioned to San Jose in March 2012 and placed back on the restricted list in April. The Giants reported on February 8, 2013, that Villalona's visa to come to the United States had been approved, and that once he arrived at their spring training camp at Scottsdale, the team would apply to the league for his reinstatement from the restricted list. Villalona played 44 games for the

Dominican Summer League Giants The Dominican Summer League Giants or DSL Giants are a minor league baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The team plays in the Boca Chica South division and is affiliated with the San Francisco Giants. History The team first came into ex ...

in 2012, batting .303, hitting seven home runs, and driving in 34 runs. In 2013, he played for San Jose, and played in the all-star game. He played for the

Richmond Flying Squirrels The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond. Th ...

of the Double–A Eastern League in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He also played the 2014 season with Richmond. After the 2014 season, the Giants outrighted Villalona off of their 40-man roster. He played the 2015 season with San Jose. Villalona spent the 2016 campaign back with Richmond, batting .143/.250/.232 with one home run and five RBI across 24 games. He elected free agency following the season on November 7, 2016.

Guelph Royals

On June 27, 2018, Villalona signed with the Guelph Royals of the

Intercounty Baseball League The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is a Canadian baseball league, comprising teams of college players and others from North America and beyond. The teams are located in Southern Ontario. The league was formed in 1919 and has enjoyed much succ ...

. In 5 games for the team, he went 8–for–22 (.364) with three RBI. Villalona played for the team during the 2019 season, as well, batting .345 with seven home runs and 27 RBI across 36 games. The team was eliminated from the playoffs during both seasons.

Personal life

On September 20, 2009, the Dominican Republic police announced that Villalona was a suspect in the murder of Mario Felix de Jesus Velete. He turned himself in, and could have faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted. In November 2009, Villalona was released on bond but still faced a murder charge. The victim's family asked a judge to drop the case, prompting his release, which appears related to a reported monetary settlement of approximately $139,000 that Villalona reached with the family of Mario Felix de Jesus Velete. He would have stayed in jail awaiting arraignment on the charge without the settlement, but the prosecutor still planned to pursue the case. He appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on April 27, 2010, to determine whether the case would go to trial. He was then free on bond, but his U.S. visa was subsequently revoked. The charge against him was dropped due to lack of evidence. According to ''

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'', the prosecutor said that "his star witness, a friend who accompanied the deceased person to the bar, disappeared after Villalona paid the victim's family to avoid a civil lawsuit". As well, Villanola had friends who had been at the scene vouching for his innocence. Villalona filed suit against the Giants for breach of contract in a Dominican court in early 2011, but settled the case out of court when the team reinstated him to its farm system. Villalona resumed professional play with the Dominican Summer League in June 2012.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Villalona, Angel Miguel Living people 1990 births Dominican Republic baseball players Baseball players from La Romana, Dominican Republic Arizona League Giants players Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players Augusta GreenJackets players San Jose Giants players Richmond Flying Squirrels players Azucareros del Este players Dominican Summer League Giants players Toros del Este players Scottsdale Scorpions players