Freddy Antonio Fermín (born May 16, 1995) is a Venezuelan 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 ...

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 catc ...

for 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 ...

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).

Career

Fermín signed with the

organization as an international free agent on July 25, 2015. He made his professional debut with the Dominican Summer League Royals the following year, hitting .273 across 52 contests. In 2017, Fermín played in 47 games for the rookie-level

Idaho Falls Chukars The Idaho Falls Chukars 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 Idaho Falls, Idaho, and play their home games at Melaleu ...

, slashing .282/.403/.356 with one home run and 39 RBI. He split the 2018 season between Idaho Falls and the rookie-level

Burlington Royals The Burlington Royals were a minor league baseball team in Burlington, North Carolina, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team was affiliated with the Cleveland Indians from 1986 to 2006 as the Burlington ...

, posting a cumulative .249/.346/.350 slash line with 2 home runs and 19 RBI. In 2019, Fermín split the season between the Single-A

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends have ...

and the Double-A

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. T ...

, hitting .260/.298/.418 with career-highs in home runs (12) and RBI (41) in 86 games between the two affiliates. Fermín did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In 2021 he spent time with Northwest Arkansas and 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 ...

, batting .277/.355/.440 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI in 77 contests. He was assigned to Triple-A Omaha to begin the 2022 season. On July 14, 2022, Fermín was selected to the 40-man roster and called up to the majors for the first time after multiple players were placed on the restricted list prior to a series in Canada against 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 ...

. He made his MLB debut on July 15, ultimately appearing in 3 games but going hitless in 7 at-bats. He was removed from the 40-man roster and returned to Omaha on July 17. On November 15, 2022, the Royals selected Fermín’s contract back to the 40-man roster to protect him from 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 ...

. Fermín was optioned to Triple-A Omaha to begin the 2023 season. He began the 2024 season as the Royals' regular backup catcher.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fermin, Freddy 1995 births Living people Burlington Royals players Dominican Summer League Royals players Idaho Falls Chukars players Kansas City Royals players Leones del Caracas players Lexington Legends players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Storm Chasers players Salt River Rafters players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States