Joey Meneses Ramírez (born May 6, 1992) is a Mexican 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 ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and

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 catch ...

in the

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 ...

organization. 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

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

and 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

Orix Buffaloes The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefecture ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2022.

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

Meneses played for several

farm team In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a Team sport, team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any s ...

s of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 through 2017. After the 2013, 2014, and 2015 seasons, he played for

Tomateros de Culiacán The Tomateros de Culiacán () are a professional baseball team in the Mexican Pacific League based in Culiacán, Sinaloa. The ''Tomateros'' have won thirteen league championships and two Caribbean World Series in and . The team was founded in 19 ...

of the

Mexican Pacific League The Mexican Pacific League (, or LMP), also known as the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico for sponsorship reasons, is a professional baseball Winter league baseball, winter league based in Northwestern Mexico. The league comprises 10 teams. It wa ...

(LMP). In 2016, Meneses first reached the Double-A level, playing for the

Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they were referred to locally, were a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson, from 2005 to 2024. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and competed in ...

. After the 2016 season, he played for Tomateros of the LMP. For the 2017 season with Mississippi, he registered a .292

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 ...

with 9

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 45 RBIs in 108 games; he was also a mid-season Southern League all star. He was named an MILB.com Organization All Star in 2014 and 2017. On November 6, 2017, Meneses became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

. After the 2017 season, he played for Tomateros of the LMP.

Philadelphia Phillies

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 ...

signed Meneses to a minor league contract on February 1, 2018. He spent the 2018 season with the Triple-A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they are named in reference to pig iron, used ...

. He went on to win the 2018 International League MVP, registering a .311 batting average with 23 home runs and 82 RBIs in 130 games. On October 29, 2018, Meneses was released by the Phillies. He subsequently signed to play in Japan for 2019. After the 2018 season, he played for Tomateros of the LMP.

Orix Buffaloes

On October 29, 2018, Meneses signed a one-year contract worth an estimated 100 million yen, equivalent to approximately US $950,000, with the

. On March 29, 2019, he made his NPB debut. On June 27, 2019, Meneses was suspended for 12 months after testing positive for the banned substance hydroxystanozolol. That same day, he became a free agent. After the 2019 season, he played for Tomateros of the LMP.

Boston Red Sox

On January 23, 2020, Meneses signed a minor league deal with 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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. After the 2020 minor league season was canceled, he was re-signed by the Red Sox in early November to a minor-league deal. After the 2020 season, he played for

of the LMP. He was assigned to the

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red ...

of Double-A Northeast to begin the 2021 season, and was promoted to the

Worcester Red Sox The Worcester Red Sox (nicknamed the WooSox) are a professional minor league baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Beginning play in 2021, the team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, succeeding the Pawtucket Red Sox. Th ...

Triple-A East The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball (M ...

in early August. He elected free agency following the season on November 7, 2021.

Washington Nationals

On January 13, 2022, Meneses signed a minor league contract with the

. On August 2, after trading outfielder

Juan Soto Juan José Soto Pacheco (born October 25, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres, and New York Y ...

and first baseman Josh Bell to the

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

, the Nationals called up Meneses from the Triple–A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

, and he made his major league debut against the

. Meneses hit a home run off of

Yoan López Yoan López Leyva (born January 2, 1993) is a Cuban professional baseball pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to b ...

to lead off the seventh inning for his first major league hit. Meneses went 0–for–4 the next game, but subsequently embarked on an 11 game hitting streak, and continued to hit well throughout August, putting up a

slash line This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. 0–9 0 :"Oh and ..." See count. 1 ...

of .354/.385/.626 and hitting seven home runs through his first 25 games in the majors. On September 1, Meneses 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 and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not have an opp ...

against the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

which gave the Nationals their first walk-off win of the year. On September 16, with the Nationals down 4–0 to the

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 ...

, Meneses hit an

inside-the-park home run In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a rare play in which a Batter (baseball), batter rounds all four bases for a home run without the baseball leaving the baseball field, field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-p ...

and later scored the winning run in a 5–4 Washington victory. He finished the season batting .324 with a .367

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 ...

, .563

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...

, 13 home runs, and 34 RBI. Meneses was named to the MLB Pipeline All-Rookie Team. In July 2024, the Nationals optioned Meneses to Triple–A after he experienced struggles. In 76 total games for Washington, he slashed .231/.291/.302 with 3 home runs and 42 RBI. On November 4, Meneses was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Rochester, but he rejected the assignment and elected free agency.

New York Mets

On November 21, 2024, Meneses signed a minor league contract with the

International career

Meneses has played for Mexico in the

Caribbean Series The Caribbean Series ( Spanish: ''Serie del Caribe'') is an annual club tournament contested by professional baseball teams in Latin America. It is organized by the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation. The series is normally played in ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, and

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

. In February 2019, Meneses was selected to the

Mexico national baseball team The Mexico national baseball team (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de México'') is the baseball team that represents Mexico in international tournaments. It is currently the 2nd-ranked baseball team in the world. Current rost ...

for 2019 exhibition games against

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Meneses was selected for a second time to the national team in the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

(contested in 2021), in Tokyo. In 2023, Meneses played for Mexico in the

World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic (WBC), also referred to as the Classic, is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the sport's global governing body, and organized in World Baseball Clas ...

, hitting two home runs in a game against the United States in pool play.

Personal life

Meneses has stated that he is big fan of

Goku Son Goku is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is based on Sun Wukong (known as ''Son Gokū'' in Japan and the Monkey King in the West), a main character of the cl ...

and that it was one reason why he joined a Japanese team. Meneses is engaged to Mitzy Guzman. The couple have one son, named Joseph.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Meneses, Joey 1992 births Living people Baseball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Carolina Mudcats players Dominican Summer League Braves players Gulf Coast Braves players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball players from Mexico 21st-century Mexican sportsmen Mexican expatriate baseball players in Japan Mexican expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States Mexican sportspeople in doping cases Mississippi Braves players Nippon Professional Baseball first basemen Nippon Professional Baseball right fielders Olympic baseball players for Mexico Orix Buffaloes players Portland Sea Dogs players Rochester Red Wings players Rome Braves players Syracuse Mets players Baseball players from Culiacán Tomateros de Culiacán players Washington Nationals players Worcester Red Sox players 2023 World Baseball Classic players World Baseball Classic players of Mexico