Johan Valentín Camargo Ramos (born December 13, 1993) is a Panamanian 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 ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

for the

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (English: Two Laredos Owls), formerly known as the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo (English: Nuevo Laredo Owls), are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The Tecolotes are a binational baseball team, spli ...

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

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 ...

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 ...

, and

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. Camargo signed with the Braves in 2010 as an international free agent.

Early life

Johan Camargo was born in

Panama City, Panama Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province ...

. His parents named him after the footballer

Johan Cruyff Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016), internationally known as Johan Cruyff (), was a Dutch professional Association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager. Regarded as one of the greatest ...

. When playing baseball as a child, Camargo naturally batted and threw left-handed. His father taught him to throw with his right hand, and Camargo stopped using his left hand for that skill. He later focused on switch-hitting, and joined his first organized baseball league at the age of 13.

Career

Atlanta Braves

Minor leagues

Camargo signed with the

for $42,000 as a 16-year old out of Panama in July 2010 as an international free agent. After missing the 2011 season, Camargo made his professional debut in 2012 with the DSL Braves, and batted .343/.433/.455 in 198 at bats. Camargo spent 2013 with Rookie level Danville, and hit .294/.359/.360 in 228 at bats over 57 games, playing shortstop almost exclusively. Camargo began 2014 at Single-A

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

before earning a late-season promotion to High-A Lynchburg. Across both levels in 2014, he hit .266/.313/.326 with 60 runs and 46 RBIs in 478 at bats over 132 games, playing shortstop. Camargo spent 2015 with High-A Carolina, hitting .258/.315/.335 with 50 runs and 32 RBIs in 391 at bats over 130 games, playing shortstop. He was named both a mid-season and post-season All-Star in the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

. Camargo was awarded with a spot in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

with Peoria, where he played in 16 games. Almost exclusively a

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 ...

, Camargo began 2016 playing at

second base In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the infield, between second and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must ...

for Double-A

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

to accommodate the likes of

Ozzie Albies Ozhaino Jurdy Jiandro "Ozzie" Albies (born January 7, 1997) is a Curaçaoan professional baseball second baseman for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Albies signed with the Braves organization in 2013 and made his MLB debut wit ...

and

Dansby Swanson James Dansby Swanson (born February 11, 1994) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected him first ...

. When all three were on the team, Camargo played

third base 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 ...

, and after Swanson was promoted to the major leagues, he took over at shortstop. At the plate, Camargo hit .267.304/.379 with 4 HR, along with 46 runs and 43 RBIs in 446 at bats over 126 games. The Braves added him 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 ...

after the season.

Major leagues

After missing out on the

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster, Camargo was quickly recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on April 11, 2017, and made his debut that night. After two short-lived stints in the major leagues, Camargo's playing time increased in the month of June when third baseman Adonis García was placed on the disabled list. Camargo hit his first career home run on July 9, against

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 ...

pitcher Matt Grace. After Adonis Garcia returned from the disabled list at third base, Camargo lost playing time; however, he quickly gained it back when the Braves benched

who eventually was demoted to Triple A. Camargo was injured in August, and remained with the

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevi ...

until September, resulting in the return of Swanson. With Atlanta in 2017 he batted .299/.331/.452 with 30 runs, 4 home runs, and 27 RBIs in 241 at bats. Camargo became the Braves' starting third baseman in May 2018, and retained the role until the start of the 2019 season, when the team signed

Josh Donaldson Joshua Adam Donaldson (born December 8, 1985) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. In his 13-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves ...

. Following an injury to starting shortstop Dansby Swanson, Camargo played at that position, struggling defensively and offensively. As a result, Camargo was demoted to the

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia ...

on August 16. Camargo returned to the major leagues when rosters expanded in September. In a game against the

on September 11, he suffered a hairline fracture in his right shin. The Braves subsequently placed Camargo on the 10-day injured list. In 2018 with Atlanta he batted .272/.349/.457 with 19 home runs and 76 RBIs in 456 at bats, and his .958 fielding percentage was 9th-best in the NL. In 2019, he batted .233/.279/.384 with 31 runs, 7 home runs, and 32 RBIs in 232 at bats, and had the slowest sprint speed of all major league shortstops, at 25.6 feet/second. His maximum exit velocity of 114.4 miles per hour was in the top 5% of the league. In 2020, he batted .200/.244/.367 with 16 runs, 4 home runs, and 9 RBIs in 120 at bats. He played 21 games at second base, and 10 at third base, but did not play at all at shortstop for the first season of his major league career. After the 2020 season, he played for

Águilas Cibaeñas The Águilas Cibaeñas (; ''Cibaoan Eagles'') is a professional baseball team in the Dominican Republic's Professional Baseball League (LIDOM), based in Santiago in the northern region of Cibao. Founded in , the team has won six Caribbean Series ...

of the

Dominican Professional Baseball League The Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League ( or LIDOM) is a professional baseball winter league consisting of six teams spread across the Dominican Republic; it is the highest level of professional baseball played in the Dominican Repub ...

(LIDOM). He has also played for Dominican Republic in the

2021 Caribbean Series The 2021 Caribbean Series (Serie del Caribe) was the 63rd edition of the international competition featuring the champions of the Colombian Professional Baseball League, Dominican Professional Baseball League, Mexican Pacific League, Panamanian ...

. Camargo played the majority of the 2021 season with the Gwinnett Stripers, where he learned to play

first base 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 ...

; he played primarily first base and third base. With Gwinett, he batted .326(3rd in the Triple-A East)/.401/.557 with 70 runs (2nd), 4 triples (5th), 19 home runs (7th), 67 RBIs (6th), and 47 walks (7th) in 386 at bats. He was named an MiLB Organization All Star. He had 16 hitless at bats with the Braves in the majors, and was named to the Braves' roster for the

National League Championship Series The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two Natio ...

, replacing

Terrance Gore Terrance Jamar Gore (born June 8, 1991) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played college baseball at Gulf Coast Community College. He made his MLB debut in 2014 with the Kansas City Royals and also played in Major League ...

. Gore returned to the Braves' roster for the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

, in place of Camargo. The Braves eventually won the 2021 World Series, giving the Braves their first title since 1995. On November 30, 2021, it was announced that the Braves would not tender a contract to Camargo for the 2022 season, making him 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 ...

Philadelphia Phillies

On December 1, 2021, Camargo signed a one-year contract with the

. He appeared in 52 games for Philadelphia in 2022, slashing .237/.297/.316 with 3 home runs and 15 RBIs in 152 at bats. He 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 ...

on September 25, 2022. Camargo cleared waivers and was sent outright to 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 ...

on September 27. With Lehigh Valley he batted .213/.311/.298 in 141 at bats. He elected free agency following the season on October 6.

Kansas City Royals

On January 21, 2023, Camargo signed a minor league contract with 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. Camargo played in 15 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 ...

, after a delayed start to the season because of an oblique injury, and hit .298/.412/.544 with 4 home runs and 8 RBIs in 58 at bats. On June 16, Camargo triggered an opt–out in his contract and was released by the Royals.

Detroit Tigers

On June 23, 2023, Camargo signed a minor league contract with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

organization and was assigned to the Triple–A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

. In 22 games for Toledo, he batted .238/.296/.400 with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs in 80 at bats, playing shortstop and second base. On August 3, Camargo was released by the Tigers.

San Francisco Giants

On August 11, 2023, Camargo signed a minor league contract with the

organization. At the time, in his major league career he had played 199 games at third base, 62 games at shortstop, 47 games at second base, 12 games in left field, seven games at first base, and five games in right field, while against lefties he had batted .265/.319/.463 and against righties he had batted .250/.311/.386. After two games for the Triple–A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

, the Giants selected Camargo's contract, adding him to the major league roster. On August 23, Camargo was

after the Giants signed

Paul DeJong Paul Sterling DeJong (; born August 2, 1993) is an American professional baseball shortstop and third baseman for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue ...

. In 8 games, he had gone 4–for–18 (.222) He cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple–A Sacramento on August 25. Camargo was released by the Giants organization on September 12.

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos

On May 8, 2025, Camargo signed with the

of the

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Camargo, Johan 1993 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from Panama City Carolina Mudcats players Danville Braves players Dominican Summer League Braves players Gwinnett Braves players Gwinnett Stripers players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball players from Panama 21st-century Panamanian sportsmen Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Mississippi Braves players Panamanian expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Panamanian expatriate baseball players in the United States Peoria Javelinas players Philadelphia Phillies players Rome Braves players Sacramento River Cats players San Francisco Giants players Toledo Mud Hens players