Kevin Alejandro Vicuña (born January 14, 1998) 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 ...

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

Caciques de Distrito The Caciques de Distrito (English: Distrito Chieftains) are a Venezuelan professional baseball team competing in the Venezuelan Major League. Based in Caracas, the team represents the Capital District and plays its home games at Estadio Universi ...

of the

Venezuelan Major League The Venezuelan Major League, officially the Major League of Professional Baseball ( or LMBP) is a professional baseball league in Venezuela. Unlike the top-level Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, which plays a winter league schedule, the ...

Career

Toronto Blue Jays

Vicuña signed as an international free agent with 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 ...

on July 2, 2014. He made his professional baseball debut in the

Dominican Summer League The Dominican Summer League (DSL) is a branch of affiliated Minor League Baseball which is played in the Dominican Republic. The league was founded in 1985. After the demise of the Venezuelan Summer League after the 2015 season, it is the only ...

in 2015, and batted .268 with 20

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBI) and 10

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

s in 62 games for the

Dominican Summer League Blue Jays The Dominican Summer Blue Jays are a baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The DSL is a rookie level circuit, and therefore the team is a rookie affiliate. The team plays in the San Pedro de Macorís division. Facilities The team plays ...

as a 17-year-old. He spent the 2016 season in

Rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

ball, hitting .258 with 14 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 48 games for the

Gulf Coast League Blue Jays The Florida Complex League Blue Jays are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays. The team plays its ...

. In 2017, Vicuña played for all three of the Blue Jays

Single-A Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A, Double-A (baseball), Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams cl ...

affiliates: the

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bail ...

Lansing Lugnuts The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Athletics (baseball), Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field (Lansing), Jackson Fie ...

, and

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, ...

. He hit a combined .269 with 25 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 84 games across all levels. Vicuña played all of 2018 for the Lansing Lugnuts, where he hit .266 with two

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, 37 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in a career-high 89 games. His impressive play started to gather the attention of those in the organization, and he was named the "Sleeper" of the Blue Jays minor league system by Baseball America for 2018. During the 2018 offseason, Vicuña played in 19 games for the

Tigres de Aragua The Tigres de Aragua () is a baseball team that plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and represents the state of Aragua. Founded in 1965, the Tigres plays its home games at the Estadio José Pérez Colmenares in Maracay. The team ...

of the

Venezuelan Winter League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (, or LVBP) is the top-level professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Background and predecessors Baseball had been play ...

. He started the 2019 season in

High-A High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

for Dunedin, and hit .253 in 115 games for the year which included a short stint in Triple-A

Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

. Vicuña 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 ...

. Vicuña spent the majority of the 2021 season with 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 ...

, also playing 6 games for Triple-A Buffalo. On the year, Vicuña slashed .245/.305/.314 with 2 home runs and 38 RBI in 82 total games. He became a free agent on November 7, 2021.

Philadelphia Phillies

On January 4, 2022, Vicuña signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

. Vicuña played in 88 games for the Double-A

Reading Fightin Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The R ...

, slashing .272/.326/.372 with 2 home runs, 37 RBI, and 9 stolen bases. He elected free agency following the season on November 10.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On February 3, 2023, Vicuña signed a minor league contract with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

organization. On April 5, Vicuña was released by the Diamondbacks. On April 13, 2023, Vicuña signed with the

Cleburne Railroaders The Cleburne Railroaders are a professional baseball team based in Cleburne, Texas, that plays in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. The team, which began play in 2017, plays i ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor ...

. He was released by the team on April 24. On May 5, 2023, Vicuña re-signed with the Diamondbacks on a minor league contract. In 36 games split between the High–A

Hillsboro Hops The Hillsboro Hops are a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, located in Hillsboro, Oregon, a city in the Portland metropolitan area. The Hops are members of the Northwest League and are the High-A affilia ...

and Double–A

Amarillo Sod Poodles The Amarillo Sod Poodles, nicknamed the Soddies, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Amarillo, Texas, and play their home games at Hodgetown in downtow ...

, he batted .259/.347/.411 with 4 home runs and 11 RBI. On August 21, Vicuña was released by the Diamondbacks organization.

Tigres de Quintana Roo

On July 4, 2024, Vicuña signed with the

Tigres de Quintana Roo The Tigres de Quintana Roo (English: Quintana Roo Tigers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve championships to date: ...

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 ...

. In 11 games for Quintana Roo, he went 7–for–36 (.194) with one RBI and three stolen bases. On October 1, Vicuña was released by the Tigres.

Caciques de Distrito

In 2025, Vicuna signed with the

of the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vicuña, Kevin 1998 births Living people Amarillo Sod Poodles players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Caciques de Distrito players Caribes de Anzoátegui players Dominican Summer League Blue Jays players Dunedin Blue Jays players Gulf Coast Blue Jays players Hillsboro Hops players Lansing Lugnuts players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Reading Fightin Phils players Tigres de Aragua players Tigres de Quintana Roo players Vancouver Canadians players Venezuelan baseball players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Mexico Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States