Maicer Eduardo Izturis (; born September 12, 1980) is a

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

n former 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 ...

. During his career he played for the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

, and 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 ...

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). Izturis is the half brother of

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 ...

César Izturis César David Izturis (; born February 10, 1980) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball shortstop. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. L ...

and minor league shortstop Julio Izturis.

Professional career

Montreal Expos

Izturis was signed by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

as a non-drafted

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 ...

on April 1, 1998. He and

Ryan Church Ryan Matthew Church (born October 14, 1978) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the Montreal Expos / Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Career Mi ...

were traded to the

for Scott Stewart on January 5, 2004. In 2004, Izturis hit .338 with three

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 36 RBI for the Triple-A Edmonton Trappers before being promoted to the Major League level with the Montreal Expos. He registered a hit in his August 27, 2004 debut, singling off

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. ...

right-hander Dennis Tankersley in the second inning. In 32 games with the Expos, Izturis hit .206 (22-for-107) with one home run and 14 RBI.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

On November 19, 2004, Izturis was traded to the

along with

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 ...

Juan Rivera for outfielder José Guillén. Though a

by trade,

Gold Glove The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances. It is awarded at each fieldin ...

winner Orlando Cabrera was already at shortstop on the Angels roster, relegating Izturis to the role of a

utility infielder In baseball, a utility player or utility man is a player who has the ability to play more than one position in the field and is primarily used as a substitute. The term super utility player may be used to refer to a player who can play all or mos ...

. After the placement of veteran Darin Erstad on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

, the Angels moved star utilityman

Chone Figgins Desmond DeChone Figgins (; ; born January 22, 1978), nicknamed "Figgy", is an American former professional baseball third baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle Mariners, a ...

to center field during the 2006 campaign, and Izturis emerged as the club's starting

third baseman 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 Baseball scorekeep ...

, until the Angels signed Gary Matthews, Jr. to start in center field for the 2007 season, forcing Figgins back to third base. In a game against the

on July 17, 2006, he had a career high four hits in one game, going 4–5 with 1 RBI and 3 runs. On January 25, 2010, the Angels signed Izturis to a three-year contract worth $10 million, avoiding arbitration. '' FanGraphs Matthew Carruth called it a "fantastic deal" at "an insanely discounted rate" estimating his market value at about $20 million over three years. ''

Baseball Prospectus Baseball Prospectus (BP) is an organization that publishes a website, BaseballProspectus.com, devoted to the sabermetric analysis of baseball. BP has a staff of regular columnists and provides advanced statistics as well as player and team perf ...

'' called the deal a good 'insurance policy', adding, "he's a good enough offensive contributor to add value whatever the position among second, short, and third, and a good enough defender at any of them to be playable". After Scot Shields' retirement following the 2010 season, as well as the trade of Juan Rivera to the

, Izturis became the longest-tenured Angel.

Toronto Blue Jays

On November 8, 2012, the

announced that they had signed the free agent Izturis to a three-year $9 million deal with a $3 million club option for 2016. His option has a $1 million buyout. On August 1, 2013, Izturis returned to

Angel Stadium of Anaheim Angel Stadium is a ballpark in Anaheim, California, United States. Since its opening in 1966 California Angels season, 1966, it has been the home venue of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), who relocated from Los Angeles to ...

for the first time as a visitor, and was greeted with warm cheers from the Angel fans. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 22 with a sprained left ankle. Ryan Goins was called up to replace Izturis. He was moved to the 60-day disabled list on August 24, effectively ending his first season as a Blue Jay. Izturis batted .236 in 2013 with 5 home runs and 32 RBI in 107 games. On April 13, 2014, in the final game of a three-game series against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

, he had to be scratched from the lineup shortly before the start of the game after tripping on the dugout stairs. Izturis told the team he heard two loud pops when he tripped, and was taken for an MRI the following day. The MRI determined that he had torn his lateral collateral ligament in his left knee, and would require surgery. Izturis told reporters he would seek a second opinion before undergoing surgery, as the expected recovery time of 4–6 months would likely sideline him for the rest of the 2014 season. He was later put on the 60-day disabled list. In 11 games in 2014, Izturis batted .286 with 1 RBI. Izturis suffered a groin strain near the end of 2015 spring training, and opened the 2015 season on the 15-day disabled list. On May 1, he was transferred to the 60-day disabled list. Izturis began a rehab assignment with the Dunedin Blue Jays in mid-May, but was shut down on May 23 after diving to make a play and injuring his shoulder. On May 30, it was announced that he had suffered a tear in his shoulder. Izturis underwent surgery to repair the tear in his shoulder in mid-June, and missed the remainder of the 2015 season. On November 3, Izturis's option for 2016 was declined by the Blue Jays, making him a free agent. On January 29, 2016, Izturis signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays that included an invitation to spring training. He would have earned $900,000 for the season if added to the 40-man roster, and incentives based on plate appearances could have totaled an additional $100,000. However, on March 4, 2016, Izturis announced his retirement from baseball, stating "I put my heart, my soul and my body into it this year to see how I was going to feel, but my body couldn't handle it anymore. So I decided this is the last time I'm going to be playing baseball.". His retirement left Bartolo Colón as the last active

player.

Personal life

During his career Izturis spoke to the English-speaking press through an interpreter. In his retirement, he runs an academy in Barquisimeto, Venezuela with his half brother César. His nephew César Jr. was a minor league prospect for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Izturis, Maicer 1980 births Living people Akron Aeros players Bravos de Margarita players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Burlington Indians players (1986–2006) Caribes de Anzoátegui players Columbus RedStixx players Edmonton Trappers players Kinston Indians players Leones del Caracas players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Montreal Expos players Pastora de los Llanos players Baseball players from Barquisimeto Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Salt Lake Bees players Salt Lake Stingers players Tiburones de La Guaira players Toronto Blue Jays players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States