Manuel Elías Piña Reyes (; born June 5, 1987) is a Venezuelan
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professiona ...
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 catcher ...
for the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
(MLB). He has previously played in MLB 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) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...
,
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...
and
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 (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...
.
Career
Texas Rangers organization
Piña began his professional baseball career in 2005 in the
Texas Rangers system, hitting .247 in 27 games for the
AZL Rangers
The Arizona Complex League Rangers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Texas Rangers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. The team is composed ...
. He missed most of the 2006 season, as he was recovering from right elbow surgery.
[Manny Piña Stats, Fantasy & News , MLB.com]
/ref> He played for the AZL Rangers again in 2007, hitting .244 in 14 games. In 2007, he played for the Clinton LumberKings
The Clinton LumberKings are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Clinton, Iowa, and play their home games at NelsonCorp Field. From 1956 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Midwest Leag ...
, hitting .228 in 86 games. He split 2008 between the Bakersfield Blaze
The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the Class A – Advanced California League. They played their home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for fac ...
(61 games) and Frisco RoughRiders
The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are named for the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regim ...
(23 games), hitting .267 overall. With the RoughRiders again in 2009, he hit .259 in 86 games.
Kansas City Royals
On September 3, 2009, the Rangers traded Piña and outfielder Tim Smith to 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) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...
for Daniel Gutierrez. On July 31, 2011, the Royals added Piña to the Royals' active roster after Matt Treanor
Matthew Aaron Treanor (born March 3, 1976) is an American former professional baseball catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
High s ...
was placed 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 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL).
General guidelines
...
. He made his major league debut on August 3, getting two hits in a win over the Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles 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 American League's eight charter ...
. He also threw out Vladimir Guerrero
Vladimir Alvino Guerrero Sr. (born February 9, 1975), nicknamed "Vlad the Impaler", is a Dominican former professional baseball player who spent 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right fielder and designated hitter. He played for ...
while trying to steal
Steal may refer to:
* Theft, the illegal act of taking another person's property without that person's freely-given consent
* The gaining of a stolen base in baseball
** the 2004 ALCS stolen base in Game Four, see Dave Roberts (outfielder)
* Stea ...
second base in the first inning of this game. In 2012, Piña underwent surgery for a meniscus
Meniscus may refer to:
* Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity
* Meniscus (liquid), a curve in the upper surface of liquid contained in an object
*Meniscus (optics)
A lens is a ...
tear in his right knee, and missed the first three months of the season.
On November 2, 2012, the Royals designated Piña for assignment and sent him outright to the Omaha Royals
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...
. He began the 2013 season rehabbing from an injury to his right knee's lateral meniscus
The lateral meniscus (external semilunar fibrocartilage) is a fibrocartilaginous band that spans the lateral side of the interior of the knee joint. It is one of two menisci of the knee, the other being the medial meniscus. It is nearly circular ...
, and was on the disabled list till June 30.
Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers organizations
On January 17, 2014, Piña signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
. On June 11, 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 of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
acquired Piña from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for a player to be named later
In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...
. He was then assigned to the Tigers' Triple-A affiliate, the 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 Mud Hens team has played ...
.
Milwaukee Brewers
On December 10, 2015, the Tigers traded Piña to the Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...
as the player to be named later in the Francisco Rodríguez trade to complete the deal. In 2016, he hit .254 with 2 home runs and 12 RBIs in 33 games with the Brewers. He began the 2017 splitting playing time at catcher with Jett Bandy, hitting .279/.327/.424 with career-highs in home runs (9) and RBI (43). In 2018, Piña hit .252/.307/.395, tying his career-high in home runs (9) and getting 28 RBI as well. He began the 2019 season as the backup catcher. He was placed on the disabled list on May 16, 2019, with a hamstring injury. He finished the year with a batting line of .228/.313/.411 with 7 home runs and 25 RBI. In 2020, Piña played in 15 games for the Brewers, slashing .231/.333/.410 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI before his season was cut short in August due to a torn meniscus in his right knee.
Atlanta Braves
After the 2021 season, Piña signed a two-year, $8 million contract with 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 (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in B ...
. He was placed on the injured list on April 25, 2022, due to inflammation in his left wrist. While attempting rehabilitation for the injury, Piña felt more discomfort, and a subsequent MRI revealed that surgery would be necessary, for which he missed the remainder of the season.
Oakland Athletics
The Braves sent Piña to the Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...
in a three-team trade on December 12, 2022, in which the Braves acquired Sean Murphy, the Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...
acquired William Contreras
William Jesus Contreras (born December 24, 1997) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves.
Contreras signed with the Braves orga ...
, Joel Payamps
Joel Elias Payamps (born April 7, 1994) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals, and ...
, and Justin Yeager
Below is a partial list of minor league baseball players in the Milwaukee Brewers system.
Players Jackson Chourio
Jackson Bryan Chourio (born March 11, 2004) is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. ...
, and the Athletics also acquired Esteury Ruiz
Esteury Ruiz (born February 15, 1999) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022 with the San Diego Padres and also played for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Car ...
, Kyle Muller
Kyle Douglas Muller (born October 7, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft. He made his MLB deb ...
, Freddy Tarnok
Frederic Michael Tarnok (born November 24, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the third round of the 2017 Major League Baseball dr ...
, and Royber Salinas
Below are select minor league players and the rosters of the minor league affiliates of the Oakland Athletics:
Players Garrett Acton
Garrett Patrick Acton (born June 15, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Oakland Athletics ...
.[https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/sean-murphy-trade-braves-land-catcher-from-as-in-three-team-deal-brewers-get-william-contreras/]
See also
* List of Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
From 1939 to 2019, 397 Venezuelan baseball players born in Venezuela have played in Major League Baseball. This list shows players who appeared in at least one game in MLB, including number indicating order of arrival, name of player, position, s ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pina, Manuel
1987 births
Living people
Arizona League Royals players
Atlanta Braves players
Bakersfield Blaze players
Bravos de Margarita players
Clinton LumberKings players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
Frisco RoughRiders players
Jackson Generals (Southern League) players
Kansas City Royals players
Major League Baseball catchers
Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
Milwaukee Brewers players
Northwest Arkansas Naturals players
Omaha Storm Chasers players
Tacoma Rainiers players
Tiburones de La Guaira players
Toledo Mud Hens players
Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States
Sportspeople from Barquisimeto