Marcos Scutaro, better known as Marco Scutaro, (; born October 30, 1975) 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 ...

. He bats and throws right-handed. Scutaro made his major league debut with 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 ...

in 2002, and subsequently played for 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

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 ...

. Scutaro was named the

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

of the 2012 National League Championship Series while with the Giants; he and the team then won the 2012 World Series over 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 ...

. Scutaro was one of the primary subjects of the 2005 documentary ''A Player to be Named Later''.

Early life

Marcos Scutaro was born on October 30, 1975, in San Felipe,

. He is of Italian descent. He began playing baseball at age six.

Professional career

Minor leagues

Scutaro originally signed with 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 an amateur free agent on July 26, 1994. As a teenager, Scutaro considered Cleveland infielder and fellow Venezuelan

Omar Vizquel Omar Enrique Vizquel González (; born April 24, 1967), nicknamed "Little O", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball shortstop. During his 24-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, Vizquel played for the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indi ...

his favorite player and would often watch Vizquel at spring training. Scutaro was traded by the Indians to the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

on August 30, 2000, as the

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 ...

in a trade that had sent Kane Davis, Paul Rigdon and Richie Sexson to the Brewers for

Jason Bere Jason Phillip Bere (born May 26, 1971) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and bullpen coach. He played in Major League Baseball for parts of 11 seasons from 1993 to 2003, for the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Bre ...

, Bob Wickman and Steve Woodard on July 28. Scutaro was in the 2005 documentary film ''A Player To Be Named Later'', which followed players from

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

, the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, for one season. He was

waived A waiver is the voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilege. A waiver is often written, such as a disclaimer that has been accepted, but it may also be spoken between two or more parties. When the right to hold a p ...

at the start of the 2002 season by the Brewers, who needed to make room for

Nelson Figueroa Nelson Figueroa (born May 18, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, and Hous ...

on its roster. Scutaro was claimed off waivers by the

on April 5, 2002. He batted .319 with 22

double Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...

s, seven

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, 28

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 ...

and 48

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

s scored in 97 games with the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

in 2002. He was also selected to the

International League 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 (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

squad for the

Triple-A All-Star Game The Triple-A All-Star Game was an annual baseball game held from 1988 to 2019 between professional players from the affiliated Triple-A leagues of Minor League Baseball. These leagues were the International League (IL) and Pacific Coast League (P ...

that summer.

New York Mets (2002–2003)

Scutaro's first promotion to the majors came on July 19 when the Mets recalled him from the Tides to replace the injured

Joe McEwing Joseph Earl McEwing (born October 19, 1972) is an American professional baseball coach and former utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, and Houston Astros, and co ...

. Scutaro introduced himself to Mets manager

Bobby Valentine Robert John Valentine (born May 13, 1950), nicknamed "Bobby V", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He also served as the athletic director at Sacred Heart University. Valentine played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (19 ...

that afternoon while the latter was eating lunch at the hotel in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

where the team was staying. Valentine reciprocated the greeting without knowing who Scutaro was. After completing his meal, Valentine inquired about why Scutaro was lingering. "I just got called up", Scutaro responded.

Oakland Athletics (2004–2007)

Scutaro was again selected off waivers, this time by the

, on October 9, 2003. Scutaro landed a starting

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

position after Mark Ellis had a season-ending shoulder injury during 2004

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. In 2004, Scutaro reached career highs in

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 ...

(.273),

(43), runs (50),

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

(124), doubles (32),

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...

s (455) and

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Associat ...

(137). He played multiple positions during his four seasons in Oakland, including second base,

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 ...

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 ...

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering syst ...

and

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In t ...

Toronto Blue Jays (2008–2009)

On November 18, 2007, Scutaro was traded to the

for minor league pitchers Kristian Bell and Graham Godfrey. Scutaro was the Jays' third baseman for at least a month, after teammate

Scott Rolen Scott Bruce Rolen (born April 4, 1975) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Cincinnati Reds from ...

injured a finger, and then Scutaro returned to a starter's role after teammate David Eckstein injured his right hip flexor on May 6. Shortly after Eckstein's return, Eckstein and Blue Jays teammate Aaron Hill collided trying to catch a fly ball. Hill suffered from concussion-like symptoms, and Scutaro filled in at second base. Scutaro was the starting shortstop for the Blue Jays in 2009, and had his best season to date, achieving career highs in almost every offensive category: 12 home runs, 60 runs batted in, 35 doubles, 235 total bases, 162 hits, 100 runs, 14

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, and 90 walks in 574 at-bats, all while playing slick defense all year.

Boston Red Sox (2010–2011)

On December 3, 2009, Scutaro agreed to a two-year, $11 million deal with the

. The deal also included a third-year mutual option. On April 12, 2010, Scutaro recorded the first hit in

Target Field Target Field is a baseball stadium in the North Loop, Minneapolis, historic warehouse district of downtown Minneapolis. Since its opening in 2010, the stadium has been the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins. It is named for Tar ...

history on a single up the middle in the first inning off

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

starter

Carl Pavano Carl Anthony Pavano (born January 8, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player. A Right-handedness, right-handed pitcher, Pavano played in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2012 for the Montreal Expos, Miami Marlins, Florida Marl ...

. Soon after, Scutaro was caught stealing second base, making him the first out recorded at the Twins' new ballpark. In his first season with the team, Scutaro set a number of career highs, including games (150), at-bats (632), hits (174) and doubles (38) while suffering for much of the season with a right shoulder injury which forced him out of practice.

Colorado Rockies (2012)

On October 30, 2011, the Red Sox and Scutaro agreed to exercise their mutual contract option. Then, on January 21, 2012, Scutaro was traded to the

for

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 begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

Clayton Mortensen.

San Francisco Giants (2012–2014)

On July 27, 2012, Scutaro was traded, along with cash considerations, to the

for infielder Charlie Culberson. In a game against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

Busch Stadium Busch Stadium (also referred to informally as "New Busch Stadium" or "Busch Stadium III") is a baseball stadium located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is the home of Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals. It has a seating capacity of 44,383, ...

on August 8, 2012, Scutaro drove in a career high seven runs, including a grand slam. He hit .306 for the regular season, including .362 as a Giant, helping the Giants win the

National League West The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created for the 1969 season when the National League (baseball), National League (NL) expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montr ...

title. He was awarded the NLCS MVP after tying the NLCS record with 14 hits and also batting .500 (14-for-28) with six runs scored and four runs batted in during the seven game series against the Cardinals. On October 28, in the tenth inning of Game 4 of the 2012 World Series, Scutaro drove in Ryan Theriot for the winning run, as the Giants swept the

. After the 2012 season, Scutaro and the Giants agreed to a three-year, $20 million contract, which became official on December 7, 2012. In 2013, Scutaro was the starting second baseman, with Tony Abreu and Nick Noonan as his main backups. In 81 games in the first half, Scutaro hit .316/.367/.400 with two home runs, 22 runs batted in and 37 runs, and he was named to the 2013 All-Star Game. Scutaro played his last game of 2013 on September 15, and was officially shut down on September 24. He underwent surgery on September 27 that inserted a pin in his left pinkie correcting his mallet finger, an injury he suffered on June 11 against the Pirates when he was hit by Tony Watson. In 127 games in 2013, he hit .297/.357/.369 with two home runs, 31 runs batted in and 57 runs. Scutaro started the 2014 season on the disabled list with back problems. He played in five games in July before his back issues forced him to return to the disabled list for the remainder of the season. On December 19, 2014, Scutaro underwent back surgery that some reports indicated could end his career. The Giants designated him for assignment on January 21, 2015, and he was removed from the 40-man roster. On January 28, 2015, Scutaro was released by the Giants. The Giants re-signed Scutaro to a major league contract on June 17 and placed him on the 60-day disabled list. He continued to rehabilitate his injury with the Giants, not with the intention of playing, but "in hopes of maintaining a quality of life and be pain-free with his family," according to the Giants.

World Baseball Classic

Because of his Italian heritage, Scutaro was given the option of playing for either

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in the

2006 World Baseball Classic The 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was the inaugural tournament between national baseball teams that included players from Major League Baseball. It was held from March 3 to 20 in stadiums in or around Tokyo, Japan, and the American cities o ...

. He chose to play for Venezuela as a utility infielder. He again represented Venezuela in the

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an International Baseball Federation, international baseball competition. It began on March 5 and finished March 23. Unlike in 2006 World Baseball Classic, 2006, when the Round-robin tournament, round- ...

and

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike the tw ...

. Venezuela won the bronze medal in 2009, but in 2013 earned an early exit after a loss to Puerto Rico 6–3. However, Venezuela won against newcomers Spain to earn a direct qualification for the

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts wer ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scutaro, Marco 1975 births Living people Akron Aeros players Boston Red Sox players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Caribes de Oriente players Colorado Rockies players Columbus RedStixx players Indianapolis Indians players Kinston Indians players Leones del Caracas players Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops National League All-Stars National League Championship Series MVPs New York Mets players Norfolk Tides players Oakland Athletics players Pastora de los Llanos players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from San Felipe, Venezuela Sportspeople from Yaracuy San Francisco Giants players Toronto Blue Jays players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Venezuelan people of Italian descent World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2006 World Baseball Classic players 2009 World Baseball Classic players 2013 World Baseball Classic players