Raudy Miguel Read Placencia (born October 29, 1993) is a Dominican 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 ...

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 catc ...

for the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (English: Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican baseball team based in Tijuana, Mexico, that competes in the Mexican Baseball League. The team plays its home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The franchise w ...

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

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 ...

Career

Washington Nationals

Read signed with the

as an international free agent on January 24, 2011. He spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons playing in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

with the Dominican Summer League Nationals in the

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 ...

-level

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 ...

.milb.com Raudy Read
/ref> He batted .157 with four home runs and 22 runs batted in (RBIs) in 42 games in 2011 and improved to .251 with nine home runs and 47 RBIs in 62 games in 2012. In 2013, Read played in the rookie-level

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the low ...

for the

Gulf Coast League Nationals The Florida Complex League Nationals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Washington Nationals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Nationals. The t ...

,Baseball Reference: Rafael Bautista
/ref> who that year finished their regular season with a record of 49–9, giving them the highest

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage or Copeland score is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the to ...

(.845) for a full regular season ever achieved by a

minor-league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team based in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The team then won all three of its playoff games, defeating the

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

in a single-game semifinal playoff and sweeping the

Gulf Coast League Red Sox The Florida Complex League Red Sox are a professional baseball team competing in the rookie-level Florida Complex League (FCL) of Minor League Baseball. The team is owned and operated by the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Prior ...

in the best-of-three league championship series, to become the 2013 Gulf Coast League champions. Read appeared in 40 games during the championship season, batting .252 with two home runs, 17

RBIs 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 two stolen bases. Read spent 2014 with the

Auburn Doubledays The Auburn Doubledays are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) that is located in Auburn, New York. From 1958 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) ...

of the

Low-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, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for ...

New York-Penn League New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

, appearing in 57 games and hitting .281 with six home runs and 32 RBIs. He continued to rise through the Washington Nationals's minor-league system, splitting 2015 between the

Hagerstown Suns The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A (baseball), Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They pl ...

of the

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 ...

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

and the

Potomac Nationals The Potomac Nationals were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They were situated in Woodbridge, Virginia, and played their home games at Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium. After the 2019 season, the team relocated to ...

of the

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 ...

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 ...

, hitting .244 with five home runs and 36 RBIs in 82 games with the Suns and going 7-for-18 (.389) with two doubles and five RBIs in five games with Potomac. He spent all of 2016 with Potomac, playing in 101 games and hitting .262 with nine home runs and 41 RBIs. The Nationals added Read to their 40-man roster after the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

on November 18, 2016. Read was promoted to the

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team who play in the Eastern League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The team is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at FNB Field on Cit ...

of the Double-A Eastern League for 2017. A right-handed hitter, he got off to a hot start at the Double-A level, hitting .345 with a pair of home runs in April before cooling off somewhat in May. Read was named to the Eastern League's All-Star roster for the Western Division in 2017. Better regarded for his right-handed bat and arm strength than for his defense and blocking skills behind the plate, Read was described by ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' in 2017 as a team leader with a "take-charge" attitude. The publication ranked him in July 2017 as the Nationals' ninth-best prospect, while '' MLB Pipelines midseason prospect ranking listed him at fourteenth-best in the organization. Both considered him the team's best overall catching prospect. After hitting .265 with 17 home runs and 61 runs batted in 108 games for the Senators, Read was called up to the major leagues for the first time on September 1, 2017, when the Washington Nationals added him to the roster along with two minor-league pitchers when major-league rosters expanded for the last few weeks of the 2017 season. Read pinch-hit and grounded out on September 3, 2017, in his major-league debut against 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 ...

. The next day, he hit an infield single deflected off the glove of

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

pitcher Jarlin García for his first major-league hit. On February 7, 2018, Read became the first rostered player in Washington Nationals team history to be suspended for violating MLB's policy against the use of

performance-enhancing drugs Performance-enhancing substances (PESs), also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. Many substances, such as anabolic steroids, can be used to improve at ...

. He received an 80-game suspension due to a positive test for the steroid

Boldenone Boldenone (developmental code name RU-18761), is a naturally occurring anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) and the 1(2)- dehydrogenated analogue of testosterone. Boldenone itself has never been marketed; as a pharmaceutical drug, it is used as ...

during the 2017 season. He denied using steroids and said he would appeal the suspension. He was replaced on the Nationals' roster by utility infielder Matt Reynolds. Read would play in 53 minor league games split between Harrisburg and the Triple-A

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

without appearing in a major league game due to his suspension. Read spent the majority of the 2019 season with the Triple-A

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

, batting .275/.317/.546 with 20 home runs and 60 RBI. He also made 6 appearances for the big league club, going 1-for-11 with a single. Read did not appear in a game for Washington in 2020. On October 13, 2020, Read was outrighted off of the Nationals’ 40-man roster. He split the 2021 season between Washington's rookie-league affiliate, the Single-A

Fredericksburg Nationals The Fredericksburg Nationals are a Minor League Baseball team that is the Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and play their home games at Virginia Credit Union Stadium, with a capacity of ...

, and the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

. In 28 total games, he hit .284/.361/.590 with 8 home runs and 21 RBI. He elected minor league free agency following the season on November 7, 2021.

Chicago White Sox

On February 11, 2022, Read signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. He was assigned to the Double-A

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The Baron ...

to start the season. He appeared in 88 games split between Birmingham and the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, slashing .303/.396/.557 with 18 home runs and 71 RBI between the two affiliates. He was released by the organization on September 18.

Spire City Ghost Hounds

On February 20, 2023, Read signed with the Spire City Ghost Hounds of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. In 81 games for the Ghost Hounds, Read batted .305/.351/.551 with 20 home runs and 53 RBI.

Pericos de Puebla

On October 10, 2023, Read signed with the

Pericos de Puebla The Pericos de Puebla (English: Puebla Parrots) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Puebla. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Hermanos Serdán. Established in 1938, the Pericos have won five Mexican League ...

of the

. On November 2, Read was drafted by the

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are members of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Base ...

in the Ghost Hounds dispersal draft. In 71 games for Puebla in 2024, he slashed .290/.326/.577 with 17 home runs and 66 RBI.

Toros de Tijuana

On November 8, 2024, Read and

Danny Ortiz Josué Danny Ortiz Maldonado (July 26, 1976 – February 29, 2004) was a Guatemalan football goalkeeper who played for the Guatemala national team and CSD Municipal. Club career Ortíz played for both Guatemalan giants Comunicaciones and CSD ...

were traded to the

of the

in exchange for Wendolyn Bautista.

Personal life

Read is from

San José de Ocoa San José de Ocoa, or simply Ocoa, is the capital of San José de Ocoa Province, San José de Ocoa province in the Dominican Republic. It is located in a valley in the southern region of the Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic, Central Cordiller ...

in the southern

, about from the capital of

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

. Prior to being called up to the major leagues on September 1, 2017, for a series at

Miller Park American Family Field is a retractable roof stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Located southwest of the intersection of Interstate 94 in Wisconsin, Interstate 94 and Brewers Boulevard, it is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Brewe ...

against the

, Read had never attended a regular-season

game.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Read, Raudy 1993 births Living people Auburn Doubledays players Birmingham Barons players Charlotte Knights players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Nicaragua Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Nationals players Florida Complex League Nationals players Fredericksburg Nationals players Fresno Grizzlies players Gigantes de Rivas players Gulf Coast Nationals players Hagerstown Suns players Harrisburg Senators players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen People from Peravia Province Pericos de Puebla players Potomac Nationals players Rochester Red Wings players Spire City Ghost Hounds players Syracuse Chiefs players Toros del Este players Washington Nationals players