Rainer Gustavo Olmedo (born May 31, 1981) is a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

n former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

. He played in

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) for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

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) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, and

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) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

. He was a

switch-hitter In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers. Characteristics Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...

who threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

Career

Cincinnati Reds

Olmedo was originally signed by the

as an undrafted free agent on January 21, 1999. He made his Major League debut on May 25, 2003, against the

Florida 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 (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fra ...

, striking out as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, American ...

. He made his first start the next day, against 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 ...

and was hitless in 4 at-bats with 2 strikeouts. He recorded his first Major League hit when he went 3 for 4 against the Marlins on June 1. In parts of 4 seasons with the Reds, he appeared in 171 games and hit .228. He hit 2 home runs with the Reds, the first was on September 23, 2005, against Aquilino López of the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

and the second was on September 18, 2006, against

Roy Oswalt Roy Edward Oswalt (; born August 29, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Oswalt played for the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Houston Astros. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Tex ...

of the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

Toronto Blue Jays

He was selected off waivers by the

on January 19, 2007. He appeared in 27 games for the Blue Jays, hitting only .216.

Pittsburgh Pirates/Philadelphia Phillies

On February 1, 2008, Olmedo was claimed off waivers from the

by the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

. On February 26, 2008, Olmedo was claimed off waivers by the

.Phillies claim Olmedo off waivers
/ref> On March 28, he was sent outright to the minors, but declined the assignment and became a free agent.

Washington Nationals

Olmedo signed a minor league contract with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadi ...

on March 29, 2008. He played in 108 games with the AAA

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy merchant sailing vessels known as clipp ...

, hitting .252.

Tampa Bay Rays

He became a free agent at the end of the season and signed a minor league contract with the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

in December. In 115 games with the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened i ...

, he hit .250.

Texas Rangers/Milwaukee Brewers

On December 16, 2009, Olmedo signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. On March 22, 2010, Olmedo was traded 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 ...

from the Rangers for defensive catcher

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 ...

. He hit .284 in 114 games for the AAA

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music industry, ...

. He filed for free agency after the 2010 season.

Tampa Bay Rays

On January 7, 2011, Olmedo signed a minor league contract with the

. Back with Durham, he hit .260 in 124 games.

Chicago White Sox

After the season, he became a free agent and on December 1, 2011, he signed a minor league contract with the

. On July 29, 2012, he was called up from the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

. On October 10, 2012, he was outrighted to Charlotte and elected free agency.

Tampa Bay Rays

Olmedo signed a minor league deal with the

on January 6, 2014. He became a free agent after the 2014 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olmedo, Ray 1981 births Living people Águilas del Zulia players Bravos de Margarita players Charlotte Knights players Chattanooga Lookouts players Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Columbus Clippers players Dayton Dragons players Durham Bulls players Gulf Coast Reds players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Major League Baseball shortstops Minor league baseball coaches Mudville Nine players Nashville Sounds players Baseball players from Maracay Rochester Red Wings players Syracuse Chiefs players Tiburones de La Guaira players Tigres de Aragua players Toronto Blue Jays players Venezuela national baseball team players Venezuelan baseball coaches Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Italy Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States 2015 WBSC Premier12 players

Career

Cincinnati Reds

Toronto Blue Jays

Pittsburgh Pirates/Philadelphia Phillies

Washington Nationals

Tampa Bay Rays

Texas Rangers/Milwaukee Brewers

Tampa Bay Rays

Chicago White Sox

Tampa Bay Rays

See also

References

External links