Ronny Alexander Salazar Cedeño (born February 2, 1983), is a

Venezuelan Venezuelans (Spanish language, Spanish: ''venezolanos'') are the Citizenship, citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connect ...

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 ...

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 ...

, who 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

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

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 ...

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

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 ...

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

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. ...

, and

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

. Cedeño batted and threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to and causing it to be stronger, faster or more Fine motor skill, dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dext ...

Professional career

Chicago Cubs

Cedeño spent his five-season

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

career playing in the Cubs' farm system, reaching the Double-A level in with the Diamond Jaxx. In 116 games, he posted a .279

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 ...

with six

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 48 RBI. He was selected as a midseason Southern League All-Star. Cedeño was called up in April,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, to replace

Nomar Garciaparra Anthony Nomar Garciaparra (; born July 23, 1973) is an American former Major League Baseball player and current SportsNet LA analyst. After playing parts of nine seasons as an All-Star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, he played shortstop, Third ...

on the Cubs' roster. He made big-league debut for the

on April 23 but spent most of his time on the bench, as

Neifi Pérez Neifi Neftali Pérez (; ; born June 2, 1973) is a Dominican former Major League baseball player. He was a switch hitter who threw right-handed. During his career, he played with the Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Chi ...

was awarded the starting job. After the Cubs signed

Enrique Wilson Enrique Wilson Martes (born July 27, 1973) is a Dominican former professional baseball player. In his eight-season Major League Baseball career, Wilson played with the Cleveland Indians (1997–2000), Pittsburgh Pirates (2000–01), New York Ya ...

, Cedeño was sent back down to the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

. In 65 games at Iowa in 2005, Cedeño batted an impressive .355, and slugged over .500 for the first time in his professional career. He returned to the Cubs in June after Wilson was himself sent down to Iowa. Cedeño became the team's starting shortstop in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. He played in 151 games, hit .245, and had 25 errors. In 2006, he walked only 3.1% of the time, the lowest percentage in the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

, and 4 of his 17 walks were intentional walks. He also had the Major League's worst walk/

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

ratio—0.16. He played in the 2006 winter league for

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 ...

, and averaged .555 in 45 games with 25 runs and 28 RBI. Cedeño began

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

with the Major League club on the bench, as the Cubs were set at shortstop and

second base In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the infield, between second and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must ...

with

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

Mark DeRosa Mark Thomas DeRosa (born February 26, 1975) is an American former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 to 2013. He played for the Atlanta Braves (1998–2004), Texas Rangers (2005–2006), Chicago Cub ...

. His offensive struggles continued, batting .118 at the big league level through August, and he spent several more months in Triple-A Iowa. When the Cubs traded their starting

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...

Jacque Jones Jacque Dewayne Jones (born April 25, 1975) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers and Florida Marlins. He also coached for the Washington Nationals. Early life He graduated from San Di ...

in November 2007, general manager

Jim Hendry James Hendry (born July 27, 1955) is an American baseball coach and executive. He is a special assistant for New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, and is a former general manager of the Chicago Cubs. Hendry was promoted to Cubs gen ...

indicated that the club wasn't necessarily looking outside for a veteran, with Cedeño as well as Félix Pie and

Sam Fuld Samuel Babson Fuld (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and current executive for the Philadelphia Phillies organization of Major League Baseball (MLB), where he most recently served as the team's gener ...

in the mix. Cedeño was asked to play some center field during the winter. In

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, Cedeño made the Major League club out of

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 ...

and spent the entire season with the Cubs, playing primarily off the bench as

Reed Johnson Reed Cameron Johnson (born December 8, 1976) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, and Washing ...

and later

Jim Edmonds James Patrick Edmonds (born June 27, 1970) is an American former professional baseball center fielder and a broadcaster for Bally Sports Midwest. He played for the California/Anaheim Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs ...

were signed to play center field and Ryan Theriot was ensconced at shortstop. As the season progressed, he saw more opportunities to start at second base and shortstop, and got many opportunities off the bench as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter (PH) 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, A ...

and defensive replacement. He ended the year hitting .269 with 41 strikeouts in 216 at-bats, making 31 starts at second and 20 at shortstop.

Seattle Mariners

On January 28, 2009, Cedeño was traded with

Garrett Olson Garrett Andrew Olson (born October 18, 1983) is an Americans, American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets and in the KB ...

to the Seattle Mariners for

Aaron Heilman Aaron Michael Heilman (born November 12, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Early life Heilman was born in Logansport ...

. Cedeño replaced

Yuniesky Betancourt Yuniesky Betancourt Pérez (born 31 January 1982) is a Cuban former professional baseball shortstop. Betancourt played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, and Kansas City Royals. He played in the Cuban Na ...

as starting

for the

after Betancourt was put on the DL and later traded 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) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

. Cedeño made 39 starts at shortstop for Seattle, as well as a handful of starts at second, left field, and third base. He batted .167 in 206 plate appearances with Seattle.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On July 29, 2009, Cedeño was traded with

Jeff Clement Jeffrey Burton Clement (born August 21, 1983) is an American former professional baseball player. Clement was a catcher and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates. Clement attende ...

, Aaron Pribanic, Brett Lorin, and Nathan Adcock to the

for Jack Wilson and

Ian Snell Ian Dante Snell (born October 30, 1981) is an American former professional baseball right-handed pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners. From 2001 to 2003, he went by the name Ian Oquendo ...

. He started 42 games at shortstop and batted .258 for Pittsburgh on the year. Cedeño finished 2009 with 8 doubles, 3 triples, and a career high 10 home runs. He also drove in 38 runs, was issued a then-career high 19 walks, 3 of them intentional, struck out 79 times, and stole 5 bases, to go along with a .208 average, a .256 on-base percentage, a .337 slugging percentage, in 341 at-bats split between Seattle and Pittsburgh. Cedeño was the Pirates Opening Day shortstop in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

and he made 132 starts on the year. He was briefly benched by manager John Russell in June as he struggled with consistency. He finished with a batting line of .256/.293/.382 and 18 errors in the field. Although the Pirates pursued other shortstops during the off-season as there were questions about Cedeño's focus, he returned as the Opening Day starter in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

. Cedeño made 118 starts at shortstop on the year with a brief trip to the disabled list in July with a concussion. He batted .249/.297/.339 with 13 errors. At the end of the season, the Pirates decided not to pick up Cedeño's $3 million option and signed

Clint Barmes Clint Harold Barmes (, born March 6, 1979) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2003 through 2015 for the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, and ...

to play shortstop.

New York Mets

On January 6, 2012, Cedeño signed with the

for a one-year contract worth $1.2 million. Cedeño served as a reserve infielder, taking over briefly at shortstop when

Rubén Tejada Rubén Darío Tejada (born October 27, 1989) is a Panamanian professional baseball shortstop for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, San ...

was lost to an injury in May. He played in a total of 78 games for the Mets, making 42 starts between second, short, and third, and committing just 4 errors. He surpassed offensive expectations by batting .259 with 4 home runs and a .741

OPS OPS may refer to: Organizations * Obscene Publications Squad, a former unit of the Metropolitan Police in London, England * Oceanic Preservation Society * Office of Public Safety, a former US government agency * Orchestre philharmonique de Strasb ...

in 186 plate appearances.

St Louis Cardinals

On January 28, 2013, Ronny Cedeño signed a one-year contract with 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 ...

. The deal was reported to be for a base salary of $1.15 million with incentives that could have increased to $2 million. However, the Cardinals released him on March 19 when they made the decision to give the starting shortstop job to Pete Kozma.

Houston Astros

On March 23, 2013, Cedeño agreed to a deal with the

. He and

Marwin González Marwin Javier González (born March 14, 1989) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees, and in Nippon Prof ...

split time at shortstop, with Cedeño batting .220 with a .558 OPS in 155 plate appearances and making 11 errors in 37 starts. He was designated for assignment on July 22, 2013, and was released on July 28, as the Astros called up prospect Jonathan Villar.

San Diego Padres

On August 3, 2013, Cedeño agreed to a minor league contract with the

, in case starting shortstop

Everth Cabrera Everth Cabrera (born November 17, 1986) is a Nicaraguan professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles. He led the National League (NL) in stolen bases in 2012, and was an ...

was suspended in the

Biogenesis scandal The Biogenesis scandal broke in 2013 when several Major League Baseball (MLB) players were accused of obtaining performance-enhancing drugs ("PEDs"), specifically human growth hormone, from the now-defunct rejuvenation clinic Biogenesis of Ameri ...

. He was assigned to their High-A affiliate, the

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team based in Lake Elsinore, California. The Storm compete in the California League as the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond, w ...

. After Cabrera was suspended, the Padres promoted Cedeño to the major leagues on August 6. He served as the Padres primary shortstop until he was hit in the head by a

Heath Bell Heath Justin Bell (born September 29, 1977) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. As a closer (baseball), closer with the San Diego Padres from 2009 to 2011, Bell was a three-time Major League Baseball All-Star Game, All-St ...

pitch on September 23. Although Cedeño never lost consciousness, he sat out the last week of the season with concussion-like symptoms. He made 34 starts at short for the Padres, making 2 errors and hitting .268 with 2 homers and a .684 OPS.

Philadelphia Phillies

On January 13, 2014, Cedeño signed a minor league contract with an invitation to

to play for the

. He was released on March 25 and re-signed on April 2. He was outrighted off the roster on June 28, 2014.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On June 29, 2014, the Phillies traded Cedeño to the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

in exchange for Raywilly Gomez. On October 11 he refused his minor league assignment and became a free agent.

San Francisco Giants

Cedeño signed a minor league contract with the

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 ...

in February 2015. On February 24, 2015 he was assigned to AAA

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

, but was released July 8.

Guerreros de Oaxaca

On July 15, 2015, Cedeño signed with the

Guerreros de Oaxaca The Guerreros de Oaxaca (English: Oaxaca Warriors) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their home field is Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos. History In October 1995, a group of businessmen, ...

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 became a free agent following the season. In 20 games he struggled hitting .217/.276/.333 with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs.

Unipol Bologna

Cedeño spent the 2016 season with Unipol Bologna of the

Italian Baseball League The Italian Baseball League (IBL, ), officially known as the Serie A (), is the top-level baseball league in Italy. Founded in 1948, it is governed by the Italian Baseball & Softball Federation (FIBS), which has its headquarters in Rome. Many o ...

. In 28 games he hit .358/.414/.517 with 3 home runs and 23 RBIs.

Olmecas de Tabasco

On April 18, 2017, Cedeño signed with the

Olmecas de Tabasco The Olmecas de Tabasco (English: Tabasco Olmecs) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Their home ballpark is the Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero. The Olmecas won their only Mexican Lea ...

of the

. He was released on April 21, without appearing in a game.

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League

Cedeño spent 2016–20 with

Navegantes del Magallanes Navegantes del Magallanes B.B.C., commonly known as Navegantes del Magallanes (; ''Strait of Magellan, Magellan Navigators''), or simply Magallanes, are a professional baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP), based in ...

of the

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (, or LVBP) is the top-level professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Background and predecessors Baseball had been play ...

and the 2020–21 season with

Leones del Caracas The Caracas Base Ball Club C.A., better known by its commercial name as the Leones del Caracas, is a professional baseball team of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVPB). The owner and sole shareholder of the sports club is Ricardo C ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cedeno, Ronny 1983 births Living people Arizona League Cubs players Boise Hawks players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago Cubs players Daytona Cubs players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Fortitudo Baseball Bologna players Houston Astros players Indianapolis Indians players Iowa Cubs players Lake Elsinore Storm players Lansing Lugnuts players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Major League Baseball shortstops Mesa Solar Sox players Mexican League baseball shortstops Navegantes del Magallanes players New York Mets players Baseball players from Puerto Cabello Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates players Reno Aces players Sacramento River Cats players San Diego Padres players Seattle Mariners players St. Lucie Mets players Tigres de Aragua players West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Italy Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Mexico Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Unipol Bologna players

Professional career

Chicago Cubs

Seattle Mariners

Pittsburgh Pirates

New York Mets

St Louis Cardinals

Houston Astros

San Diego Padres

Philadelphia Phillies

Arizona Diamondbacks

San Francisco Giants

Guerreros de Oaxaca

Unipol Bologna

Olmecas de Tabasco

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League

See also

References

External links