Jorge Cantú
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Florida Marlins — No. 3 | |
| Third baseman | |
| Born: January 30, 1982 McAllen, Texas |
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| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| July 17, 2004 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through June 2, 2008) |
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| Batting average | .272 |
| Home runs | 53 |
| Runs batted in | 237 |
| Teams | |
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Jorge Luis Cantú (born Jorge Luís Cantú Guzmán on January 30, 1982 in McAllen, Texas) is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Florida Marlins. Cantú bats and throws right-handed. He was born in McAllen, Texas and makes his home in nearby Reynosa, Mexico.
Cantú was spotted by a scout while playing in a Junior Olympic tournament in Mexico City while in high school and offered a contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at age 16. In 2003, Cantú played for the Mexican national team in the regional Olympic qualifying tournament. His team defeated the U.S. team, eliminating them from the 2004 summer games in Athens.
Cantú made his major league debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 2004 season, hitting a .301 batting average with two home runs and 17 runs batted in from 50 games played. In 2005, Cantú began the season expecting to play a utilityman role, but due to the retirement of second baseman Roberto Alomar, he was forced into a full time position. He took the opportunity to showcase his talents, being named the Devil Rays Most Valuable Player by Tampa Bay sportswriters, after hitting .289 with 28 home runs, 117 RBI, 40 doubles, and 171 hits in 150 games (80 at second base, 63 at third).
Cantú exceeded the expectations of many fans and members of the media, and he was a valuable young player for the rebuilding Devil Rays, who finished last in the American League last season. However, he failed to make the Opening Day 25-man roster for 2007, and was assigned instead to the Triple-A Durham Bulls. He threatened not to report, and demanded a trade. [1] However, on the April 4, 2007 edition of ESPN's Baseball Tonight, Cantú retracted his trade demand and stated he would voluntarily report to Durham.
On July 28, 2007 Cantú was traded to the Cincinnati Reds along with outfielder Shaun Cumberland for pitchers Brian Shackelford and Calvin Medlock. The Reds released him on December 5 of that year.
On January 4, 2008, the Florida Marlins signed Cantú to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. On March 22, Jose Castillo was claimed off waivers by the San Francisco Giants, opening the door for a possible roster spot for Cantú.[2] Cantu was added to the active roster on March 27. Cantu so impressed the Marlins during spring training that he was named the starting third baseman. So far he has played great and is hitting third in their lineup, the slot normally held by the team's best hitter. As of June 2nd he is hitting .266 with 8 home runs and 28 RBI.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
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