José Offerman

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José Offerman

Infielder

Born: November 8, 1968 (1968-11-08) (age 39) San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
Batted: Switch	Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 19, 1990 for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Final game
October 2, 2005 for the New York Mets
Career statistics
AVG	.273
Hits	1551
RBI	537
Teams
Los Angeles Dodgers (1990-1995) Kansas City Royals (1996-1998) Boston Red Sox (1999-2002) Seattle Mariners (2002) Minnesota Twins (2004) Philadelphia Phillies (2005) New York Mets (2005)
Career highlights and awards
All star in 1995 and 1999 Led NL in sacrifice hits in 1993 with 25 Led AL in triples in 1998 with 13 and 1999 with 11

José Offerman (born José Antonio Offerman Dono on November 8, 1968 in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic) is a professional baseball player who has played professional baseball for nearly 20 years. He has played for 15 seasons in the Major League Baseball, and for 2 years in the independent Atlantic League, where he currently plays. Offerman plays infield for the Long Island Ducks. Offerman holds the distinction of having played the fourth most games at second base in Kansas City Royals history.^[1]

1 Early life
2 Major leagues
3 Post USA Major Leagues
4 Bat incident
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Early life

After attending Colegio Biblico Cristiano High School in San Pedro de Macorís, Offerman signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1986. In 1988, he completed his first season of professional play being named as Best Prospect in the Pioneer League. Progressing rapidly through the minor leagues, he made his major league debut against the Montreal Expos on August 19, 1990 becoming the 55th player in major league history to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat.

[edit] Major leagues

By 1992, Offerman became the Dodgers' starting shortstop. He made his first appearance in the All-Star Game in 1995 but was traded to the Kansas City Royals after the season, mostly because of his very poor defense. After a year as a utility player, he won the starting second baseman job in 1997. Offerman had his best offensive seasons in Kansas City, culminating in 1998, when he hit .315 with a league-leading 13 triples and the fifth most stolen bases, 45. After that season, he signed with the Boston Red Sox as a free agent, making the All-Star Game for the second time in 1999.

Known more for his hitting skills than his fielding, Offerman's offense began to decline in 2000. He was sent to the Seattle Mariners during the 2002 season, but was released afterwards. In 2003, he joined the Montreal Expos in spring training but was cut before the regular season began. He spent the entire year with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League. In 2004, he won a spot on the Minnesota Twins roster and led the league in pinch-hits with 12 in 29 attempts. He started 2005 with the Philadelphia Phillies but was released after a slow start. Later, he signed with the New York Mets and was called back up to the majors in June.

On May 28, 2007, Offerman agreed to a deal with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. As of June 19, he was hitting .296 with 2 home runs and 16 RBI in 20 games for the Ducks.

[edit] Post USA Major Leagues

Most recently, Jose Offerman played in the 2008 Caribbean World Series for the Licey Tigers - Dominican Republic 2 team - where he assisted the team in winning its 10th Caribbean World Series title. During the series he signed a contract with the 2008 Veracruz Eagles of the Mexican Summer League.

[edit] Bat incident

On August 14, 2007, Offerman was thrown out of a Ducks game against the Bridgeport Bluefish for attacking Bluefish pitcher Matt Beech with a bat after being hit by a pitch. Beech suffered a broken finger in the attack. Bluefish catcher John Nathans was also hit in the back of the head on Offerman's backswing, allegedly receiving a concussion.^[2]^[3] Beech and Nathans were taken to Bridgeport Hospital were they were treated and released. After being removed from the game, Offerman was arrested by the Bridgeport Police. ^[4]

On August 15, 2007, he was suspended indefinitely. The independent Atlantic League announced on August 17, 2007 that Offerman shall remain suspended at least until the legal case is resolved ^[5]. The Bluefish have demanded a lifetime ban. ^[6]

On September 24, 2007, Offerman pled not guilty to two second degree assault charges. ^[7]

On October 30, 2007, Offerman was given two years special probation called "Accelerated Rehabilitation ('AR')." He was represented by Attorney Frank J. Riccio II of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Under the terms of the AR, all charges brought against him will be dismissed if he abides by the terms of this special probation. The Court determined that his actions on August 14, 2007 were of an aberrant nature. The Court also found that Offerman is not likely to offend again in the future. ^[8]