Adrián Nieto
Adrián Nieto (born November 12, 1989) is a Cuban former professional baseball catcher. He played one season in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox.
| Adrián Nieto | |
|---|---|
Nieto with the New Orleans Zephyrs in 2016 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: November 12, 1989 Havana, Cuba | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 2, 2014, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 26, 2014, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .236 |
| Home runs | 2 |
| Runs batted in | 7 |
| Teams | |
Career
Washington Nationals
Nieto was born in Cuba, but raised in Florida.[1] He attended American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida. He played for the school's baseball team as a catcher.[2] After Nieto graduated, the Washington Nationals selected him in the fifth round of the 2008 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft.[3] He signed with the Nationals, receiving a $376,000 signing bonus, roughly twice as much as MLB suggested he should receive based on his draft position.[4] He made his professional debut with the GCL Nationals, posting a .217/.308/.348 slash line. In 2009, he returned to the GCL Nationals, batting .228/.337/.287 with 17 RBI in 42 games. The next year, Nieto played for the Single-A Hagerstown Suns, slashing .195/.291/.253 with 2 home runs and 14 RBI.[5] In 2011, he was suspended for 50 games for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy after testing positive for an anabolic steroid. He split the year between the Low-A Auburn Doubledays, Hagerstown, and the High-A Potomac Nationals, accumulating a .278/.360/.450 batting line with career-highs in home runs (7) and RBI (34). In 2012, Nieto split the season between Hagerstown and the GCL Nationals, hitting .247/.340/.385 between the two teams. Nieto played for the Spanish national baseball team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. In the 2013 season, Nieto batted .285 with 11 home runs for Potomac in the Class A-Advanced Carolina League. The Nationals assigned him to the Arizona Fall League after the season to continue his development.[1]
Chicago White Sox
On December 12, 2013, the Chicago White Sox selected Nieto with the third pick in the Rule 5 Draft.[3] Because Nieto was a Rule 5 Draft pick, he had to be on the Chicago White Sox roster for the entire season, so for 2014, he was the backup to Tyler Flowers, batting .236/.296/.340 in 48 games.[6][7] He was assigned to the Triple-A Birmingham Barons for the 2015 season, and batted .207/.344/.316 with 5 home runs and 27 RBI in 81 games. On October 7, 2015, Nieto was outrighted off of the 40-man roster.[8] He elected free agency on November 6, 2015.
Miami Marlins
On December 2, 2015, Nieto signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins organization.[9] He spent the year with the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs, where he slashed .195/.287/.257 with 1 home run and 19 RBI.[10] On November 7, 2016, he elected free agency.
Cincinnati Reds
Nieto signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds organization on January 2, 2017.[11] He was assigned to the Triple-A Louisville Bats, and also spent time with the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos, but was released by the Reds organization on August 27 after hitting a cumulative .230/.282/.323 with 3 home runs and 21 RBI.[12]
Kansas City T-Bones
On May 4, 2018, Nieto signed with the Kansas City T-Bones of the independent American Association. In 81 games for Kansas City, Nieto slashed .313/.384/.426 with 6 home runs and 44 RBI. He was released by the team on March 11, 2019.
Sioux Falls Canaries
On March 19, 2019, Nieto signed with the Sioux Falls Canaries of the American Association. Nieto played in 32 games for Sioux Falls, batting .269/.336/.392 with 4 home runs and 24 RBI.
Miami Marlins (second stint)
On June 22, 2019, Nieto's contract was purchased by the Miami Marlins organization.[13] He split the remainder of the season between the Double-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and the High-A Jupiter Hammerheads, posting a cumulative .188/.233/.288 slash line with 2 home runs and 7 RBI.
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
On February 4, 2020, Nieto signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.[14] Nieto did not play a game for the team because of the cancellation of the 2020 ALPB season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and became a free agent after the year.
References
- ^ a b Wagner, James (December 12, 2013). "Nationals lose Adrian Nieto in Rule 5 draft". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ "Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ a b Dan Kolko (December 12, 2013). "Nationals Pastime: Nationals lose Adrian Nieto to White Sox in Rule 5 Draft". Masnsports.com. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ Washington, The (August 11, 2008). "Nationals sign draft pick". Washington Times. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ "Adrian Nieto Minor, Fall, Winter & Independent Leagues Statistics & History".
- ^ Kilgore, Adam. "Anthony Rendon returns, Adrian Nieto makes the White Sox". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ . Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
- ^ "White Sox Outright Adrian Nieto".
- ^ Eddy, Matt (December 1, 2015). "Minor League Transactions: Nov. 21-27". Baseball America. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
- ^ "Marlins, Carlos Corporan Agree to Minor League Deal".
- ^ "Cincinnati Reds Transactions; January 2017". Major League Baseball. January 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ "Top MLB Prospects, Scouting Reports, Analysis".
- ^ "Canaries' Former Major Leaguer, Nieto, Headed to Marlins organization". americanassociationbaseball.com. June 22, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
- ^ "Atlantic League Professional Baseball: Transactions".
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Adrian Nieto Jr on Twitter