Héctor Olivera (baseball)

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This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Olivera and the second or maternal family name is Amaro.
Héctor Olivera
250px
Olivera with the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves – No. 28
Third baseman / Outfielder
Born: (1985-04-05) April 5, 1985 (age 39)
Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 2015, for the Atlanta Braves
MLB statistics
(through 2015 season)
Batting average .253
Home runs 2
Runs batted in 11
Teams
Héctor Olivera
250px
Olivera batting for the Cuba national team in 2010 World University Baseball Championship
Medal record
Men’s baseball
Representing  Cuba
Summer Olympics
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing National team
Baseball World Cup
Silver medal – second place 2007 Taipei National team
Silver medal – second place 2009 Nettuno National team
Intercontinental Cup
Gold medal – first place 2010 Taichung National team
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Guadalajara National team

Héctor Olivera Amaro (born April 5, 1985) is a Cuban professional baseball left fielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was part of the Cuban team which won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.[1]

Career

Cuban career

Olivera played for the Santiago de Cuba team in the Cuban National Series from 2003 through 2014 and hit .323 with 96 home runs and 433 runs batted in for them.[2] He missed the entire 2012-13 season due to a blood disorder, which also limited him defensively during the 2013-14 season.[3]

In addition, he played for the Cuba national baseball team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2007 and 2009 Baseball World Cups, the 2010 Intercontinental Cup, the 2011 Pan American Games and the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Defection from Cuba

Olivera defected from Cuba in September 2014, to pursue a career in Major League Baseball,[4][5] establishing his residence in Haiti.[3] His potential drew many scouts to his showcase in the Dominican Republic, where he was said to be in good physical condition with a quick bat and above average power.[3]

Los Angeles Dodgers

On March 24, 2015, he agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers for six years and $62.5 million, including a $28 million signing bonus.[6][7] His contract also reportedly includes a clause that would allow the Dodgers to add on a seventh year for $1 million if Olivera requires Tommy John surgery.[8] This clause was the result of several MRIs that showed Olivera had a minor UCL tear.[9]

Olivera worked out at the Dodgers training facility in the Dominican Republic while waiting for his visa to travel to the U.S. to be approved, which finally happened on May 11, 2015.[10] He passed his physical on May 19 and officially signed his contract.[11] The physical also revealed that, contrary to previous reports, he did not need elbow surgery.[12] The team announced that Olivera would spend several weeks at their spring training facility in Arizona before joining a minor league team.[13] On June 3, he was assigned to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League to begin his professional baseball career.[14] He made his debut with the Drillers the following day and had one hit in four at-bats with two walks in a game against the Midland RockHounds. This was his first game action since the 2013-14 Cuban season and manager Razor Shines said of him, "For a guy that hasn't played in that long, his at-bats were really good."[15] In six games for the Drillers, Olivera batted .318 and hit a grand slam.[16][17] He was promoted to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers on June 12.[18] His advancement was hampered by a hamstring injury on June 20.[19]

Atlanta Braves

On July 30, 2015, in a three-team trade, the Atlanta Braves acquired Olivera, Paco Rodriguez, minor league pitcher Zachary Bird, and a competitive balance draft pick for the 2016 MLB Draft, while the Dodgers acquired Mat Latos, Michael Morse, Bronson Arroyo, Alex Wood, Jim Johnson, Luis Avilán, and José Peraza, and the Miami Marlins acquired minor league pitchers Victor Araujo, Jeff Brigham, and Kevin Guzman.[20] He was called up to the majors for the first time on September 1, 2015.[21] Six days later, Olivera hit his first major league home run in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies.[22]

Before the 2016 Major League Baseball season began, Olivera played in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente based in Puerto Rico, where he began a transition to left field. The Braves continued starting Olivera in left field during spring training.[23]

On April 13, 2016, Olivera was arrested outside Washington, D.C. following a domestic dispute. He was placed on the restricted list and Daniel Castro was recalled as his replacement.[24] On May 26, 2016, Olivera was suspended for 82 games without pay for violating MLB's off-the-field personal conduct policy that consists domestic violence and other known violations, meaning that Olivera would not be eligible to play until August 1. The suspension applied retroactively on April 30, and Olivera decided not to appeal it.[25]

See also

References

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External links

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  4. ↑ Hector Olivera Leaves Cuba
  5. ↑ Escapa de Cuba el estelar pelotero Héctor Olivera
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