Rafael Furcal, Retired


Date of Birth: 10/24/1977
Birthplace: Loma de Cabrera, Dominican Republic

Rafael Furcal, who has spent his entire career as a shortstop, moved in 2014 to second base in his first season with the Miami Marlins. Furcal started his professional baseball career with the Atlanta Braves, playing in their minor league teams for three years, starting in 1997.

In 2000, Furcal played in 131 games with the Braves. He had a very good first year and he won the National League Rookie of the Year award. That season, he batted .295 with 134 hits, 20 doubles, and 40 stolen bases. The following year, he dislocated his left shoulder and missed more than half of the season, playing in just 79 games with the Braves.

Furcal had a strong year in 2003, batting .292 with 194 hits, 35 doubles, 10 triples, 15 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases in 156 games. On August 10, 2003, he made an unassisted triple play.

In December, 2005, Furcal became a free agent and he signed a three-year, $39 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had a very strong first season with the Dodgers, batting .300 with career highs in hits (196), home runs (15), and RBIs (63). He also had 32 doubles and 37 stolen bases in 159 games.

Furcal suffered from a back injury in 2008 and he played in just 36 games with the Dodgers. The following December, he signed a new, three-year, $30 million contract with the Dodgers. Injuries plagued Furcal again in 2010 and 2011 and the Dodgers traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals in July, 2011.

Furcal and the Cardinals agreed to a two-year, $14 million contract in December, 2011. He played in 121 games in 2012 and batted .264 with 126 hits and 18 doubles. In 2013, Furcal was again injured and he was out for the entire season.

In December, 2013, Furcal signed a one-year contract with the Miami Marlins. Unfortunately for the Marlins and Furcal, he spent most of the 2014 season on the DL, playing in just 9 games all season.

Furcal signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals on March 17, 2015. After playing in just seven games in the minors, he retired from major league baseball on May 19th.

Statistics for Furcal in 13 seasons (2000-2012) in the major leagues include:

  • 7 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 196 in 2006
  • 4 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 35 in 2003
  • 9 seasons with over 20 stolen bases, with a high of 46 in 2005

Career batting statistics for Furcal through 2014 include:

  • 1,614 games played
  • 1,817 hits
  • 311 doubles
  • 587 RBIs
  • 314 stolen bases
  • 910 strikeouts to 643 walks
  • .281 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Furcal at shortstop through 2014 include:

  • 1,554 games played
  • 4,678 assists
  • 2,373 putouts
  • 1,020 double plays
  • 249 errors
  • .966 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Rafael Furcal
ESPN - Rafael Furcal