Robinson Chirinos, Catcher, Baltimore Orioles

Date of Birth: 6/5/1984
Birthplace: Punto Fijo, Venezuela

Robinson Chirinos, catcher for the Baltimore Orioles, was signed by the Chicago Cubs in 2000. He played in the Cubs' minor league system from 2001 through 2010 before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in January, 2011. He continued in the minor leagues for most of 2011, joining the Rays for 20 games that season.

Chirinos suffered a concussion in 2012 and he missed the entire season. In April, 2013, the Rays traded him to the Rangers. In 2013, he again spent most of the season in the minor leagues, playing in just 13 games with the Rangers. He finished his minor league career with 898 hits, 460 RBIs, and a .260 batting average in 1,025 games in what may be the longest stint in the minor leagues of any player in the majors today.

Chirinos finished the 2014 season with 73 hits, 15 doubles, 13 home runs, 40 RBIs, 71 strikeouts to 17 walks, and a .239 batting average in 93 games. His strength was defensively as a catcher. He caught players trying to steal an impressive 39.7% of the time and he had a .994 fielding percentage.

Chirinos played in 78 games with the Rangers in 2015. He finished the season with 54 hits, 16 doubles, 34 RBIs, and a .232 batting average. As the Rangers' catcher in 78 games, he made 31 assists, 474 putouts, and 6 errors. He caught players trying to steal 29.3% of the time and he had a .988 fielding percentage. In 11 at-bats in 3 postseason games, he batted .273 with 3 hits, including a home run, and 3 RBIs.

Chirinos played in just 57 games with the Rangers in 2016. He finished the season with a .224 batting average.

In 2017, Chirinos batted .255 in 88 games with the Rangers. He finished the season with 67 hits, 13 doubles, 17 home runs, 38 RBIs, and 79 strikeouts to 34 walks. Defensively, as the Rangers' catcher in 85 games, he made 24 assists, 559 putouts, and 6 errors. He caught players trying to steal 24.6% of the time.

Chirinos finished the 2018 season with 80 hits, 15 doubles, 18 home runs, 65 RBIs, 140 strikeouts to 45 walks, and a .222 batting average in 113 games. Defensively, as the Rangers' catcher in 108 games, he made 31 assists, 719 putouts, and 3 errors. He caught players trying to steal just 10.2% of the time and he had a .996 fielding percentage.

Chirinos became a free agent on November 2, 2018. A month later, on December 6th, he signed with the Houston Astros. He finished the 2019 season with 87 hits, 22 doubles, 17 home runs, 58 RBIs, 125 strikeouts to 51 walks, and a .238 batting average in 114 games. Defensively, as a catcher in 112 games, he made 51 assists, 1,078 putouts, and 6 errors, and he caught players trying to steal 21.1% of the time.

Chirinos became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He rejoined the Rangers on January 15, 2020. He was traded to the New York Mets on August 31, 2020. He finished the season with 12 hits and a .162 batting average in 14 games with the Rangers and 12 games with the Mets. Defensively, he was a catcher in 25 games.

Chirinos elected free agency on October 28, 2020. He signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees on February 13, 2021. He was released on July 4th. The following day, he signed with the Cubs. He finished the 2021 season with a .227 batting average in 45 games with the Cubs. He also played in 13 games in the minors while he was with the Yankees.

Chirinos became a free agent on November 3, 2021. He signed with the Orioles on March 14, 2022.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Robinson Chirinos
ESPN - Robinson Chirinos