Christian Bethancourt, Catcher, Tampa Bay Rays

Date of Birth: 9/2/1991
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama

Christian Bethancourt, catcher for the Tampa Bay Rays, was signed by the Atlanta Braves in 2008 when he was just 16. He played in the Braves' minor league system from 2008 through part of 2015, joining the Braves for 1 game in 2013, 31 games in 2014, and 48 games in 2015.

As a minor league player from 2008 through 2015, Bethancourt batted .275 with 616 hits, 117 doubles, 281 RBIs, and 381 strikeouts to 105 walks in 591 games. Defensively, he made 419 assists, 3,638 putouts, and 76 errors as a catcher in 517 games. He caught players trying to steal an impressive 37% of the time and he had a .982 fielding percentage.

Bethancourt hit his first major league home run on June 6, 2015. He finished the season with 31 hits and a .200 batting average in 48 games with the Braves.

Bethancourt was traded to the San Diego Padres on December 10, 2015. He finished the 2016 season with 44 hits and a .228 batting average in 73 games with the Padres. Defensively, he played 1 games at second base, 8 games in left field, 4 games in right field, and 41 games as a catcher. He also pitched in 2 games.

Bethancourt spent most of the 2017 season in the minors, playing in just 8 games with the Padres.

Bethancourt became a free agent on November 6, 2017. He signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers on January 8, 2018. He spent the 2018 season in the minors.

Bethancourt elected free agency on November 2, 2018. He played in the Korean Baseball Organization in 2019.

Bethancourt signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on January 2, 2020. He played only in the Dominican Winter League in 2020.

Bethancourt became a free agent on November 2, 2020. He rejoined the Phillies on a minor league contract on January 4, 2021. He was released on March 28th. On May 1st, he signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played in the minors and the Dominican Winter League in 2021.

Bethancourt became a free agent again on November 7, 2021. He signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics on November 25th. He was traded to the Rays on July 9, 2022.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Christian Bethancourt
ESPN - Christian Bethancourt
Baseball Reference - Christian Bethancourt