Jose Iglesias, Shortstop, San Diego Padres

Date of Birth: 1/5/1990
Birthplace: Havana, Cuba

Jose Iglesias, shortstop for the San Diego Padres, played baseball in Cuba in 2006 and 2007. After defecting to the US, he signed with the Boston Red Sox in September, 2009. He played in Boston's minor league system from 2010 through 2012.

Iglesias first joined the Red Sox in 2011, playing in 10 games with them that season. The following year, he played in 25 games with Boston. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers on July 30, 2013. He finished the 2013 season with 106 hits in 63 games with the Red Sox and 46 games with the Tigers. Defensively, he played 71 games at shortstop, 37 games at third base, and 3 games at second base.

In January, 2014, Iglesias signed a one-year, $1.65 million contract with the Tigers. Unfortunately for both Iglesias and the team, he suffered a shin fracture and missed the entire 2014 season.

Iglesias again spent time on the DL in 2015, this time with a fractured finger. He finished the season with 125 hits, 17 doubles, and a .300 batting average in 120 games. As a shortstop, he made 315 assists, 81 double plays, 162 putouts, and 11 errors in 119 games.

In 2016, Iglesias batted .255 in 137 games. He finished the season with 119 hits, 26 doubles, and 32 RBIs. Defensively, as the Tigers' shortstop in 136 games, he made 389 assists, 92 double plays, 180 putouts, and 5 errors.

Iglesias finished the 2017 season with 118 hits, 33 doubles, 54 RBIs, 65 strikeouts to 21 walks, and a .255 batting average in 130 games. Defensively, as the Tigers' shortstop in 130 games, he made 332 assists, 83 double plays, 199 putouts, and 7 errors.

Iglesias played in 125 games in 2018. He had 116 hits, 31 doubles, 15 stolen bases, 48 RBIs, 47 strikeouts to 19 walks, and a .269 batting average. Defensively, as the Tigers' shortstop in 122 games, he made 316 assists, 63 double plays, 148 putouts, and 8 errors.

Iglesias became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds on February 23, 2019. He finished the 2019 season with 145 hits, 21 doubles, 59 RBIs, 70 strikeouts to 20 walks, and a .288 batting average in 146 games. Defensively, as a shortstop in 144 games, he made 324 assists, 62 double plays, 122 putouts, and 9 errors.

Iglesias became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed with the Baltimore Orioles on January 7, 2020. He played in 39 games in 2020, and he finished the season with 53 hits, 17 doubles, 3 home runs, 24 RBIs, 17 strikeouts to 3 walks, and a .373 batting average. Defensively, he played 24 games at shortstop. He was the DH in 15 games.

The Orioles traded Iglesias to the Los Angeles Angels on December 2, 2020. He was released on September 3rd, and three days later, he signed with the Red Sox. He finished the 2021 season with 131 hits, 27 doubles, 48 RBIs, 75 strikeouts to 21 walks, and a .271 batting average in 114 games with the Angels and 23 games with the Red Sox. Defensively, as a shortstop in 119 games, he made 259 assists, 44 double plays, 122 putouts, and 16 errors. He didn't play in the postseason.

Iglesias became a free agent on November 7, 2021. He signed with the Colorado Rockies on March 16, 2022.

Iglesias became a free agent again on November 6, 2022. He signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins on March 10, 2023, and he was released on April 20th. He signed a minor league contract with the Padres on April 25th.

Career batting statistics for Iglesias through 2021 include:

• 978 games played
• 923 hits
• 190 doubles
• 319 RBIs
• 446 strikeouts to 156 walks
• .277 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Iglesias at shortstop through 2021 include:

• 897 games played
• 2,226 assists
• 494 double plays
• 1,079 putouts
• 62 errors
• .982 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jose Iglesias
ESPN - Jose Iglesias