Maicer Izturis, Retired


Date of Birth: 9/12/1980
Birthplace: Barquisimeto, Venezuela

Maicer Izturis was first signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1998. After playing in the Indians' minor league system for six years, they traded him to the Montreal Expos in January, 2004. He spent most of the 2004 season in the minors, joining the Expos for 32 games.

The Expos traded Izturis to the Los Angeles Angels in November, 2004. He played in 77 games with the Angels, batting .246 with 47 hits during that time. He remained a part-time player with the Angels, never playing in more than 122 games with them from 2005 through 2012.

Izturis had a career high batting average of .300 in 2009. He also had a career high 65 RBIs in 114 games that year. His best season, however, was 2011, when he had career highs in games played (122), hits (124), and doubles (35). He batted .276 that season.

Izturis signed his first multi-year, multi-million dollar contract in 2010, when he agreed to a three-year, $10 million contract with the Angels. His next three-year contract was in November, 2012, this time with the Blue Jays ($9 million contract). His playing time after signing the contract has been limited due to injuries. In 2013, an ankle injury limited his playing time to 107 games and in 2014, he had a knee injury that kept him on the DL for all but 11 games. He spent the entire 2015 season on the DL, first with a groin strain and then with shoulder surgery in May that ended the season for him.

Itzuris signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays on January 29, 2016. He announced his retirement from major league baseball a month later, on March 4th.

Career batting statistics for Izturis through 2015 include:

  • 909 games played
  • 810 hits
  • 159 doubles
  • 334 RBIs
  • 93 stolen bases
  • 355 strikeouts to 267 walks
  • .269 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Izturis as an infielder through 2014 include:

  • 315 games played at second base, 326 games played at third base, 222 games played at shortstop
  • 1,800 assists
  • 333 double plays
  • 901 putouts
  • 74 errors

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Maicer Izturis
ESPN - Maicer Izturis