Raul Ibanez, Retired

Raul Ibanez was first drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 1992 but they never played him in more than 104 games in any season. He spent his first eight years with the Mariners primarily in the minor leagues, playing for them in just 4 games in 1996, 11 games in 1997, and 37 games in 1998.

Ibanez became a free agent before the 2001 season and he signed with the Kansas City Royals. In his first season with the Royals, he batted .280, with 78 hits, 11 doubles, and 13 home runs. He stayed with the Royals for three seasons and then decided to return to the Mariners in 2004.

Ibanez stayed with the Mariners through the 2008 season, but then he again became a free agent and left Seattle. In December, 2008, Ibanez signed a three-year, $31.5 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. After three good years with the Phillies, Ibanez left them to join the New York Yankees for the 2012 season. He was a critical player for the Yankees, particularly in the playoffs when he batted .318 with 7 hits, 3 home runs and 5 RBIs in 22 at-bats.

Although Ibanez seemed to enjoy his time in New York, he left the Yankees in 2013 to rejoin the Mariners. In December, 2012, he signed a one-year contract with the Mariners. In 2013, Ibanez batted .242 with 110 hits and 29 home runs in 124 games. On December 27, 2013, he left the Mariners to sign a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels.

On June 21, 2014, the Angels released Ibanez. Nine days later, he signed with the Royals. He finished the 2014 season with 41 hits and a .167 batting average in 57 games with the Angels and 33 games with the Royals. He didn't play in the postseason with the Royals.

After retiring, Ibanez worked in 2016 as a special assistant to Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ibanez was hired as a baseball analyst for ESPN in April, 2016.

Statistics for Ibanez in 14 full seasons (2001-2013) in the major leagues include:

  • .304 batting average in 2004
  • 6 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 186 in 2008
  • 10 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 43 in 2008
  • 8 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 34 in 2009
  • 4 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 123 in 2006

Career batting statistics for Ibanez through 2014 include:

  • 2,161 games played
  • 2,034 hits
  • 424 doubles
  • 305 home runs
  • 1,207 RBIs
  • 1,374 strikeouts to 713 walks
  • .272 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Ibanez as a left fielder through 2014 include:

  • 1,467 games played
  • 2,512 putouts
  • 35 errors
  • .987 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Raul Ibanez
ESPN Sports - Raul Ibanez