Osleivis Basabe
Tampa Bay Rays – No. 37
Infielder
Born: (2000-09-13) September 13, 2000 (age 23)
Bobures, Venezuela
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 13, 2023, for the Tampa Bay Rays
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Batting average.218
Home runs1
Runs batted in12
Teams

Osleivis José Basabe Chourio (born September 13, 2000) is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.

Career

Texas Rangers

On December 23, 2017, Basabe signed with the Texas Rangers as an international free agent.[1] He made his professional debut in 2018 with the Dominican Summer League Rangers, hitting .344/.414/.474 with 1 home run, 34 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. He split the 2019 season between the rookie–level Arizona League Rangers and Low–A Spokane Indians, hitting a combined .323.352/.398 with 32 RBI.[2] Basabe did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

Tampa Bay Rays

On December 10, 2020, the Rangers traded Basabe, Heriberto Hernandez, and Alexander Ovalles to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Nathaniel Lowe, Jake Guenther, and Carl Chester.[4] He split his first season in the Rays organization between the Charleston RiverDogs and Bowling Green Hot Rods, hitting .282/.347/.388/.734 with 3 home runs, 36 RBI, and 18 stolen bases.[5] Basabe split the 2022 campaign between Bowling Green and the Montgomery Biscuits, hitting a combined .324/.385/.462/.847 with 4 home runs, 47 RBI, and 21 stolen bases.[6]

On November 15, 2022, the Rays added Basabe to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[7] Basabe was optioned to the Triple-A Durham Bulls to begin the 2023 season.[8][9] On August 13, Basabe was promoted to the major league for the first time.[10] Basabe hit his first career home run, a grand slam against the Colorado Rockies, on August 22, 2023.[11]

Personal life

Basabe's cousin, Luis Matos, is currently an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants.[12] Another cousin, Luis Alexander Basabe, previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Giants. Another cousin, Luis Alejandro Basabe, is also a professional baseball player.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Rangers use dollars intended for Shohei Ohtani to sign Venezuelan shortstop". December 25, 2017.
  2. ^ "Scouting the Rangers' top prospects, No. 15: For SS Osleivis Basabe, the hits keep coming". March 30, 2020.
  3. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  4. ^ "Rays complete six-player trade with Rangers". MLB.com.
  5. ^ "Rays Send Top 30 Prospect Basabe to Charleston".
  6. ^ "Osleivis Besabe quiere reportarse temprano a las Águilas". September 22, 2022.
  7. ^ "Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Joining 40-man roster". cbssports.com. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  8. ^ Topkin, Marc (May 16, 2023). "Rays' Osleivis Basabe Can Really Hit". Baseball America. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  9. ^ Murphy, Brian (March 3, 2023). "Electrifying Basabe 'a huge bright spot' for Rays". MLB.com. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  10. ^ "Rays' Osleivis Basabe: Called up Saturday". CBSSports.com. August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  11. ^ Didtler, Mark. "Osleivis Basabe's first major league homer is a grand slam as the Rays beat the Rockies 12-4". Associated Press. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  12. ^ "Luis Matos, OF, SF". milbanalysis.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  13. ^ "Rangers To Sign Venezuelan Shortstop Osleivis Basabe". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023.

External links

Tampa Bay Rays current roster
Categories