| Omar Infante | |
|---|---|
 Infante with the Kansas City Royals | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born: (1981-12-26)December 26, 1981 (age 43) Puerto la Cruz,Anzoátegui,Venezuela | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 7, 2002, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 6, 2016, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .271 |
| Home runs | 82 |
| Runs batted in | 542 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Omar Rafael Infante (born December 26, 1981) is aVenezuelan former professionalbaseballsecond baseman. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theDetroit Tigers,Atlanta Braves,Miami Marlins, andKansas City Royals. He was anAll-Star in 2010, and won aWorld Series in 2015.[1] While primarily asecond baseman, he has experience at every position except forpitcher,catcher, andfirst base.
Infante made his major league debut with theDetroit Tigers on September 7, 2002, and entered the 2003 season as the starting shortstop for theDetroit Tigers.Ramón Santiago, considered a better glove-man started the season at second base. Considered two of the Tigers better prospects, both proved overmatched; Infante hit .222 with no home runs and eight RBIs in over 200 at-bats.
In 2004, Infante lost any chance to claim the starting shortstop role when the Tigers acquiredCarlos Guillén, who went on to be an All-Star that year (Santiago had been included in the trade for Guillén). With Guillén atshortstop andfree agent acquisitionFernando Viña at second base, Infante was likely to spend much of the season in theminors. Then he received an opportunity in mid-May to play every day at second base when Viña was sidelined for the year by a hamstring injury. He responded by playing solid defense and hitting .264 with 16 home runs and 55 RBIs in 142 games.
Infante's rebound in 2004 fueled speculation that he may one day become a star at second base. In 2005, however, he regressed, and the Tigers sought his replacement. In June of that year, the Tigers traded forPlácido Polanco, who had been filling a utility role with thePhiladelphia Phillies. Polanco became the starting second baseman, and Infante moved to the bench.
Following his move to the bench, Infante played seven different positions during the 2007 season.
On November 12, 2007, Infante was traded to theChicago Cubs forJacque Jones.[2] On December 4, 2007, Infante was traded again, this time along withWill Ohman to theAtlanta Braves forJosé Ascanio.[3] A Cub for less than a month during the off-season, Infante never appeared in a game.
On January 12, 2009, Infante signed a two-year contract worth $4.3 million with theAtlanta Braves.[4]
National League manager Charlie Manuel selected Infante to the 2010 National League All-Star Team, earning Infante his first selection after proving to be one of the most valuable utility men in the National League. Infante was one of six Braves on the All-Star team.
After the 2010 season, Infante and relieverMichael Dunn were traded to the Florida Marlins for second basemanDan Uggla.[5] On September 27, 2011, it was announced that Infante and the Marlins had agreed on a two-year extension, worth around $8 million.[6]
In 2011, Infante lead the Majors in fielding assists.
On June 21, 2012, Infante played in his 1000th game against theBoston Red Sox atFenway Park.
Infante andAníbal Sánchez were traded by the Marlins to theDetroit Tigers, on July 23, 2012, in exchange forJacob Turner,Rob Brantly, andBrian Flynn.[7]
In Game 4 of the2012 World Series on October 28, 2012, Infante suffered a broken left hand after being hit by a pitch.
Infante had a stellar2013 season for the Tigers, despite spending over a month on the disabled list with a lower leg injury. He hit .318, his highest batting average since his career best .321 in 2010 with the Braves along with 10 home runs and 51 RBI. He also posted the highest slugging percentage of his career (.450).
On December 16, 2013, Infante signed a four-year, $30.25 million contract with theKansas City Royals, with a club option for 2018.[8]
Infante recorded a career-high 66 RBIs in 2014. After struggling in the ALDS, in Game 2 of the2014 World Series, Infante hit a 2-runhome run against theSan Francisco Giants in the bottom of the 6thinning in a 5-run inning to lift theRoyals past theGiants in a 7–2 victory.
During the 2015 season, Infante took part in many defensive gems while teaming with Gold Glove shortstopAlcides Escobar, and also experienced an offensive highlight by knocking in a career-high seven runs against theCleveland Indians on September 18, 2015. But Infante lost his starting job for the latter part of the 2015 season after the Royals acquiredBen Zobrist before the trade deadline. Infante won his first championship, but played only sparingly as the Royals won the ALDS, the ALCS, and the World Series in 2015.
After hitting just .238 in parts of three injury-riddled seasons with the Royals, Infante wasdesignated for assignment on June 15, 2016. He was second in the all-star ballot at the time of his release.[9] He cleared waivers and became a free agent on June 23.[10]
On June 30, 2016, Infante agreed to a minor league deal with theAtlanta Braves organization.[11] He was released by the Braves on August 16.[12]
On December 9, 2016, theDetroit Tigers signed Infante to a minor league contract, and he was invited tospring training.[13] Infante spent the 2017 season with the Triple–AToledo Mud Hens, playing in 123 games and hitting .282/.315/.364 with 3 home runs and 37 RBI. He elected free agency following the season on November 6.[14]
