| Édinson Rentería | |
|---|---|
| Infielder /manager | |
| Born: (1968-04-07)April 7, 1968 (age 57) Barranquilla,Colombia | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| CPBL debut | |
| May 9, 1992, for the Brother Elephants | |
| Last CPBL appearance | |
| August 19, 1992, for the Brother Elephants | |
| CPBL statistics | |
| Batting average | .239 |
| Hits | 16 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Teams | |
Édinson Rafael Rentería Herazo (born April 7, 1968) is a Colombianprofessional baseball executive and former player and manager. Originally signed by theHouston Astros organization, he played one season with theBrother Elephants of theChinese Professional Baseball League, and with several teams in theMexican League.
Rentería was previously the president of theColombian Professional Baseball League. He also owns two teams in the league, theLeones de Barranquilla and theTigres de Cartagena.[1][2] Since 2025, he has served on the board of the Colombian Baseball Federation.[3]
Born inBarranquilla,Colombia, Rentería's two brothers, Evert andÉdgar Rentería, also played affiliated baseball, with Édgar eventually debuting with theFlorida Marlins.[4] As a youth, Édinson Rentería worked as a street vendor to support his family.[5] He signed with the Houston Astros, debuting with theGulf Coast Astros in 1985. He made it as high as Triple-A, posting a .291/.339/.336 slash line with theTucson Toros of thePacific Coast League in 1990. In 1991, his final season with the Astros organization, he split time between Double-AJackson and High-AOsceola, combining for a .283 average.[6]
Rentería went to theChinese Professional Baseball League in 1992, appearing in 27 games for the Brother Elephants and posting a .239/.316/.284 slash line. The next year, he signed with the expansionFlorida Marlins, again reaching the Triple-A level with theEdmonton Trappers, where he hit .265.[6] After leaving the Marlins organization, he went to theMexican League, where he played with theTigres Capitalinos, hitting .335 in 1994, and thePiratas de Campeche andEl Águila de Veracruz, where hi hit .300 in 1995.[6]
Rentería managed theCaimanes de Barranquilla of theColombian Professional Baseball League (LCBP) to two league championships in 1998 and 1999.[7] He assumed ownership of the league control over day-to-day operations in 1998, with an eye towards attracting foreign import players and combating the country's negative perception due to theColombian drug wars.[8][9]
As president of the LCBP, Rentería helped organize the inauguralLatin American Series, an alternative club competition to theCaribbean Series, in2013.[10] He also attempted to organize theIntercontinental Series, another alternative to the Caribbean Series to be held in 2024, though that tournament was ultimately cancelled after the Colombian government withdrew its support.[11][12]
In 2012, Rentería was general manager for theColombia national baseball team during thequalifiers for the2013 World Baseball Classic.[13]
Rentería's management of the LCBP was controversial, and characterized by conflict with other owners such asOrlando Cabrera.[5] He was eventually replaced as the league's administrator by Pedro Salcedo Salom in 2022.[14] Even after his tenure, Rentería has been criticized by players such asJordan Díaz who accused Rentería of "defrauding" the country's baseball program.[15] Rentería responded by saying he would take legal action against Díaz.[16] He was also criticized for failing to make payments to players of theLeones de Barranquilla in 2025; he defended himself by saying that the ownership group of Tigres de Cartagena had failed to make contractually-obligated payments to him.[17]
In 2025, Rentería was elected vice president of the Colombian Baseball Federation.[3]
· Baseball Reference (Minors)