Francisco "Paco" Figueroa (born 19 February 1983) is a baseball coach and former professional baseball second baseman. Born in the United States, he represented Spain internationally. He is the first base, outfield, and base running coach for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB).
| Paco Figueroa | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Figueroa with the Phillies in 2022 | |
| Philadelphia Phillies – No. 38 | |
| Second baseman / Coach | |
| Born: Francisco Figueroa 19 February 1983 Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| Teams | |
As coach
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Baseball career
editFigueroa was born in Miami, Florida to a Spanish father and a Cuban mother.[1] He played baseball at Gulliver Prep High School and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 42nd round of the 2001 MLB Draft but did not sign, opting instead to attend the University of Miami. In 2003, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and returned to the league in 2004 to play for the Bourne Braves.[2][3] He was drafted again, this time by the Baltimore Orioles in the 9th round of the 2005 MLB Draft.
He played in the Orioles system through 2010 and spent a year in AA with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2011. In 2012, he was with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
In seven minor league seasons playing shortstop, second base, and outfield he batted .285/.366/.370 with 8 home runs and 72 stolen bases in 1,798 at bats.[4]
He also played for the Spain national baseball team in the 2009 Baseball World Cup, where he won the "Best Batter" award,[5] and the 2013 World Baseball Classic.[6]
Figueroa was named the first base, outfield, and base running coach for the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the 2019 season.[7]
Personal life
editHis identical twin brother, Daniel Figueroa, was his teammate at Miami.[8] Both were drafted by the Orioles in 2005, and they played together in the minors and with the Spanish national team.[9]
References
edit- ^ Balog, Tom (5 March 2013). "WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: Spain, which played a tune-up game agaisnt the Pittsburgh Pirates, actually fields a multi-national team". Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ "2003 Brewster Whitecaps". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ "2004 Bourne Braves". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ "Paco Figueroa Minor, Winter & Independent Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Milestone for Spanish Baseball: Paco and Daniel Figueroa reach AAA Orioles' Team". Spanish Elite League. 26 May 2010. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013.
- ^ Villa, Walter (28 September 2012). "Former Miami Hurricanes star Paco Figueroa still chasing baseball dream". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013.
- ^ Klugh, Justin (7 November 2018). "Hopefully, it's a new day for the Phillies outfield defense and base running". The Good Phight. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ "Figueroa twins offer double trouble to opposition". The Miami Hurricane. 29 July 2002. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ Drellich, Evan. "Figueroa twins excited to team up for Spain". MLB.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
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