Jonathan is in his first season with the Cubs after signing a one-year contract with Chicago on March 19, 2022... Owns a career .258 average (857-for-3,328) with 155 doubles, 17 triples, 98 home runs, 325 RBI and 232 stolen bases over 973 major league games... The Cubs are his eighth major league organization, joining the Phillies (2008-10), Astros (2010-15), Brewers (2016-18), Orioles (2018-19), Marlins (2020), Blue Jays (2020) and Mets (2021)... Since his major league debut in 2013, his 232 steals are the fourth-most in the majors... Entering the 2022 season is one of two players (also Starlin Castro) to make 300-plus starts at both second base and shortstop since 2013... Led the majors with 62 stolen bases in 2016 ... he and Dee Strange-Gordon are the only active players to record a 60-steal season... Was the first major league player to produce a season of at least 15 homers and 60 steals since Carl Crawford in 2009... Has been traded five times in his career, most recently on August 31, 2020, from Miami to Toronto... His first involvement in a trade came in 2010, when he was traded from Philadelphia to Houston as part of a four-player deal involving RHP Roy Oswalt... Was signed by the Phillies as a non-drafted free agent May 20, 2008.
2021
In 2021, Jonathan appeared in 142 games (117 starts) during his lone season for the Mets, playing in 86 games at third base, 23 at shortstop and eight at second base... Hit .249 (113-for-454) with 18 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, 42 RBI and 14 stolen bases... His 14 stolen bases led the team, while his 113 hits were the second-most and his 18 homers were the third-most... Hit .285 (63-for-22) with nine home runs and 19 RBI at home, compared to .215 (50-for-233) with nine home runs and 23 RBI on the road... Hit in 50 games out of the leadoff spot, batting .275 (52- for-189) during those games ... in 50 game-opening plate appearances, went 13-for-38 (.342) with 11 walks... Drove in the go-ahead run in both ends of an April 13 doubleheader vs. Philadelphia, hitting his second career walk-off, a single in game one... Led the Mets with five home runs in May... Missed from June 23-July 4 with a right calf strain... Became the 10th player in Mets history to homer from both sides of the plate in one game on July 9 vs. Pittsburgh ... was his fourth career multi-homer game... Hit a game-tying homer in two-straight games, July 9 and 10 vs. Pittsburgh... Led off the game Sept. 2 vs. Miami with a homer on the first pitch... Miami's Miguel Rojas also went deep on the first pitch of the game, becoming the first game in the pitch-tracking era (since 1988) in which both teams hit a leadoff home run on the first pitch of the game... Had a hit in seven-straight at-bats from Sept. 3-4.
2020
Appeared in 52 total games for Miami (30 games) and Toronto (22 games) in the pandemic-shortened season...Played in four games for Águilas Cibaeñas from his native Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series...Went 2-15 (.133) with a double and four runs scored...His club went 5-0 in the knockout stage and won the title...Started at second base in Game 1 of Toronto's Wild Card Series matchup at Tampa Bay...Went 0-2 with a strikeout.
2019
Jonathan Rafael Villar (vee-YAR) batted .274 (176x642) with 33 doubles, 24 home runs, and 73 RBI in 162 games for Baltimore in 2019...He posted 40 stolen bases and 111 runs scored, ranking third in the American League in steals, and fifth in runs scored...His stolen base percentage of 81.6 (49 attempts) ranked fifth in the AL, and his 176 hits tied Boston's Mookie Betts for ninth.
2018
Finished fourth in the majors in stolen bases (35); (14-for-16 with Milwaukee and 21-for-24 with Baltimore), the second-most steals in a season for his career (62 - 2016)...Recorded four multi-stolen base games; successfully stole 13-straight bases from 6/10-8/28...Made his fifth-straight Opening Day start (second base)...Hit safely in nine of his first 12 games on the season, batting .342 (13-for-38)...Acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers along with minor leaguers RHP Luis Ortiz and INF Jean Carmona in exchange for INF Jonathan Schoop on 7/31...Hit safely in four of his first five games with Baltimore, hitting .429 (9-for-21) with four runs scored... Homered in back-to-back games on 9/2-3; first time since August 30-31, 2017...Recorded 14 multi-run games during the season, and eight with the Orioles...Matched his career-high hitting streak of nine games from 9/1-11, hitting .371 (13-for-35) during this stretch...Hit his second career Eutaw Street HR on 9/16 vs. CWS; his first came on 8/15 vs. NYM...All 74 of his starts with Milwaukee came at second base; made 36 starts at second base for the Orioles and 18 at shortstop.
2017
Batted .241 with 11 HR, 40 RBI and 23 stolen bases in 122 games... Made 90 starts (84g at 2B, 6g in CF)...His only start after 9/5 came at second base on the final day of the season (10/1 at St. Louis)... Made his first career start in center field on 8/15 vs. Pittsburgh.....his other starts at that position came in 5 straight games from 9/1-9/5... His 23 stolen bases tied for sixth in the National League... Batted .252 (72-for-286, 9hr) as a left-handed hitter and .214 (25-for-117, 2hr) right-handed... Was on the 10-day disabled list from 6/10-6/26 with a lower back strain... Belted a leadoff homer on 4/8 vs. Chicago-NL (off Kyle Hendricks).....has 5 career leadoff HR...Produced his third career 2-homer game on 6/29 at Cincinnati... Batted .365 (27-for-74, 3hr, 7rbi) over his last 29 games... Named Brewers Player of the Month for August (20g, .364, 3hr, 8rbi, 3sb, .564slg, .386obp)...Played for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic (3g, 1-for-5, 2r, 1bb, 1sb) • Played for Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League...Signed a 1-year contract on 1/12/18, avoiding arbitration.
2016
Batted .285 with 19 HR, 63 RBI and a Major League-leading 62 stolen bases in 156 games during his first season with Milwaukee...Made 152 starts (104g at SS, 40g at 3B, 8g at 2B).....48 of his last 53 starts came at third base (40g) or second base (8g) following the 8/2 promotion of SS Orlando Arcia...Led the team in at-bats (589), runs (92), hits (168), doubles (38), walks (79), stolen bases (62) and on-base percentage (.369)...Batted .276 (117-for-424, 11hr) as a left-handed hitter and .309 (51-for-165, 8hr) right-handed..Joined Tommy Harper (1969) and Scott Podsednik (2004) as the only players in franchise history to lead the Major Leagues in stolen bases.....recorded the third season of 60+ steals in franchise history, joining Harper (73 in 1969) and Podsednik (70 in 2004)...Became the first player in the Major Leagues to produce 15 HR and 60 SB in a season since Carl Crawford (15hr/60sb) with Tampa Bay in 2009...Ranked among the National League leaders in walks (T8th, 79) and doubles (T9th, 38) Walked in 9 consecutive games (10 total walks) from 5/24-6/1, tying a franchise record with Darrell Porter (1975), Darryl Hamilton (1995) and John Jaha (1998)...Belted leadoff homers on 6/4 at Philadelphia, 9/6 vs. Chicago-NL and 9/28 at Texas.....now has 4 career leadoff homers (also 9/10/13 at Seattle)...Smacked his first career grand slam on 9/4 at Pittsburgh off Juan Nicasio .....became the sixth player in franchise history to produce a pinch-hit grand slam...Homered from both sides of the plate on 9/7 vs. Chicago-NL.....became the fourth player in franchise history to accomplish that feat...Named Brewers Player of the Month for May (29g, .355, 1hr, 16rbi, 14sb, .482slg, .450obp)...Following the season played for Cibao in the Dominican Winter League.
2015
Batted .284 with 2 HR and 11 RBI in 53 games with Houston…Had three stints with the Astros (Opening Day-4/22, 4/28-6/9 and 9/1-end)…Made 28 starts (18g at SS, 8g at 3B, 2g in LF)…Batted .302 (16-for-53, 1hr) as a left-handed hitter and .270 (17-for-63, 1hr) right-handed…Belted his first career pinch-hit homer on 9/5 at Oakland with a solo shot off Felix Doubront…Appeared as a pinch-runner in the Wild Card Game on 10/6 at New York.....stole a base and scored in the Astros' 3-0 victory…Batted .271 with 5 HR, 32 RBI and 35 stolen bases (led the Pacific Coast League) in 70 games at Triple-A Fresno…Following the season played for Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League…Was traded to Milwaukee on 11/19 in exchange for RHP Cy Sneed.
2014
Began the year with the Major League club for the first time in his career and started on Opening Day at shortstop...had two stints with Houston and served as the club's everyday shortstop to start the season, before being optioned to Triple A Oklahoma City...played in a career-high 86 games and made 78 starts, all at shortstop...after a hot start, was optioned to OKC on June 30...played in 51 games with OKC before being recalled on Sept. 2 where he remained through the season, making 12 starts...blasted a three-run homer off knuckle-baller RHP R.A. Dickey on April 10 at TOR...the three RBI marked a career high...on April 19 at OAK, became the first Astros shortstop since IF Miguel Tejada on April 21, 2008, to record at least two extra-base hits, two runs scored and a stolen base in the same game...through April 22, had not committed an error in his 85 total chances and ranked tied for first among MLB shortstops in fielding (1.000) and fifth in assists (59)...went 2x3 with a double and a two-run triple April 27 vs. OAK...became the first Astros shortstop since IF Adam Everett in 2006 to record a double and a triple while scoring at least two runs in a single game...snapped an 0x26 run with an RBI-double that plated the game winning run in the 7th on May 31 vs. BAL...per Elias, the last group of players that ended a single-season hitless streak of that length with a hit that produced a game winning RBI: IF Hanley Ramirez (2012), C Mike Piazza (2006) and C Miguel Olivo (2005)...hit .258 (49x190) with 24 steals, 27 RBI and a .363 OBP in 51 games at Triple A OKC...played in 38 games for the Aguilas Cibaenas in the Dominican Winter League following the season, hitting .233 (30x129) with three home runs, 13 RBI and eight steals.
2013
Last name is pronounced: vee-YAR. Signed with Philadelphia as a 17-year-old amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic on May 20, 2008...signed by Phillies scout Sal Agostinelli. IN THE COMMUNITY: This offseason, Jonathan held a baseball camp for the "La Barranca" Little League in his hometown of La Vega, DR...Jonathan, who played in La Barranca Little League when he was growing up in the Dominican, hosted 150 kids and spoke to them about the importance of hard work on the field and being a positive influence in the community...he gave away some Astros promo items as well as baseball equipment ... Jonathan plans to hold this event every offseason going forward. Added to the Astros 40-man roster on Nov. 20, 2012...is currently signed to one-year contract that runs thru the 2014 season.
2012
Played his entire season with Double A Corpus Christi after being named the Astros No. 4 prospect
by Baseball America at the beginning of the season...appeared in 85 games defensively, all at shortstop,
marking his fourth consecutive season to play only shortstop defensively...named a Texas League Midseason
All-Star...had his season cut short on July 14 following a hand injury...returned to the field for the
Aguilas Cibaenas in the Dominican Winter League and played in 24 games, hitting .333 (10x30) with a
.412 OBP...added to the Astros 40-man roster on Nov. 20...
2011
Entered the season ranked as the Astros No. 3 prospect according to Baseball America...split his campaign with Class A Lancaster and Double A Corpus Christi...combined to hit .241 (120x498) with 14 home runs, 52 RBI and 34 stolen bases...promoted to Corpus Christi on June 1 and finished the season with the Hooks...named a milb.com organizational All-Star following the season...appeared in 22 games for Cibaenas in the Dominican Winter League, hitting .111 (4x36) with five stolen bases
2010
Played in 132 games combined with Class A Lakewood (100g) and Advanced Class A Lancaster (32g), hitting .260 (130x500) with 24 doubles, five home runs, 55 RBI and 45 stolen bases...began the year with Lakewood in the
Phillies organization...hit .272 (101x371) with 38 stolen bases en route to being named a midseason and postseason South Atlantic League All-Star...acquired by Houston on July 29 as part of the return on the Roy Oswalt trade to Philadelphia...promoted to Lancaster and finished the season at the Advanced A level...played in 12 games for Cibaenas in the Dominican Winter League following the season.
2009
Appeared in 41 games for the GCL Phillies and Class A Williamsport, combining to hit .263 (35x133) with 19 RBI and 17 stolen bases...played 29 games at shortstop.
2008
Payed his entire season at the age of 17...played all over the diamond, appearing in 40 games at shortstop, 18 at second base, two at third base and one at first base and center field...since that season, has only appeared defensively as a shortstop.
