Yuniesky Betancourt #3

Full name is Yuniesky (yoon-ee-ESS-kee) Betancourt-Perez (BET-an-court)...resides in Miami, Fla., and has a daughter, Yunissa...defected from Cuba to Mexico before signing with Seattle in 2005...Played amateur and professional baseball in Cuba...hit .523 as the starting shortstop for the Under 18 Cuban National Team during 2000 World Championships...played with Villa Clara in the Cuban National League from 2001-2003... in 2003, hit .317 with 7 home runs and 52 RBI...had .288 average with 4 home runs and 45 RBI in 2002...Participated in 2010 Royals FanFest.

2011

Appeared in 152 games for the N.L. Central Champion Brewers, making 146 starts at shortstop...Was second in the National League among shortstops with 67 RBI...Hit .273 with 10 home runs and 46 RBI over his final 86 games of the season as the Brewers clinched the division...took home the Brewers Player of the Month for July when he hit .299 with two home runs and 13 RBI...Posted his first career multi-homer game on July 19 at Arizona, recording a pair of homers and driving in 4...Hit .310 (13-for-42) overall in 11 games as the Brewers made a run to the NLCS before falling in six games to the eventual World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals...hit a 2-run home run in Game 1 of the NLCS and ended up driving in 6 in the postseason, including 5 in the NLCS.

2010

Batted .259 with 16 HR and 78 RBI in 151 games with Kansas City...Made 151 starts, all at shortstop...Set career highs with 16 HR and 78 RBI, tying for the team lead in both categories...Among Major League shortstops ranked third in RBI and sixth in home runs...Belted 3 grand slams, which tied the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez and Padres' Adrian Gonzalez for the Major League lead.....became just the second player in Royals history to produce that many grand slams in a season, joining Danny Tartabull (1988).....now has 4 career slams...Belted grand slams on 5/28 at Boston (off Tim Wakefield), 7/17 vs. Oakland (off Trevor Cahill) and 8/21 vs. Chicago-AL (off Sergio Santos)...Tied his career high with 5 RBI on 8/21 vs. Chicago-AL in the first game of a doubleheader...Recorded his first stolen base as a Royal on 9/19 vs. Cleveland with a steal of home.....the stolen base was part of a double steal with Mitch Maier...Tied his career high with 4 hits (6x) on 9/20 at Detroit, going 4-for-4 with a 3-run homer...Was traded to Milwaukee, along with RHP Zack Greinke and cash, in exchange for SS Alcides Escobar, OF Lorenzo Cain, RHP Jeremy Jeffress and RHP Jake Odorizzi on 12/19

2009

Acquired by the Royals from the Seattle Mariners for right-handed pitcher Danny Cortes and left-hander Derrick Saito on July 10...Equaled his career high in triples and set a career high with 21 walks...Ranked seventh in the American League with 11 sacrifice hits, but had just 3 as a member of the Royals...Was the fourth-toughest player in the American League to strikeout, whiffing just 44 times in 508 plate appearances (11.55 plate appearances per strikeout)...After struggling to a .113 average through his first 16 games with the Royals, including a 1-for-28 spell, hit .275 (53-for-193) with 10 doubles, 4 triples, 4 home runs and 26 RBI in his final 55 games of the season.

2008

Appeared in 153 games including 150 starts all at shortstop...Among American League shortstops ranked 4th in games (153), T8th in runs (66), 5th in hits (156), T3rd in doubles (36), 4th in average (.279)...Appeared in 25 games batting in the second spot in the lineup...hit .327 (32x98) with 16 runs, 8 doubles, a triple, 2 home runs and 12 RBI...combined to bat .269 (124x461) in all other spots...Recorded 8 games with 3-or-more hits, including season and career-high-tying 4 hits April 1 vs. Texas...earliest (by date) in club history since Ken Griffey Jr. recorded a 4-hit game on Opening Day in 1990 (4/9/90 at CAL)...Had back-to-back 3-hit games for the first time in his career Sept. 23-24 vs. LAA...Hit in a season-high 9 straight games, Aug. 8-18 (.429/15x35, 6 R, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI)...Went 2x3 with a double July 21 vs. Boston (100th career double)...One of four AL shortstops to record at least 100 doubles between 2006-08...Hit .318 (87x274) at Safeco Field, 12th-best home batting average in the AL...Ranked 10th in the AL by hitting .302 (54x179) with two outs, tops among shortstops...Recorded a .968 fielding percentage (21 E, 659 TC)...among AL shortstops, ranked 4th in assists (401), 5th in double plays (98), and 2nd in putouts (237)...Was the second-toughest player in the AL to strike out (1:14.05)...Tied career high with 17 walks; 13 of those walks came in August and September...Hit in 8 consecutive games, May 18-26 (.433/13x30, 5 R, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI)...Missed 3 games with a sore right elbow, July 31-Aug. 2...Recorded three consecutive multi-hit games, May 24-26 (.583/7x12)...scored a run in 4 consecutive games, May 18-22...Recorded season-high 3 RBI June 21 at Atlanta with a two run single in the first inning, and an RBI single in the 8th inning...Drove in only run in 1-0 victory with home run on May 28 vs. Boston (off Tim Wakefield)...Recorded 40 multi-hit games, including 18 in the last two months of the season.

2007

Played 152 games at shortstop; 3rd in the AL...set career-high in runs (72), doubles (38), home runs (9), RBI (67) and slugging percentage (.418)...among AL shortstops, ranked 4th in hits (155), 6th in home runs (9) and 7th in runs (72)...career-high 38 doubles was 2nd-best amongst AL shortstops (Jeter, 39), 3rd-best by a shortstop in club history (Alex Rodriguez, 54 in 1996)...batted .345 (50x145) with RISP (14th in AL), including .368 (49x133) from May-end of season (4th in AL)...committed team high 23 errors, but only 4 after the All-Star break...had the best fielding percentage among AL shortstops after the All Star break (.987/4 E, 313 TC)...turned 110 double plays, the most in the Majors by a shortstop, 2nd-most in franchise history (Alex Rodriguez, 123, in 2000)...recorded 67 RBI as a shortstop, 6th-best in club history; Alex Rodriguez (#1-5)...tied for the team lead with 15 game winning RBI (Beltre)...6 of 9 home runs gave the Mariners the lead; also had game-tying HR...recorded 20-game hitting streak May 20-June 9 (.368/28x76); streak tied for the longest in team history by shortstop (A. Rodriguez)...hit .308 (70x227) while batting ninth, 2nd-highest by number nine hitter in franchise history...Harold Reynolds hit .309 (51x165) in 1988...hit first career grand slam Aug. 11 at U.S. Cellular Field in 4th inning off Gavin Floyd; slam gave Seattle a 7-1 lead.

2006

In his first full season in the Major Leagues, Betancourt hit safely in 34 of 45 games after Aug. 11. Betancourt hit .374 in July, which ranked him sixth in the American League. He also had a 12-game hitting streak in July. Betancourt played strong defense all season and flirted with a .300 batting average.

2005

Began season with AA San Antonio...appeared in 52 games, hit .273 (62x227) with 25 runs, 10 doubles, three triples, five home runs and 20 RBI...Promoted to AAA Tacoma on June 2...in 49 games, batted .295 (54x183) with nine doubles, six triples, two homeruns and 30 RBI...Recalled from Tacoma July 28 and made his Major League debut that night...First Major League hit was a triple in his first at-bat on July 28...first player since Yorvit Torrealba (9/5/01 with San Francisco) to triple in his first ML plate appearance and the fourth Mariner (last: Scott Podsednik, 7/15/01 vs. Arizona)...Appeared in 60 games, making 57 starts (51 at shortstop and six at second base)...Hit safely in 15 of final 18 games (.328/22x67)...Career-high eight game hitting streak Sept. 13-20 (.484/15x31)...Second on the Mariners with five triples (Ichiro/12)...Walked 11 times, including eight walks from Sept. 8 through Oct. 1...First Major League home run in the third inning on Oct. 1 vs. Oakland (off of Joe Blanton).