Mark Anthony Contreras (born January 24, 1995) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. Contreras played college baseball at the University of California, Riverside. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins.
| Mark Contreras | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Contreras with the Minnesota Twins | |
| Free agent | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: January 24, 1995 Moreno Valley, California, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 12, 2022, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| MLB statistics (through 2022 season) | |
| Batting average | .121 |
| Home runs | 3 |
| Runs batted in | 6 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Early life and amateur career
editContreras grew up in Moreno Valley, California and attended Canyon Springs High School. He was a member of the varsity baseball team and won four consecutive Inland Valley League championships with the team.[1]
Contreras attended the University of California, Riverside, and played college baseball for the UC Riverside Highlanders for four seasons. He was named second team All-Big West Conference after batting .332 with 14 doubles.[2] As a senior Contreras led the team with a .366 batting average and a .427 on-base percentage and was named first-team All-Big West.[3]
Professional career
editMinnesota Twins
editThe Minnesota Twins selected Contreras in the ninth round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[4] He was assigned to the Fort Myers Miracle at the beginning of the 2019 season and was promoted to the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos and was named a minor league Gold Glove award winner at the end of the year.[5] He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] Contreras began the 2021 season with the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge, where he played 19 games before being promoted to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints.[7]
The Twins promoted Contreras to their major league roster on May 10, 2022.[8] He made his major league debut on May 11, entering the game as a defensive replacement for Byron Buxton after play resumed following a rain delay.[9] On August 2, Contreras hit his first career home run, a solo shot off of Detroit Tigers pitcher Matt Manning.[10] Contreras played in 28 games for the Twins in 2022 and slashed .121/.148/.293 with three home runs and six RBIs.[11]
On December 20, 2022, the Twins designated Contreras for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Joey Gallo.[12] He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple–A St. Paul on January 3.[13] In 90 games for St. Paul, he batted .274/.352/.418 with 10 home runs, 54 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. On August 3, 2023, Contreras was released by the Twins organization.[14]
Boston Red Sox
editOn November 11, 2023, Contreras signed a minor-league contract with the Boston Red Sox.[15] He was named a non-roster invitee to the team's spring training.[16] He became a free agent after the season.[17]
References
edit- ^ "Former Highlander Mark Contreras Gets the Call with Twins". GoHighlanders.com. May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- ^ "Fernandez, Contreras, Sodders, Farris, Fagalde Earn All-Conference Nods". GoHighlanders.com. May 1, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- ^ "Twins select an outfielder and reliever to end Day 2 of the draft". Star Tribune. June 13, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- ^ "UC Riverside's Ryan Lillie, Mark Contreras, picked on Day 2 of the MLB Draft". The Press-Enterprise. June 13, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ Vilona, Bill (October 14, 2019). "Blue Wahoos' Contreras Realizes Dream As Gold Glove Winner". MiLB.com. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ "Saints' Mark Contreras continues making case for majors in 6-3 win over Iowa". St. Paul Pioneer Press. May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "Twins place Carlos Correa, Chris Paddack on 10-day injured list". Star Tribune. May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "Altuve, Tucker HR, Astros swamp Twins to complete suspension". ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- ^ "Twins' Mark Contreras: Hits first big-league homer". cbssports.com. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ "Twins' Mark Contreras: Designated for assignment". CBS Sports. RotoWire. December 20, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ https://kstp.com/minnesota-sports/twins-announce-gallo-addition-dfa-contreras/
- ^ "Twins' Mark Contreras: Outrighted to Triple-A". cbssports.com. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ "Mark Contreras: Released by Minnesota". cbssports.com. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ Polishuk, Mark (November 11, 2023). "Red Sox Sign Mark Contreras To Minor League Deal". mlbtraderumors.com.
- ^ Dudek, Greg (December 11, 2023). "Red Sox Unveil List Of Non-Roster Invitees For Spring Training". NESN. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ Eddy, Matt (November 6, 2024). "Minor League Free Agents 2024". Baseball America. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- UC Riverside Highlanders bio