Kevin Maitán

Kevin Francisco Maitán Hernández (born February 12, 2000) is a Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop for the Los Angeles Angels organization.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Maitán and the second or maternal family name is Hernández.
Kevin Maitán
Los Angeles Angels
Shortstop
Born: (2000-02-12) February 12, 2000
Puerto Cabello, Venezuela
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

Maitán was considered the top international prospect for the 2016 class.[1][2] Though a natural shortstop, Maitán has most often been projected as a third baseman in professional baseball.[3][4] He has been called the best international free agent since Miguel Sanó in 2009 and has been compared to Miguel Cabrera and Chipper Jones.[5] He signed with the Atlanta Braves on July 2,[6][7] receiving a $4.25 million signing bonus.[8] Maitán arrived in the United States in September to begin his professional career at the instructional league.[9] He made his debut with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Braves on July 3, 2017,[10] and after batting .314 with a .751 OPS in nine games, he was promoted to the Rookie Advanced Danville Braves, where he finished 2017, posting a .220 average with two home runs and 15 RBIs.[11]

On October 2, 2017, Braves general manager John Coppolella and international scouting director Gordon Blakely resigned after an MLB investigation into their activities discovered several rules violations regarding international signings.[12] On November 21, MLB ordered that Maitan and several other players were released from their contracts and declared to be free agents.[13]

Los Angeles Angels

Maitán signed with the Los Angeles Angels, receiving a $2.2 million signing bonus.[14] He played for the Orem Owlz of the Advanced Rookie-level Pioneer League in 2018.[15] In 2019, he was promoted to the Class-A level Burlington Bees. He played 123 games and finished with a slash line of .214/.278/.323.[16]

References
  1. Badler, Ben (June 28, 2016). "Kevin Maitan Is Venezuela's Next Great Prospect". Baseball America. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  2. McDaniel, Kiley (September 30, 2014). "The Next Elite July 2nd Prospect Is 14-Years-Old". Fangraphs. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  3. Law, Keith; Crawford, Christopher (July 1, 2016). "Profiling the top international prospects and where they're likely to sign". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  4. "Shortstop Kevin Maitan tops Braves' international signings". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 2, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  5. O'Brien, David (February 8, 2016). "Braves free-agent target Maitan compared to Chipper". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  6. Sanchez, Jesse (July 2, 2016). "Top-ranked Maitan headlines Braves' international haul". MLB.com. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  7. O'Brien, David (July 2, 2016). "Braves sign bevy of international prospects led by No. 1-rated Maitan". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  8. foxsports (July 2, 2016). "Braves sign top international prospect Kevin Maitan for $4.25 million". FOX Sports. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  9. Mayo, Jonathan (September 26, 2016). "Trio from vaunted Rome rotation, Maitan headline Braves' instructs". MLB.com. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  10. Rosenbaum, Mike (July 5, 2017). "Monday's best: Whitley fires five no-hit frames". MLB.com. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  11. "Kevin Maitan Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  12. Oz, Mike (October 2, 2017). "Braves GM John Coppolella quits suddenly amid MLB investigation". yahoo.com. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  13. "Braves penalized for int'l signing violations". mlb.com. November 21, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  14. Guardado, Maria (May 24, 2018). "Angels agree with Kevin Maitan, Livan Soto". MLB.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  15. "Maitan flying high in early going for Owlz". MiLB.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  16. "Kevin Maitan Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
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