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Estamy Urena

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Estamy Urena
Urena with the Yomiuri Giants in 2024
Yomiuri Giants – No. 98
Infielder
Born: (1999-05-27) May 27, 1999 (age 25)
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
NPB debut
September 23, 2020, for the Yomiuri Giants
NPB statistics
(through October 12, 2024)
Batting average.100
Home runs0
Runs batted in0
Teams

Estamy Gabriel Urena (born May 27, 1999) is a Dominican professional baseball infielder for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in NPB for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Career

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Urena signed with the Minnesota Twins as a free agent on July 2, 2016. He played in the rookie league for two years in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, he appeared in 43 games for the Class A Cedar Rapids Kernels, batting .225 with one home run and 11 RBIs, but was released on July 4.

Yomiuri Giants

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In November 2019, he took part in a tryout for the Yomiuri Giants in the Dominican Republic, where he was spotted by Shinnosuke Abe, who was then the manager of the team's second team, and was accepted.[1][2] On December 2, he signed a development contract with the Yomiuri Giants and joined the team. His uniform number was 26, and his estimated annual salary is 2.6 million yen (equal to $18,133 in US dollars).[3]

On March 11, 2020, he played as the ninth batter and designated hitter in the first first-division exhibition game of the season against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. After that, he played in 51 second-division games (Eastern League) until September 16, batting .297 with a team-leading 11 home runs and a league-leading 35 RBIs, and was registered as a controlled player on September 17.[4] His uniform number is 98.[5] His estimated annual salary is 5 million yen (equal to $34,881 in US dollars).[6] He made his first appearance in the first-division game against the Hiroshima Toyo Carp on September 23 at the Tokyo Dome. On September 27, he made his first start as the seventh batter and left fielder in the 21st game against the Chunichi Dragons at the Tokyo Dome, recording his first hit in the bottom of the sixth inning off Keisuke Tanimoto. During the offseason, it was announced that he would remain with the team with an estimated annual salary of 10 million yen (equal to $69,763 in US dollars).[7]

Urena in 2021

In 2021, he played in 86 games in the minor league, batting .249 with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs, but only played in four games in the major league.[8] On November 15, he was notified that he would be a free agent with the possibility of being transferred to a development contract.[9] On December 28, it was announced that he had re-signed as a development player with an estimated annual salary of $90,000 (9.9 million yen).[10] His uniform number was changed to 098.[11]

In 2022, he tied with Yu Matsumoto for the Eastern League RBI title with 57 RBIs.[12] On October 3, the team announced that he would not sign a contract for the following year.[13]

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

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On November 16, 2022, Urena signed development player with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.[14][15] His estimated annual salary is 9.9 million yen (equal to $69,051 in US dollars).[16]

Urena in 2023

In 2023, he played in 66 games in the Eastern League, batting .242 with 5 home runs and 18 RBIs,[17] but did not play in the first team. He was released on October 11.[18]

Yomiuri Giants (second stint)

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On November 28, 2023, Urena return the old team Yomiuri Giants and signed development player.[19] It is said that Shinnosuke Abe, who became the first-team manager, requested him to re-acquire him.[2] His estimated annual salary is 6.5 million yen (equal to $45,336 in US dollars).[20]

In 2024, he had a batting average of .244 and two home runs by April in the minor leagues, and on April 19, it was announced that he would be returned to the regular roster. His uniform number is 98, the same as in 2021.[21] Abe explained, "He's not a helper. We're treating him like a 24-year-old Japanese player. And he knows that. He's a backup for (Okamoto) Kazuma."[22]

Personal life

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Urena is a powerful right-handed hitter with long range.[23] Defensively, he can play first base, second base, third base, and left field.[24][25][26]

His nicknames are "Ure'" and "Nya."[27]

His childhood idols were José Reyes and Hanley Ramirez, while the players he was most impressed by playing against were Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.[27]

References

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  1. ^ "[Giants] Announcement of re-acquisition of Ureña... Manager Shinnosuke Abe discovered him when he was manager of the second team" (in Japanese). Hochi News. November 28, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "[Giants] Behind the re-acquisition of Ureña is manager Abe's "manliness" and "conviction"; he promised his family, "I'll make him a full-fledged player in five years"" (in Japanese). East Sports WEB. December 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  3. ^ "Giants sign development contract with two players who passed Dominican Republic entry test" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. December 2, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  4. ^ "New controlled player registration (2020)". NPB.jp (in Japanese). Japan Baseball Organization. September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  5. ^ "[Giants] "Abe Children" Estamy Ureña becomes a controlled player, wearing the number "98" as the player registration limit rises to 70". Hochi News (in Japanese). Hochi Shimbunsha. September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  6. ^ "Giants development team player Ureña signs contract with No. 98" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. September 17, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  7. ^ "The Giants announced that they have signed contracts with six foreign players, including Sanchez, Delarosa, and Wheeler, for next season" (in Japanese). Chunichi sports. December 21, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  8. ^ "2021 Yomiuri Giants individual batting results (Eastern League)" (in Japanese). NPB.jp Japan Baseball Organization. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  9. ^ "Giants players Toyoki Tanaka, Takuya Kuwahara, Ureña and others become free agents, with plans to re-sign with development teams" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. November 15, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  10. ^ "Giants sign contracts with four foreign players, including Delarosa; sign development contracts with four players, including Daniel Misaki" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  11. ^ "Giants announce uniform number changes for five players under contract. Yoshikawa Naoki will wear number 2 and Matsubara Seiya will wear number 9 to become regulars" (in Japanese). Daily Sports. December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  12. ^ "Eastern League Awards | 2022 Award Players" (in Japanese). Japan Baseball Organization. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  13. ^ "Regarding next season's contract". Yomiuri Giants (in Japanese). October 3, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  14. ^ "Regarding the agreement on the development contract with Estamy Ureña" (in Japanese). Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  15. ^ "Regarding uniform numbers" (in Japanese). Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  16. ^ "[Rakuten] Development contract with Ureña, who was released from the Giants' roster, with an annual salary of 9.9 million yen, and double-digit home runs for the third consecutive year in the second division" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. November 16, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  17. ^ "2023 Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles Individual Batting Results (Eastern League)". Japan Baseball Organization (in Japanese). Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  18. ^ "[Rakuten] 11 players including Takahiro Shiomi and Haruki Nishikawa are released from the team. Naoto Nishiguchi is being offered a development position". Hochi News (in Japanese). October 11, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  19. ^ "[Giants] Announcement of re-acquisition of Ureña... Manager Shinnosuke Abe discovered him when he was manager of the second team". Hochi News (in Japanese). November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  20. ^ "[Giants] 2024 annual salary list". Hochi News (in Japanese). February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  21. ^ "Giants sign contract with Ureña, returning to the Giants this season". Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  22. ^ "[Giants] Ureña registered under contract to first team immediately, manager Abe says "He's not a helper. I'll treat him like a 24-year-old Japanese player" Yuta Izumiguchi to second team". Hochi News (in Japanese). April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  23. ^ "[Giants] Ureña returns to the Giants and joins the first team. Manager Abe: "Well, we couldn't get Tsutsugo either."". East Sports WEB (in Japanese). April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  24. ^ Satoshi Tameda (November 27, 2023). "[Giants] Acquires free agent Urena from Rakuten for development contract, returns to his former team after three-year development contract from 2020". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  25. ^ "The Giants have a sixth second baseman! Ureña will be in the starting lineup for the first time this season as the seventh batter and second baseman". East Sports WEB (in Japanese). May 1, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  26. ^ "[Giants] Ureña is the only development player to start in the first team at camp, joining the outfield competition". Hochi News (in Japanese). January 20, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  27. ^ a b "138 Estamy Ureña Player Directory 2023". Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (in Japanese). Retrieved April 19, 2024.
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