César Izturis

He continues to walk seldomly, but his increased number of base-hits has begun to compensate for this. See also. Iztúris has good speed but very little power. He hit a three-run home run off of Roger Clemens in the first inning and was named the MLB All-Star MVP. A switch-hitter, he is better from the right side. That same year, Soriano was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game as the starting second baseman. Iztúris' greatest strengths are spectacular defense and solid contact hitting. On May 8, 2004, Soriano had six hits in nine innings -- the first Texas Ranger to do so -- in a 16-15, 10-inning victory over the Detroit Tigers.

At the end of the season he earned his first Gold Glove. The Rangers then considered dealing him to the New York Mets for pitching talent, but that trade never materialized. After two years of barely adequate hitting (though compensated by his stellar glovework), he improved markedly in 2004, when he hit .288 with 62 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 159 games. In 2004, he was dealt to Texas as part of the trade that sent Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees. But he showed no patience at plate, resulting in a decline in average and very few walks. In 2003 he set the record for most leadoff home runs in a season with 13. Iztúris was designated as the everyday starting shortstop from Opening Day of the 2002 season, and he quickly established himself in the Dodgers' infield. During his time with the Yankees, Soriano hit 98 home runs and 270 RBIs, hitting 39 and 38 of those home runs in the 2002 and 2003 seasons, respectively.

After showing some hitting potential with a .269 average in his rookie season with Toronto, the Dodgers were enthusiastic to trade for him. He signed as a free agent with the New York Yankees in 1998 and played in New York for five seasons. Coming from a long tradition of Venezuelan shortstops, which includes Chico Carrasquel, Luis Aparicio, Dave Concepción, Ozzie Guillén, Omar Vizquel, Alex González and Carlos Guillén, Iztúris has the defensive skills to rank in such distinguished company. In 1997, he was promoted briefly to the varsity team, and, wearing uniform number 74, he appeared in nine games, batting .181 (2 for 17) with two walks. He made his debut with Toronto in 2001 and was traded to the Dodgers at the end of the season. Soriano's career began in Japan with the Hiroshima Carp, training at their Carp Academy for Dominican players. Iztúris was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays as an amateur free agent in 1996. Alfonso Guilleard Soriano (born January 7, 1976 - not 1978 as initially thought [1] - in the Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball player who is the current second baseman for the Texas Rangers.

He is the half brother of shortstop Maicer Izturis. List of players from Dominican Republic in MLB. César Iztúris [THAY-sar iz-TO-rees] (born February 10, 1980 in Barquisimeto, Lara State, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball shortstop who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gold Glove Award (2004). All-Star (2005).