Danys Báez

Danys Joseph Báez González

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 225 lb.

• Debut May 13, 2001
• Final Game July 16, 2011
• Born September 10, 1977 in Pinar del Río, Cuba

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Biographical Information

Danys Báez was the 4th starter for the Pinar del Rio team in the Cuban Serie Nacional when he joined the Cuban national team for the first time at the 1999 Pan American Games. The last member of the national team's bullpen, he defected and would be in the majors only two years later.

He went 5-3 with a 2.50 in 43 games, all in relief, in his first taste of major league action with the Cleveland Indians in 2001. The Indians made him a starter in 2002 and he did relatively well, ending the year 10-11, 4.41 with 130 strikeouts. He moved back to the bullpen in 2003, saving 25 games. He was signed as a free agent by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and saved 30 games in 2004 and 41 in 2005; he was an All-Star for the only time of his career in the latter season. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, along with Lance Carter, in return for young starter Edwin Jackson and went 5-5 with 9 saves for the Dodgers in 2006. At the trading deadline, he was sent to the Atlanta Braves for infielder Wilson Betemit. He became a free agent again after the season and signed with the Baltimore Orioles.

Danys had a poor year for the Orioles in 2007, going 0-6, 6.44 with 3 saves in 53 outings. After the season, he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2008 season. He returned to the Orioles' bullpen at the beginning of 2009. No longer a closer, he made 59 appearances, going 4-6, 4.02 in 71 2/3 innings. In 2010, his ERA shot up to 5.48 in 51 games as his workload fell to 47 2/3 innings. He became a free agent after the season and signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for 2011. The Phils had one of the best seasons in team history, but Báez was one of the few wrong notes that year, as his ERA was a terrible 6.25 in 29 appearances, covering 36 innings. On August 1st, they handed him his unconditional release. Not finding any interest for his services, Báez opted to retire when he was still unsigned as spring training opened in 2012.

Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (2005)
• 30 Saves Seasons: 2 (2004 & 2005)
• 40 Saves Seasons: 1 (2005)

Related Sites

• Danys Baez on mlb.com