Hernán Iribarren

Hernán Alcides Iribarren

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.

• Debut April 12, 2008
• Final Game October 2, 2016
• Born June 29, 1984 in Barquisimeto, Lara Venezuela

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Biographical Information

Hernán Iribarren made his major league debut in his 7th professional season, with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008. His minor league career was notable for good batting averages at every level and a horrendous stolen base success rate.

Iribarren was signed by Brewers scout Epy Guerrero when he was 17. Iribarren hit .314/.383/.417 for the 2002 DSL Brewers and was thrown out in 9 of 16 steal attempts. In 2003, Hernán batted .344/.403/.515 for the same team and was much better on the bases, being successful in 17 of 20 tries. He led the Dominican Summer League with 7 triples and finished third in batting average. He made the DSL All-Star team at second base.

Iribarren moved to the AZL Brewers in 2004 and put up an amazing .439/.490/.630 and led the Arizona League in average, hits (83), triples (9), total bases, slugging and OBP. He led AZL second basemen in putouts (113), assists (142) and double plays (31). He was 88 points ahead of the runner-up in the batting race, Lisandro Disla. He also recorded the second-highest average in league history, behind Tim McWilliam. He was named the league MVP and All-Star second baseman. Baseball America rated him as the league's #2 prospect after Matt Tuiasosopo. He also played for the Beloit Snappers, hitting .373/.410/.657.

In 2005, Hernán hit .290/.360/.379 with 38 stolen bases and 15 times caught stealing for the West Virginia Power. Baseball America rated him as the South Atlantic League's best defensive second baseman. He had led SAL second basemen in putouts (255), assists (367) and errors (31). He played in the 2005 Futures Game, going 1 for 4 with a run as the World Team's DH and #8 batter in a 4-0 win.

The Venezuelan infielder batted .319/.376/.384 for the 2006 Brevard County Manatees. He was third in the Florida State League in average behind Corey Coles and Branden Florence. He was thrown out stealing 15 times, tying Xavier Paul for the FSL lead; he was only successful running 19 times. He was named to the FSL All-Star team at second base. In winter ball, he hit just .185/.233/.222 for the Cardenales de Lara of the Venezuelan League.

He produced at a .307/.363/.430 for the 2007 Huntsville Stars and was thrown out in 16 of 34 steal attempts. He led the Southern League with 12 triples and was second with 147 hits, trailing only Emilio Bonifacio. Iribarren led SL second basemen with 14 errors. He was 7th in the league in average, right behind Evan Longoria. He led Brewers farmhands in triples. He was left off the SL All-Star team in favor of Bonifacio. In the winter of 2007-2008, he hit .305/.387/.362 for Lara.

Iribarren's minor league batting line after 7 seasons was .324/.384/.439 and he had stolen 115 bases but has been thrown out stealing 65 times.

When Tony Gwynn Jr. went on the disabled list in early 2008, Iribarren was called up to the majors. He made his debut on April 12th, hitting a single as a pinch hitter for Brian Shouse against the New York Mets' Carlos Muniz. Muniz promptly picked him off first base.

Before 2016, he last played in the major leagues in 2009. From 2010 to 2015, he played in the Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies systems before latching on with the Cincinnati Reds in 2014. He returned to the majors in 2016 after a seven-year sabbatical; in 45 at-bats, he hit .311/.311/.444. The Reds had an affinity for Iribarren, signing him as a free agent six times and keeping him in their system from 2014 to 2018.

Iribarren continued with the Reds after finishing his playing career. In 2019 he served as a player/coach for the Louisville Bats to start the season before transferring in June to the Billings Mustangs to serve as their bench coach. Iribarren was slated to be the bench coach for the Dayton Dragons in 2020 before the minor league season was cancelled due to COVID-19. In 2021 he worked as the bench coach for the Daytona Tortugas.

Notable Achievements

• 2004 MVP Arizona League AZL Brewers

Sources

• 2008 Brewers Media Guide
• 2004-2008 Baseball Almanacs
• Venezuelan League site