Jhonny Bethencourt

Jhonny Angel Bethencourt Acosta

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 160 lb.

• Born February 12, 1997 in Pampatar, Nueva Esparta Venezuela

BR register page

Biographical Information

Jhonny Bethencourt has played in the minors and for the Spanish national team.

Bethencourt was signed by Chicago Cubs scout Hector Ortega in 2014. He hit .319/.410/.398 for the 2015 DSL Cubs, scoring 49 runs in 61 games but only going 15-for-29 in steal attempts. He fielded .941 at 2B. He led the Venezuelan Summer League in runs (6 over Moises Bello), was 2nd in hits (12 behind Enger Jimenez), tied for 3rd in steals, tied for the most times caught stealing and was second to René Pinto Jr. in average. As the VSL folded after the season, he was the last VSL run leader.

Coming stateside in 2016, he slipped to .235/.353/.313 as a utility infielder for the AZL Cubs. In 2017, he batted .272/.357/.390 with 6 triples and 44 runs in 63 games for the Eugene Emeralds, stealing 17 in 23 tries. He tied for 7th in the Northwest League in runs, tied for 2nd in triples (5 behind Tre Carter) and tied Logan Baldwin for 7th in swipes.

For the 2018 South Bend Cubs, the backup infielder had a .274/.318/.381 batting line and 5 triples in 64 games. He made his Venezuelan Winter League debut with the Bravos de Margarita, going 0 for 1. In '19, he was with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (.197/.279/.236 in 51 G) and AZL Cubs (6 for 21, 2B, BB).

He then joined Spain for the 2019 European Championship. He scored 3 runs against Austria and hit .348/.444/.391 with 5 runs in 7 games leading into the final day, fielding .971 while starting at short for Spain. He led the team in average, .015 ahead of Jesús Ustariz. He led the event with 26 assists, one ahead of Martin Schneider. In the Bronze Medal Game, a 16-11 win over Israel, he was 3 for 4 with 2 walks, 3 runs and a RBI.

Spain advanced to the 2019 Europe/Africa Olympic Qualifier. He was 3 for 15 with a walk and a double while fielding .929.

Following the conclusion of his playing career, Bethencourt remained with the Cubs organization as a coach. He was the bench coach for the ACL Cubs in 2021 and the hitting coach of the DSL Cubs Red in 2022-2024.