Jonel Pacheco

Jonel Pacheco

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 170 lb.

• Born October 3, 1982 in Tacarigua de Mamporal, Miranda Venezuela

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Biographical Information

Jonel Pacheco won minor league home run and stolen base titles, reached AAA and then was on the Venezuelan national team.

He was originally signed by Cleveland Indians scout Luis Aponte. He hit .255/~.360/.367 for San Felipe in the 2001 Venezuelan Summer League then batted .375/~.454/.544 for them in 2002. After not playing in 2003, he was with the New York Mets system and with Tronconero 2 in the Venezuelan Summer League. He led the VSL in average and RBI but was left off the league All-Star team. He hit .321 with a .585 slugging, leading the VSL in steals (29), tying Jesus Garcia for the home run lead, finishing 5th in average and probably second with his 44 RBI (6 behind Ronny Delgado). Luis Valbuena was the MVP. In '05, he batted .274/.344/.413 with 20 steals in 26 tries for the Brooklyn Cyclones. He was 4th in the New York-Penn League in swipes, behind José Constanza, Jacoby Ellsbury and Joe Holden.

Pacheco made it to a full-season league in 2006 with the Hagerstown Suns, producing at a .264/.321/.392 rate though his steal rate was down (21 SB, 15 CS); he had 11 outfield assists. That winter, he hit .270/.336/.336 for the Águilas del Zulia. In 2007, he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates , spending most of the year with the Hickory Crawdads (.315/.372/.566, 97 R, 27 HR, 99 RBI, 18 SB). He fielded .995 in the outfield. He led Pirates farmhands in runs (4 ahead of Steve Pearce), was 5th in doubles (28, between Neil Walker and Jason Bowers), tied Vic Buttler and Kent Sakamoto for 7th in triples (7), trailed only Pearce in homers (by four) and was second to Pearce in RBI (by 14). In the South Atlantic League, he was 6th in average (between Emmanuel Burriss and Desmond Jennings), 2nd in slugging (.035 behind Jerry Royster), was 5th in OPS (between John Raynor and Michael McKenry), was second to Royster in total bases, 3rd in runs (after Royster and Chuckie Caufield), 2nd to Royser in home runs and 1st in RBI (one ahead of Royster). He was .001 behind leader Seth Fortenberry in outfield fielding. He was left off the SAL All-Star team as Raynor, Royster and Jennings were picked as the outfielders.

In winter ball, he hit .226/.291/.330 in 34 contests for Zulia and .205/.244/.256 in 19 games for the Caribes de Anzoátegui. The following summer, he batted .289/.358/.416 for the Altoona Curve. He again had a split winter between two clubs, but struggled, going 10-for-55 with 3 walks and a homer between the Caribes and the Bravos de Margarita. He hit .276/.323/.438 with 14 homers for the 2009 Curve and was 6-for-15 with two walks and three doubles for a fine stint with the AAA Indianapolis Indians, the only time he would appear at that level. He tied Michaelangel Trinidad for 3rd in the Bucco chain in dingers, behind Pedro Alvarez and Walker. He was also 9th with 27 doubles, between Erik Huber and Jason Delaney.

Pacheco had another rocky winter, .214/.250/.214 in 46 plate appearances for Margarita. Out of affiliated ball, he played for two indy league teams in 2010, batting a composite .350/.451/.558 with 60 runs in 61 games. He played for a top independent circuit the next summer, hitting .272/.339/.411 with 13 homers and 17 steals (in 21 tries) and fielding .993 between two Atlantic League clubs. He moved to the Tigres de Aragua for the winter of 2011-2012 and had a solid campaign at .322/.394/.448. He was 0-for-6 in the 2012 Caribbean Series but with a fine catch-and-throw double play.

For 2012, he signed with the Mexican League's Leones de Yucatán, but eked out a .209/.266/.302 line. He hit .312/.373/.607 that winter for Aragua, going deep five times in 61 AB. He slipped to .214/.267/.304 the next winter. His whereabouts for 2014-2015 are unclear. In 2016, he returned to Mexico and fared better, hitting .260/.298/.362 for the Veracruz Eagle. He had one more winter league stop, hitting .233/.284/.314 for the 2018-2019 Bravos.

The veteran was 40 years old when he made Venezuela's team for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games, but did not get into a game.