Jose Lobaton (minors01)

Jose Tomas Lobaton

• Bats Right , Throws Right
• Height 5' 11" , Weight 168 lb.

• Born March 29, 1974 in Acarigua, Portuguesa, Venezuela

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Middle infielder Jose Lobaton spent eight seasons in the minor leagues with three different organizations - the New York Yankees, the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Florida Marlins. He made it all the way to Triple-A twice but was never called up to the Show.

He began his professional career in 1992 with the DSL Yankees. He came stateside in 1993 and put up an impressive .345/.413/.485 batting line for the GCL Yankees. He stole 24 bases in 26 tries. He led the Gulf Coast League in slugging percentage and was second in average (.005 behind Larry Ephan). He was left off the league All-Star team and Baseball America did not name him one of the top 10 prospects in the loop.

As he advanced through the minor leagues, he proved to be the classic light-hitting middle infielder. Jose spent 1994 with the Oneonta Yankees and only hit .226/.297/.280 with 14 steals in 21 attempts. In 1995, he was back with Oneonta and batted .221/.294/.359; he also spent 60 games with the Greensboro Bats, where his batting line was .243/.327/.330.

In 1996, Lobaton hit .232/.306/.341 for the Tampa Yankees. The next year, Jose was 3 for 23 with Tampa and batted .193/.244/.239 for the Norwich Navigators. He improved to .252/.288/.373 with 3 clubs in 1998, including a 1-for-7 with the Columbus Clippers in his AAA debut.

In 1999, the Venezuelan infielder hit .244/.307/.324 for three clubs, including a .189/.255/.256 line in 36 games for the Calgary Cannons of the Pacific Coast League, his longest AAA stint. During his final season of pro ball, Lobaton took the mound in two contests for Calgary. In two innings, Lobaton gave up 4 earned runs on 4 hits and three walks and posted an 0-1 record.

For his career, he hit .241/.305/.336 in 584 games, discounting his year in the Dominican Summer League for which stats are not readily available.

Lobaton managed the Venezuelan national team in the 2008 Americas Baseball Cup; he had coached for them in the 2005 South American Championship and 2007 Baseball World Cup.