Ralph Henriquez Jr.

Ralph Manuel Henriquez, Jr.

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 190 lb.
• High School Key West High School

• Born April 7, 1987 in Key West, FL USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Ralph Henriquez, Jr. is the son of Ralph Henriquez Sr.

Henriquez, Jr. hit .495 with 45 runs and 39 RBI in 95 AB as a high school senior. Baseball America named him as a third-team high school All-American behind Brandon Snyder and Jon Egan at catcher. The Houston Astros made Henriquez a second-round pick in the 2005 amateur draft, the 72nd overall selection. Henriquez, Jr. signed for a $485,000 bonus.

Ralph debuted in the minors with the Greeneville Astros, hitting a very disappointing .215/.246/.342. In 2006, he batted .231/.274/.340 for Greeneville with a team-high 37 RBI but 56 strikeouts in 238 AB. He led Appalachian League catchers with a .990 fielding percentage. The next year, he eked out a .185/.227/.280 line at the plate for the Lexington Legends. Over the winter, he was dealt to the New York Mets for Josh Appell.

On June 19, 2008, while playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones, Henriquez, Jr. was at the center of a perplexing situation. Facing switch-pitcher Pat Venditte, Henriquez, Jr. chose to bat right-handed - then changed his mind multiple times, with Venditte countering each move by reversing sides as well. Finally, the umpires and managers conferred and decided that a batter had to pick first in such situations and each player could only switch once per at-bat. After all the fuss, Henriquez, Jr. went down on strikes after four pitches from Venditte. A rule to deal with this situation was adopted after the season: the pitcher is now the one who has to first declare with which arm he will be facing the hitter.

Sources

• 2006-2008 Baseball Almanacs
• 2008 Mets Media Guide
• 7/22/08 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Further Reading

• Vincent M. Mallozzi: "Double-Barreled Pitcher Provides Shot of Confusion", The New York Times, June 21, 2008. [1]