Tucupita Marcano

Tucupita Jose Marcano

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 170 lb.

• Debut April 1, 2021

• Born September 16, 1999 in Tucupita, Delta Amacuro Venezuela

BR page

Biographical Information

Infielder Tucupita Marcano's unusual first name is that of his hometown in Venezuela. He is the son of Raul Marcano. He made his major league debut on Opening Day, April 1, 2021 as a pinch-hitter for the San Diego Padres against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Batting for P Keone Kela in the 6th inning, he drew a walk against Stefan Crichton and came in to score on a single by Eric Hosmer. He played 25 games for the Padres, hitting .182, before being sent down to the AAA El Paso Chihuahuas. On July 25th, he was one of three players traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, along with P Michell Miliano and OF Jack Suwinski, in return for All-Star 2B Adam Frazier. He played for the Pirates from 2021 to 2023 for a total of 49 games from the start of 2021 until an injury ended his third season in July. He hit .217 with 5 homers and 34 RBIs in what was the equivalent of a full season spread over the three years. He saw action principally at shortstop, second base and left field.

Reports surfaced on June 3, 2024 that Marcano was facing a lifetime ban for betting on Pirates games while on the injured list with an ACL tear in 2023 [1]. If the ban is confirmed, it would make him the first active major league player since Jimmy O'Connell in 1924 to receive such punishment (the bets that led to the banning of Pete Rose had taken place while he was solely a manager). Marcano had been claimed on waivers by the Padres from the Pirates following the 2023 season, but had been on the injured list all season when the story broke.

MLB confirmed the lifetime ban in a communiqué issued on June 4th that also included details about his actions: "Betting data shows that from 2022-23, Marcano placed 387 baseball bets, including 231 MLB-related bets, through a legal sportsbook. Marcano's MLB bets were generally parlays. Some included multiple MLB-related legs. Others included both MLB-related legs and non-MLB legs. In total, Marcano bet more than $150,000 on baseball, with $87,319 of that on MLB-related bets. Of the MLB bets Marcano placed over this period, 25 of those bets included Pirates games while he was a member of Pittsburgh's Major League club. Marcano did not appear in any of the games on which he placed bets, however, as he was on the injured list after suffering a season-ending knee injury last July 24th." Four other players were issued one year bans at the same time for unrelated violations of the league's gambling policy while they were in the minor leagues.

Further Reading

• "AP Source: Padres' Marcano faces lifetime ban for allegedly betting on baseball", Associated Press, June 23, 2024. [2]
• Mark Feinsand: "MLB announces sports betting suspensions for 5 players: Marcano on permanently ineligible list; 4 others receive 1-year suspensions", mlb.com, June 4, 2024. [3]
• Lukas Weese: "MLB bans Padres’ Tucupita Marcano permanently for betting on baseball", The Athletics, June 4, 2024. [4]

Related Sites

• Tucupita Marcano on mlb.com