Yuniesky Betancourt

Yuniesky Betancourt (born January 31, 1982, in Santa Clara, Cuba) is a Major League Baseball shortstop for the Kansas City Royals. He resides in Boca Raton, Florida. His early career was spent in the Cuban leagues, including Villa Clara of the Serie Nacional. He was considered the fastest second baseman in the Cuban leagues and the star of the Villa Clara team. In the finals against the Industriales in 2002, he got a hit in nearly every at bat, t... more

Yuniesky Betancourt (born January 31, 1982, in Santa Clara, Cuba) is a Major League Baseball shortstop for the Kansas City Royals. He resides in Boca Raton, Florida. His early career was spent in the Cuban leagues, including Villa Clara of the Serie Nacional. He was considered the fastest second baseman in the Cuban leagues and the star of the Villa Clara team. In the finals against the Industriales in 2002, he got a hit in nearly every at bat, though the Industriales won, 4 games to 0. He left Cuba on a speedboat in December 2003 and ended up in Mexico, where he played for a while before signing with Seattle Mariners scouts Bob Engle and Patrick Guerrero on January 26, 2005. He made his major league debut on July 28, 2005. fhfn Betancourt's calling card has been his fielding. In his first few seasons, he was fast becoming one of the best fielders in the game, combining excellent range, quickness, soft hands, hand-eye coordination, and his strong, accurate throwing arm. He was named... less