Johnny Estrada
Encyclopedia
Johnny Pulado Estrada III (born June 27, 1976 in Hayward
, California
) is a former American
professional
baseball
player. He played in Major League Baseball
as a catcher
for the Philadelphia Phillies
, Atlanta Braves
, Arizona Diamondbacks
, Milwaukee Brewers
and the Washington Nationals
.
Estrada was selected in the 17th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft
by the Philadelphia Phillies
. His major league career started in with the Phillies after an injury to the regular starting catcher, Mike Lieberthal
. In , he became a part time player. Estrada was acquired by the Atlanta Braves
from the Phillies on December 20, 2002, for Kevin Millwood
in a move that was said to be financially motivated, since the Braves could not pay Millwood's salary. During the season, Estrada spent most of the year on Atlanta's Triple-A
team, the Richmond Braves
. After Javy López
left due to free agency, Estrada became Atlanta's starting catcher in . He hit
.314 with 9 home run
s and 76 RBI
. Estrada also made the All-Star
team and helped Atlanta win their 13th division title in a row. After a slightly disappointing season, Estrada was traded by the Braves to the Arizona Diamondbacks
for pitcher
s Lance Cormier
and Óscar Villarreal
on December 7, 2005.
The season saw Estrada return to his All-Star form. He hit .302 with 11 home runs and 71 RBI in 115 games. After the 2006 season, Estrada was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers
along with pitchers Claudio Vargas
and Greg Aquino
for pitchers Doug Davis and Dana Eveland
and outfielder
Dave Krynzel
.
On November 20, , Estrada was traded from the Brewers to the New York Mets
for pitcher Guillermo Mota
. Estrada was not offered a new contract by the Mets and became a free agent
on December 12, 2007. On January 31, , Estrada signed a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals
worth approximately $1.25 million. On July 24, Estrada was designated for assignment, and released on July 31.
Hayward, California
Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) is a former American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player. He played in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
as a catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
for the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
, Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
.
Estrada was selected in the 17th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft
1997 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1997 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1997...
by the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. His major league career started in with the Phillies after an injury to the regular starting catcher, Mike Lieberthal
Mike Lieberthal
Michael Scott "Mike" Lieberthal , nicknamed Lieby, is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He batted and threw right-handed....
. In , he became a part time player. Estrada was acquired by the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
from the Phillies on December 20, 2002, for Kevin Millwood
Kevin Millwood
Kevin Austin Millwood is an American professional baseball pitcher. He has previously played for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies.-Personal life:Millwood graduated from Bessemer City High School in North Carolina...
in a move that was said to be financially motivated, since the Braves could not pay Millwood's salary. During the season, Estrada spent most of the year on Atlanta's Triple-A
AAA (baseball)
Triple-A refers to the highest level of play in minor league baseball in the United States and Mexico.-Purpose:Triple-A teams' main purpose is to prepare players for the Major Leagues:...
team, the Richmond Braves
Richmond Braves
The Richmond Braves were the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and played in the International League. Colloquially referred to as the R-Braves, they were based in Richmond, Virginia, where they played from 1966, when the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta where their AAA team, the Crackers,...
. After Javy López
Javy López
Javier López Torres is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Atlanta Braves , Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed...
left due to free agency, Estrada became Atlanta's starting catcher in . He hit
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.314 with 9 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 76 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. Estrada also made the All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
team and helped Atlanta win their 13th division title in a row. After a slightly disappointing season, Estrada was traded by the Braves to the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
for pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
s Lance Cormier
Lance Cormier
Lance Robert Cormier is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball. He has previously played for the Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, and Los Angeles Dodgers.-Early years:Cormier went to Lafayette High School, and graduated in...
and Óscar Villarreal
Óscar Villarreal
Óscar Eduardo Villarreal is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in the majors for the Arizona Diamondbacks , Atlanta Braves , and Houston Astros .-Arizona Diamondbacks:...
on December 7, 2005.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
along with pitchers Claudio Vargas
Claudio Vargas
Claudio Vargas Almonte is a former Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Dodgers...
and Greg Aquino
Greg Aquino
Gregori Emilio Aquino Valera is a Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently in the Chicago White Sox organization.Aquino was originally signed as a 16-year-old infielder in , by the Arizona Diamondbacks....
for pitchers Doug Davis and Dana Eveland
Dana Eveland
Dana James Eveland is a left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers.Eveland throws a four-seam fastball, slider, changeup, and curveball. He is 6' 1" and weighs 230 pounds....
and outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
Dave Krynzel
Dave Krynzel
David Benjamin Krynzel , is a Major League Baseball outfielder. He made his major league debut on September 1, ....
.
On November 20, , Estrada was traded from the Brewers to the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
for pitcher Guillermo Mota
Guillermo Mota
Guillermo Reynoso Mota is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He stands tall and weighs . He throws and bats right-handed. Mota has played for the Montreal Expos, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Florida Marlins, the Cleveland Indians, the New York Mets, the Milwaukee Brewers and the San...
. Estrada was not offered a new contract by the Mets and became a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
on December 12, 2007. On January 31, , Estrada signed a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
worth approximately $1.25 million. On July 24, Estrada was designated for assignment, and released on July 31.