Raúl Ibáñez
Encyclopedia
Raúl Javier Ibáñez is an American Major League Baseball
outfielder
.
Over his career, Ibáñez, who did not make 500 plate appearance
s until the age of thirty, has batted .280 with 377 doubles
, 252 home run
s and 1054 runs batted in (RBI) over sixteen Major League seasons. He has seven seasons with 20 or more home runs, two seasons with 30 or more home runs, six seasons with 90 or more RBI, four seasons with 100 or more RBI and ten consecutive seasons (2002–2011) with 30 or more doubles.
for Miami Sunset Senior High School. After graduation, he attended Miami-Dade Community College, and was a baseball letterman and an All-Conference selection.
in the 36th round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft
. Ibáñez played as a catcher
and outfielder
at various levels in the Mariners minor league organization. He began his professional career with the rookie-level AZL Mariners in 1992. Ibáñez batted .308 with 37 hits, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, and 16 RBIs in 33 games that season. The next season, 1993, Ibáñez split the season between the Class-A Short-Season Bellingham Mariners, and the Class-A Appleton Foxes. He batted a combined .278 with 81 hits, 14 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, and 36 RBIs in 95 games. Ibáñez played for the Class-A Appleton Foxes again in 1994, and batted .312 with 102 hits, 30 doubles, 3 triples, 7 home runs, 59 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases in 91 games. That season, Ibáñez lead the team in RBIs, and doubles. In 1995, Ibáñez was promoted to the Class-A Advanced Riverside Pilots
of the California League
. He batted .332 with 120 hits, 23 doubles, 9 triples, 20 home runs, and 108 RBIs in 95 games. Ibáñez was second in the league in RBIs, and was tied for seventh in the league in home runs. Ibáñez played for two minor league teams in 1996. He started the season with the Double-A Port City Roosters
where he batted .368 with 28 hits, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, and 13 RBIs in 19 games. He was later promoted to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers
where he batted .284 with 115 hits, 20 doubles, 3 triples, 11 home runs, and 47 RBIs in 111 games.
On August 1, 1996, after being called-up from the minor leagues, Ibáñez made his first major league appearance against the Milwaukee Brewers
. That season, Ibáñez appeared in four games and went hitless. In 1997, Ibáñez began the season in the minor leagues with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. He batted .304 with 133 hits, 30 doubles, 3 triples, 15 home runs, 82 RBIs in 111 games. On August 10, Ibáñez made his first appearance of the season in the majors against the Chicago White Sox
. He got his first major league hit, a triple, on August 16 against White Sox's pitcher
Doug Drabek
. On September 27, Ibáñez hit his first major league home run against the Oakland Athletics
' pitcher Mike Oquist
. After 11 games in the majors, Ibáñez batted .154 with 4 hits, 1 triple, 1 home run, and 4 RBIs. Ibáñez started the 1998 season with the Triple-A Rainiers and batted .216 with 41 hits, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 6 home runs, and 25 RBIs in 52 games. Ibáñez was called-up in August to the majors and batted .255 with 25 hits, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, and 12 RBIs in 37 games. That season, he played 17 games in the outfield, 16 games at first base, and 1 game at designated hitter.
Ibáñez played the majority of the 1999 season with the Mariners, however, he did spend 8 games with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers and batted .335 with 11 hits. In 1999 with the Mariners, Ibáñez batted .254 with 54 hits, 7 doubles, 9 home runs, and 27 RBIs in 87 games. He played 57 games in the outfield, 21 games as a first baseman, 1 game as a catcher, and 1 game as a designated hitter. The next season, 2000, Ibáñez again split the season between the Mariners and the Triple-A Rainiers. With the Rainiers, Ibáñez batted .250 with 10 hits, 4 doubles, and 6 home runs in 10 games. Ibáñez appeared in 92 regular season games with the Mariners in 2000. He batted .229 with 32 hits, 8 doubles, 2 home runs, and 15 RBIs. Ibáñez appeared in three games in the 2000 American League Division Series
and in 8 at-bats got 3 hits. During the next round of the playoffs, the 2000 American League Championship Series
, Ibáñez appeared in six games and went hitless. He became a free agent after the season.
as a free agent
before the season. In 2001 with the Royals, Ibáñez batted .280 with 78 hits, 11 doubles, 5 triples, 13 home runs, and 54 RBIs in 104 games. He also played of the Triple-A Omaha Royals
for 8 games and batted .148 with 4 hits. The next season, 2002, Ibáñez played the entire season in the majors for the first time in his career. On June 9, Ibáñez hit a walk-off home run
against St. Louis Cardinals
' pitcher Mike Timlin
to give the Royals a three-to-two win
. On June 26, Ibáñez hit a double, triple, and a home run in the same game against the Detroit Tigers
. About the opportunity to play everyday, Ibáñez said this:
At the end of 2002, Ibáñez batted .294 with 146 hits, 37 doubles, 6 triples, 24 home runs, and 103 RBIs in 137 games. His 6 triples stands as his career high. Ibáñez was second on the team in doubles, and RBIs; and was tied for second in triples, and home runs. Ibáñez received the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award as voted upon by the Kansas City, Missouri
chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America
. Ibáñez played his final season with the Royals in 2003. Before the start of the season, Ibáñez filed for salary arbitration. The Royals avoided arbitration hearings with Ibáñez after he accepted their one-year $3 million contract offer. In 157 games with the Royals, Ibáñez batted .294 with 179 hits, 33 doubles, 5 triples, 18 home runs, and 90 RBIs.
record with six hits, and joined Ichiro Suzuki
as only Mariners ever with two five-hit games in one season. He also ranked third among qualifying big league left fielders in UZR, an all-inclusive fielding statistic.
With Edgar Martínez
retired, Ibáñez moved to the DH spot before the season. In 2005, Ibánez hit .280 with 20 home runs and 89 RBIs. The Mariners acquired the switch hitting designated hitter Carl Everett
from the Chicago White Sox
during the 2005 offseason, forcing Ibáñez to move back to where he played before, namely left field.
Ibáñez enjoyed his most productive season with the Mariners in , when he collected career-highs in home runs (33), RBIs (123), doubles
(33) and triples
(5), and hit .289 with 103 runs
.
In , the Mariners acquired José Vidro
to assume the role of DH. Ibáñez moved back out to left field and posted a .291 batting average with 21 home runs, 105 RBI, 80 runs and 35 doubles in 149 games. He was on fire in the 2nd half of the 2008 season, with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs with a .321 batting average. He finished the season with a .293 batting average, 23 home runs, 110 RBI, 85 runs and a career-high 43 doubles in 162 games.
.
On April 9, 2009, Ibáñez hit his first home run as a member of the Phillies, a deep, two-run shot to right field at Citizens Bank Park
. Ten days later, on April 19, he hit a 2-run, walk-off home run to help the Phillies defeat the San Diego Padres
. He hit his eighth career grand slam on April 27, as part of an eighth-inning comeback to help defeat the Washington Nationals
at Citizens Bank Park.
Ibáñez was the focus of a post in the blog
"Midwest Sports Fans
" which raised concerns that he was using performance-enhancing drugs
. A column in the Philadelphia Inquirer resulted in an Ibáñez rebuttal stating that, "You can have my urine, my hair, my blood, my stool—anything you can test. I'll give you back every dime I've ever made if the test is positive."
In voting for the 2009 All Star Game, Ibáñez received the second-most votes for a NL outfielder with 4,053,355, trailing only the Brewers' Ryan Braun
(4,138,559). In the World Series, he batted .304 with four doubles, a home run and four RBI. In 134 regular season games, the 37-year-old Ibáñez hit .272 with 32 doubles, 93 runs and 93 RBI. He posted career-highs in home runs (34), slugging percentage (.552) and OPS (.899). He had a .991 fielding percentage with two errors in 129 games in left field. He also ranked 4th among qualifying big league left fielders in UZR.
In 2011, on defense he had the lowest range factor
of all major league left fielders, at .160.
In the 2009 offseason, Ibáñez discovered he had allergies to gluten
and dairy
, and went on a special diet which he has ordered from Philadelphia, even on the road.
In a poll of 290 Major League players by Sports Illustrated
, Ibáñez was voted the second nicest major league player, after Jim Thome
.
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...
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...
.
Over his career, Ibáñez, who did not make 500 plate appearance
Plate appearance
In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance each time he completes a turn batting. A player completes a turn batting when: He strikes out or is declared out before reaching first base; or He reaches first base safely or is awarded first base ; or He hits a fair ball which...
s until the age of thirty, has batted .280 with 377 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 252 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 1054 runs batted in (RBI) over sixteen Major League seasons. He has seven seasons with 20 or more home runs, two seasons with 30 or more home runs, six seasons with 90 or more RBI, four seasons with 100 or more RBI and ten consecutive seasons (2002–2011) with 30 or more doubles.
High school and college
Ibáñez played baseballBaseball
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...
for Miami Sunset Senior High School. After graduation, he attended Miami-Dade Community College, and was a baseball letterman and an All-Conference selection.
Early minor league career
Ibáñez was selected by the Seattle MarinersSeattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
in the 36th round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft
1992 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1992 Major League Baseball draft.-Other notable players:*Raúl Ibáñez, 36th round, Seattle Mariners...
. Ibáñez played 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...
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...
at various levels in the Mariners minor league organization. He began his professional career with the rookie-level AZL Mariners in 1992. Ibáñez batted .308 with 37 hits, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, and 16 RBIs in 33 games that season. The next season, 1993, Ibáñez split the season between the Class-A Short-Season Bellingham Mariners, and the Class-A Appleton Foxes. He batted a combined .278 with 81 hits, 14 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, and 36 RBIs in 95 games. Ibáñez played for the Class-A Appleton Foxes again in 1994, and batted .312 with 102 hits, 30 doubles, 3 triples, 7 home runs, 59 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases in 91 games. That season, Ibáñez lead the team in RBIs, and doubles. In 1995, Ibáñez was promoted to the Class-A Advanced Riverside Pilots
Riverside Pilots
The Riverside Pilots were a minor league baseball team in Riverside, California. They were a high-A class team that played in the California League, and were a farm team of the Seattle Mariners for the franchise’s entire stay in Riverside...
of the California League
California League
The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
. He batted .332 with 120 hits, 23 doubles, 9 triples, 20 home runs, and 108 RBIs in 95 games. Ibáñez was second in the league in RBIs, and was tied for seventh in the league in home runs. Ibáñez played for two minor league teams in 1996. He started the season with the Double-A Port City Roosters
Port City Roosters
The Port City Roosters were a minor league baseball team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. The team, which played in the Southern League, was the Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners major-league club. The Roosters played in Brooks Field on the campus of the University of North Carolina,...
where he batted .368 with 28 hits, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, and 13 RBIs in 19 games. He was later promoted to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers
Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are a minor league baseball team that plays in the Pacific Coast League , and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners...
where he batted .284 with 115 hits, 20 doubles, 3 triples, 11 home runs, and 47 RBIs in 111 games.
Major league beginning
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...
. That season, Ibáñez appeared in four games and went hitless. In 1997, Ibáñez began the season in the minor leagues with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. He batted .304 with 133 hits, 30 doubles, 3 triples, 15 home runs, 82 RBIs in 111 games. On August 10, Ibáñez made his first appearance of the season in the majors against the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. He got his first major league hit, a triple, on August 16 against White Sox's 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...
Doug Drabek
Doug Drabek
Douglas Dean Drabek is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Known for his fluid pitching motion and sound mechanics, he won the National League Cy Young Award in 1990.-Early life:...
. On September 27, Ibáñez hit his first major league home run against the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
' pitcher Mike Oquist
Mike Oquist
Michael Lee Oquist , is a retired Major League Baseball player who played pitcher from -. He played for the Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, and Oakland Athletics....
. After 11 games in the majors, Ibáñez batted .154 with 4 hits, 1 triple, 1 home run, and 4 RBIs. Ibáñez started the 1998 season with the Triple-A Rainiers and batted .216 with 41 hits, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 6 home runs, and 25 RBIs in 52 games. Ibáñez was called-up in August to the majors and batted .255 with 25 hits, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, and 12 RBIs in 37 games. That season, he played 17 games in the outfield, 16 games at first base, and 1 game at designated hitter.
Ibáñez played the majority of the 1999 season with the Mariners, however, he did spend 8 games with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers and batted .335 with 11 hits. In 1999 with the Mariners, Ibáñez batted .254 with 54 hits, 7 doubles, 9 home runs, and 27 RBIs in 87 games. He played 57 games in the outfield, 21 games as a first baseman, 1 game as a catcher, and 1 game as a designated hitter. The next season, 2000, Ibáñez again split the season between the Mariners and the Triple-A Rainiers. With the Rainiers, Ibáñez batted .250 with 10 hits, 4 doubles, and 6 home runs in 10 games. Ibáñez appeared in 92 regular season games with the Mariners in 2000. He batted .229 with 32 hits, 8 doubles, 2 home runs, and 15 RBIs. Ibáñez appeared in three games in the 2000 American League Division Series
2000 American League Division Series
-Oakland Athletics vs. New York Yankees:-Chicago vs. Seattle:The Seattle Mariners returned to the postseason to avenge two postseason failures in the 1990s. The Chicago White Sox returned to the postseason for the first time since 1993...
and in 8 at-bats got 3 hits. During the next round of the playoffs, the 2000 American League Championship Series
2000 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 10, 2000 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkGame 1 at Yankee Stadium started as a pitchers' duel between Mariners' Freddy García and Yankees' Denny Neagle. Neither team would score until the top of the fifth when Mark McLemore hit a two-out ground rule double off Neagle...
, Ibáñez appeared in six games and went hitless. He became a free agent after the season.
Kansas City Royals
Ibáñez was signed by the Kansas City RoyalsKansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
as 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....
before the season. In 2001 with the Royals, Ibáñez batted .280 with 78 hits, 11 doubles, 5 triples, 13 home runs, and 54 RBIs in 104 games. He also played of the Triple-A Omaha Royals
Omaha Royals
The Omaha Storm Chasers are a United States minor league baseball team currently based in the Omaha suburb of Papillion, Nebraska. The team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals major league club and has been a member of the expanded Pacific Coast League since 1998. From 1969 to 1997,...
for 8 games and batted .148 with 4 hits. The next season, 2002, Ibáñez played the entire season in the majors for the first time in his career. On June 9, Ibáñez hit a walk-off home run
Walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
against St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
' pitcher Mike Timlin
Mike Timlin
-Early life:Timlin was born in Midland, Texas to Jerome Francis Timlin Sr. and Nancy Sharon Beyer. Timlin graduated from Midland High School in Midland, Texas. He then attended and pitched at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta.-Baseball career...
to give the Royals a three-to-two win
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
. On June 26, Ibáñez hit a double, triple, and a home run in the same game against the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
. About the opportunity to play everyday, Ibáñez said this:
At the end of 2002, Ibáñez batted .294 with 146 hits, 37 doubles, 6 triples, 24 home runs, and 103 RBIs in 137 games. His 6 triples stands as his career high. Ibáñez was second on the team in doubles, and RBIs; and was tied for second in triples, and home runs. Ibáñez received the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award as voted upon by the Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America
Baseball Writers Association of America
The Baseball Writers' Association of America is a professional association for baseball journalists writing for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying Web sites. The BBWAA was founded on October 14, 1908, to improve working conditions for sportswriters in the early part of the 20th century...
. Ibáñez played his final season with the Royals in 2003. Before the start of the season, Ibáñez filed for salary arbitration. The Royals avoided arbitration hearings with Ibáñez after he accepted their one-year $3 million contract offer. In 157 games with the Royals, Ibáñez batted .294 with 179 hits, 33 doubles, 5 triples, 18 home runs, and 90 RBIs.
Return to Seattle
After three seasons with the Royals, Ibáñez returned to Seattle in and had a career-high .304 batting average. He also collected a 24-game go-ahead RBI string, matched a club record by reaching base 11 consecutive times, set a career-high and a club record and matched the American LeagueAmerican League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
record with six hits, and joined Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro Suzuki
, usually known simply as is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for hits with 262...
as only Mariners ever with two five-hit games in one season. He also ranked third among qualifying big league left fielders in UZR, an all-inclusive fielding statistic.
With Edgar Martínez
Edgar Martinez
Edgar Martínez , nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and designated hitter. He spent his entire 18-year Major League career with the Seattle Mariners. He is the cousin of Carmelo Martínez.-Seattle Mariners:On December 19, 1982, the Seattle Mariners signed...
retired, Ibáñez moved to the DH spot before the season. In 2005, Ibánez hit .280 with 20 home runs and 89 RBIs. The Mariners acquired the switch hitting designated hitter Carl Everett
Carl Everett
Carl Edward Everett III is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently an outfielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. A switch hitter, he played with the Chicago White Sox on their 2005 World Series winning team...
from the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
during the 2005 offseason, forcing Ibáñez to move back to where he played before, namely left field.
Ibáñez enjoyed his most productive season with the Mariners in , when he collected career-highs in home runs (33), RBIs (123), doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
(33) and triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
(5), and hit .289 with 103 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
.
In , the Mariners acquired José Vidro
José Vidro
José Angel Vidro is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. Though he never officially retired, Vidro has not played since .-Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals:...
to assume the role of DH. Ibáñez moved back out to left field and posted a .291 batting average with 21 home runs, 105 RBI, 80 runs and 35 doubles in 149 games. He was on fire in the 2nd half of the 2008 season, with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs with a .321 batting average. He finished the season with a .293 batting average, 23 home runs, 110 RBI, 85 runs and a career-high 43 doubles in 162 games.
Philadelphia Phillies
On December 16, 2008, Ibáñez signed a 3-year, $31.5 million deal with the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia 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...
.
On April 9, 2009, Ibáñez hit his first home run as a member of the Phillies, a deep, two-run shot to right field at Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park is a 43,647-seat baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, and home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Citizens Bank Park opened on April 3, 2004, and hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 12 of the same year, with the...
. Ten days later, on April 19, he hit a 2-run, walk-off home run to help the Phillies defeat the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
. He hit his eighth career grand slam on April 27, as part of an eighth-inning comeback to help defeat 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...
at Citizens Bank Park.
Ibáñez was the focus of a post in the blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
"Midwest Sports Fans
Midwest Sports Fans
Midwest Sports Fans is a weblog, which was launched by Jerod Morris in August 2008. The site primarily focuses on professional and college teams and athletes relevant to the Midwest....
" which raised concerns that he was using performance-enhancing drugs
Major League Baseball drug policy
Major League Baseball's drug policy—the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program—was established by agreement between the MLB Players Association and the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball in order to deter and end the use by baseball players of banned substances, including anabolic steroids...
. A column in the Philadelphia Inquirer resulted in an Ibáñez rebuttal stating that, "You can have my urine, my hair, my blood, my stool—anything you can test. I'll give you back every dime I've ever made if the test is positive."
In voting for the 2009 All Star Game, Ibáñez received the second-most votes for a NL outfielder with 4,053,355, trailing only the Brewers' Ryan Braun
Ryan Braun
Ryan Joseph Braun is an American right-handed Major League Baseball left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. A perennial standout, he was ranked No...
(4,138,559). In the World Series, he batted .304 with four doubles, a home run and four RBI. In 134 regular season games, the 37-year-old Ibáñez hit .272 with 32 doubles, 93 runs and 93 RBI. He posted career-highs in home runs (34), slugging percentage (.552) and OPS (.899). He had a .991 fielding percentage with two errors in 129 games in left field. He also ranked 4th among qualifying big league left fielders in UZR.
In 2011, on defense he had the lowest range factor
Range Factor
Range Factor is a baseball statistic developed by Bill James. It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by number of innings or games played at a given defense position...
of all major league left fielders, at .160.
Personal
Ibáñez and his wife Teryvette have one son and three daughters.In the 2009 offseason, Ibáñez discovered he had allergies to gluten
Gluten
Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye...
and dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
, and went on a special diet which he has ordered from Philadelphia, even on the road.
In a poll of 290 Major League players by Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, Ibáñez was voted the second nicest major league player, after Jim Thome
Jim Thome
James Howard "Jim" Thome is a Major League Baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies. He is the eighth player to hit 600 home runs in the major leagues. He is widely considered a future Hall of Famer.-Cleveland Indians :...
.
See also
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of Cuban Americans