Rich Amaral

Richard Louis Amaral (born April 1, 1962) is a former utility player in Major League Baseball who played with the Seattle Mariners (1991-1998), and Baltimore Orioles (1999-2000). He batted and threw right-handed.

Rich Amaral
Utility player
Born: (1962-04-01) April 1, 1962
Visalia, California
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 27, 1991, for the Seattle Mariners
Last MLB appearance
June 14, 2000, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
Batting average.276
Home runs11
Runs batted in159
Teams

Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1983, Amaral was claimed by the Chicago White Sox in the 1988 Rule 5 Draft. After becoming a free agent after the 1990 season, he signed with the Seattle Mariners and made his major league debut on May 27, 1991. Amaral played with the Mariners through 1998, and signed as a free agent with the Orioles on December 21, 1998. Released by the Orioles on July 28, 2000, he signed with the Atlanta Braves on August 25, 2000. Amaral played seven games for their Triple-A affiliate, the Richmond Braves and became a free agent after the season.

In his 10-year career, Amaral was a .276 hitter with 493 career hits. He was a college standout at UCLA earning nod as second baseman on the College All-American team. After being drafted in the second round by the Chicago Cubs, he spent his next nine years in Minor league baseball, and it appeared that he might be a career minor leaguer. After hitting .346 at Triple-A Calgary in 1991 (PCL batting champion) and .318 in 1992, Amaral got his chance to become a Major League player at age 31 under new manager Lou Piniella in 1993.[1] A versatile player, Amaral played at least forty games in the majors at every position except catcher and pitcher.

Amaral was a baserunning guest instructor for the Mariners in spring training of 2008[2] as part of Mariners manager John McLaren's offseason emphasis on baserunning.[3]

Amaral's son Beau played outfield for the UCLA team that went all the way to the 2010 College World Series Championship games. Beau was named to the All Tournament Team. Beau was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds and in 2014 played with High Class-A affiliate in the California League, the Bakersfield Blaze.

References
  1. "M's Amaral takes long road to starting lineup". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). Associated Press. March 17, 1994. p. 6D.
  2. "Seattle Mariners Season Preview". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  3. Jim Street (2008-02-19). "Notes: Mariners out of the gates running". MLB.com. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
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