Omar Infante
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Detroit Tigers — No. 20 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
|---|---|
| September 7, 2002 for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2006) |
|
| Batting average | .251 |
| Runs batted in | 137 |
| Home runs | 30 |
| Former teams | |
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Omar Infante [in-FAHN-tay] (born December 26, 1981 in Anzoátegui State, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball second baseman who plays for the Detroit Tigers (2002-present). He bats and throws right-handed.
In a three-year career, Infante is a .259 hitter with 17 home runs and 69 RBI in 229 games.
In 2004, Infante lost his role as the starting shortstop when the Tigers acquired Carlos Guillén, who went on to be an All-Star that year. With Guillén at shortstop and Fernando Viña at second base, Infante was likely to spend much of the season in the minors. Then he received an opportunity in mid-May to play every day at second base when Viña was sidelined for the year by a hamstring injury. He responded by playing solid defense and hitting .264 with 16 home runs and 55 RBI in 142 games. In 2005, Omar once again became a bench player when the Tigers acquired Placido Polanco.
Infante's potential as a utility player is bright. With his quick hands, Infante can turn on a fastball and pull it with power. He is a conservative, but smart baserunner, with an above-average speed and he's still learning to use it on the bases. As a fielder, he has sure hands with an above-average arm and excellent range. He also is a very solid glove man at shortstop, third base and center field.
Infante has grown more comfortable, perhaps because he's been working so closely with Guillén, a fellow Venezuelan who has acted like a mentor, and the two have developed a nice chemistry as a double play combination around second base.
