Juan Miranda

Juan Miguel Miranda is a Cuban professional baseball first baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays organization. The 5-foot-11 Miranda batted .303 with 27 homers for Pinar Del Rio in Cuba's Serie Nacional from 2002 to 2004. Miranda was on the 2001 Cuban national team. He defected to the Dominican Republic in early 2004, on his seventh attempt. He established residency in 2005, and was granted citizenship there in 2006. He signed a four-year contract with the New York Yankees worth $2 million on December 12, 2006. He played the 2007 season with the Yankees Single-A affiliate, the Tampa Yankees, and... Double-A affiliate, the Trenton Thunder. He played the 2008 season with the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees. On September 16, 2008, Miranda was called up to the New York Yankees for the first time in his career. He made his major league debut on September 18, 2008. His first major league plate appearance resulted in a walk. He was called up again briefly in April 2009, replacing David Robertson. He recorded a walk-off game winning single against the Kansas City Royals on September 29, 2009.
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