A postal code (known in various countries as a post code, postcode, or ZIP code) is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. Once postal codes were introduced, other applications became possible.

In February 2005, 117 of the 190 member countries of the Universal Postal Union had postal code systems. Countries that do not have national systems include Ireland and Panama. Although Hong Kong and Macau are now Special Administrative Regions of China, each maintains its own long-established postal system, which does not utilize postal codes for domestic mail, and no postal codes are assigned to Hong Kong and Macau. Mail between Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China is treated as international.

Although postal codes are usually assigned to geographical areas, special codes are sometimes assigned to individual addresses or to institutions that receive large volumes of mail, such as government agencies and large commercial companies. One example is the French CEDEX system.

Terms

There are a number of colloquial terms for ''postal code''.

; ''postal code'': The general term is used directly in Canada. ; ''postcode'': This portmanteau is popular in many English-speaking countries. ; ''ZIP code'': The standard term in the United States and the Philippines; ''ZIP'' is an acronym for ''Zone Improvement Plan''. ; ''PIN code'' / ''pincode'': The standard term in India; ''PIN'' is an acronym for ''Postal Index Number''.

History

Postal codes were first introduced in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in December 1932, but the system was abandoned in 1939. The next country to introduce postal codes was Germany in 1941, followed by Argentina in 1958, the United Kingdom in 1959, the United States in 1963 and Switzerland in 1964.

Presentation

Character sets

The characters used in postal codes are

The arabic numerals "0" to "9"

Letters of the Basic Latin alphabet,

space " ",

hyphen "-"

Reserved characters

Postal codes in the Netherlands originally did not use the letters 'F', 'I', 'O', 'Q', 'U' and 'Y' for technical reasons. But as almost all existing combinations are now used, these letters were allowed for new locations starting 2005. The letter combinations SS, SD and SA are not used for historical reasons.

Postal codes in Canada do not include the letters D, F, I, O, Q, or U, as the OCR equipment used in automated sorting could easily confuse them with other letters and digits. The letters W and Z are used, but are not currently used as the first letter.

Alphanumeric postal codes

Most of the postal code systems are numeric, only a few are alphanumeric (i.e. use both letters and digits). Alphanumeric systems can, given the same number of digits, encode many more locations. They are often more precise, as is the case in the United Kingdom or in the Netherlands, where a postal code corresponds to a street or even a building, meaning the post code and the number of the home/business is all that is needed for accurate delivery. However, there is no ''a priori'' reason why numeric postal codes cannot be equally precise, as illustrated by 9- and 11-digit codes in the United States. The independent nations using alphanumeric postal code systems are:

Argentina (see table)

Brunei (see table)

Canada (see table)

Jamaica (see postal codes in Jamaica)(suspended in 2007 )

Malta (see table)

Netherlands (see table)

United Kingdom (see table)

Venezuela (look up at http://www.ipostel.gob.ve/nlinea/codigo_postal.php).

Country code prefixes

Usage of ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes was recommended to be used starting in 1994, but they have not become widely used. The European Committee for Standardization recommends use of ISO Alpha-2 codes for international postcodes and a UPU guide on international addressing states that "administrations may recommend" the use of ISO Alpha-2 codes.

Andorra, Ecuador, Latvia, Moldova, Slovenia use the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 as prefix in their postal codes.

In some countries (such as those of continental Europe, where a postcode format of four or five numeric digits is commonly used) the numeric postal code is sometimes prefixed with a country code to avoid confusion when sending international mail to or from that country. Recommendations by official bodies responsible for postal communications are confusing regarding this practice. For many years, licence plate codes — for instance "D-" for Germany or "F-" for France — were used, although this was not accepted by the Universal Postal Union (UPU).

Placement of the code

Postal services have their own formats and placement rules for postal codes. In most English-speaking countries, the postal code forms the last item of the address, following the city or town name, whereas in most continental European countries it precedes the name of the city or town.

When it follows the city it may be on the same line or on a new line.

In Japan, China, Korea and the Russian Federation, it is written more to the beginning of an address.

Geographic coverage

Postal codes are usually assigned to geographical areas. Sometimes codes are assigned to individual addresses or to institutions that receive large volumes of mail, e.g. government agencies or large commercial companies. One example is the French Cedex system.

Postal zone numbers

Before postal codes as described here were used, large cities were often divided into ''postal zones'' or ''postal districts'', usually numbered from 1 upwards within each city. The newer postal code systems often incorporate the old zone numbers, as with London postal district numbers, for example. Ireland still uses postal district numbers in Dublin. In New Zealand, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch were divided into postal zones, but these fell into disuse, and have now become redundant as a result of a new postcode system being introduced.

Codes defined along administrative borders

Some postal code system, like the one of Ecuador and Costa Rica show an exact agreement with the hierarchy of the administrative country subdivisions.

Format of 6 digit numeric (8 digit alphanumeric) postal codes in Ecuador, introduced in December 2007: ECAABBCC : EC - ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code : AA - one of the 24 provinces of Ecuador (24 of 100 possible codes used = 24%) : BB - one of the 226 cantons of Ecuador (for AABB 226 of 10000 codes used , i.e. 2.26%. Three cantons are not in any province) : CC - one of the parishes of Ecuador.

Format of 5 digit numeric Postal codes in Costa Rica, introduced in 2007: ABBCC : A - one of the 7 provinces of Costa Rica (7 of 10 used, i.e. 70%) : BB - one of the 81 cantons of Costa Rica (81 of 1000 used, i.e. 8.1%) : CC - one of the districts of Costa Rica. In Costa Rica these codes are also used by the National Institute for Statistics and Census (INSEC).

The first two digits of the postal codes in Turkey correspond to the provinces and each province has assigned only one number. They are the same for them as in ISO 3166-2:TR.

The first two digits of the postal codes in Vietnam indicate a province. Some provinces have one, other have several two digit numbers assigned. The numbers differ from the number used in ISO 3166-2:VN.

Codes defined close to administrative borders

In France the numeric code for the departments is used in the first digits of the postal code, except for the two departments in Corsica that have codes 2A and 2B and use 20 as postal code. Furthermore the codes are only the codes for the department in charge of delivery of the post, so it can be that a location in one department has a postal code starting with the number of a neighbouring department.

Codes defined indirectly to administrative borders

The first digit of the postal codes in the United States defines an area including several states. From the first three digits (with some exceptions), one can deduce the state.

Codes defined independently from administrative borders

The first two digits of the postal codes in Germany define areas independent from administrative regions. The coding space of the first digit is fully used (0-9); that of the first two combined is utilized to 89%, i.e., there are 89 postal zones defined. Zone 11 is non-geographic.

The UK post designed the postal codes in the United Kingdom mostly for efficient distribution. Nevertheless, with time, people associated codes with certain areas, leading certain people wanting or not wanting to have a certain code. See also postcode lottery.

Precision

Netherlands

Postal codes in the Netherlands are alphanumeric, consisting of four digits followed by a space and two letters (NNNN AA). Adding the house number to the postcode will identify the address, making the street name and town name redundant. For example: 2597 GV 75 will direct a postal delivery to the International School of The Hague.

USA

Other countries allow equally precise coding. For example, in the United States, the delivery point is typically derived from the last two digits of the house number and thus (at least theoretically) allows an unambiguous identification of every address in the country.

UK

For domestic properties the postcode refers to up to 100 properties in contiguous proximity (e.g. a short section of a populous road, or a series of less populous neighbouring roads). The postcode plus the number or name of a property is not always unique, particularly in rural areas. For example GL20 8NX/1 might refer to either 1 Frampton Cottages or 1 Frampton Farm Cottages, roughly half a kilometre apart. The postcode plus the ''first line of the address'', however, is always unique (except where sub-properties occurs).

Structure is alphanumeric with the following seven valid permutations, as defined by BS 7666:

A9 9AA A9A 9AA A99 9AA A99A 9AA AA9 9AA AA9A 9AA AA99 9AA

There are always two halves: the separation between outward and inward postcodes is indicated by one space.

The outward postcode covers a unique area and has two parts which may in total be two three or four characters in length. A postcode area of one or two letters, followed by one or two numbers, followed in some parts of London by a letter.

The outward postcode and the leading numeric of the inward postcode in combination forms a postal sector, and this usually corresponds to a couple of thousand properties.

Larger businesses and isolated properties such as farms may have a unique postcode. Extremely large organisations such as larger government offices or bank headquarters may have multiple postcodes for different departments.

There are about 100 postcode areas ranging widely in size from BT which covers the whole of Northern Ireland to ZE for Shetland. Postcode areas may also cross national boundaries, such as SY which covers a large, predominantly rural area from Shrewsbury and Ludlow in Shropshire, England, through the eastern Welsh town of Welshpool, Powys in Wales to the seaside town of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion on Wales' west coast.

States and overseas territories sharing a postal code system

Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are part of the UK postcode system. They use the scheme AAN NAA, in which the first two letters are a unique code (GY, JE and IM respectively).

Seven British overseas territories use nine postal codes: three for Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and one apiece for the others. Note that the former has two ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes, and the British Antarctic Territory has none, so the number of ISO codes is seven.

Ascension Island: ASCN 1ZZ, ISO code: AC

British Antarctic Territory: BIQQ 1ZZ

British Indian Ocean Territory: BBND 1ZZ, ISO code: IO

Falkland Islands: FIQQ 1ZZ, ISO code: FK

Pitcairn Islands: PCRN 1ZZ, ISO code: PN

Saint Helena STHL 1ZZ, ISO code: SH

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: SIQQ 1ZZ, ISO code: GS

Tristan da Cunha: TDCU 1ZZ, ISO code: included under SH

Turks and Caicos Islands: TKCA 1ZZ, ISO code: TC

Two other British areas have their own systems, and use the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 prefix:

Cayman Islands: KYN-NNNN*

British Virgin Islands: VGNNNN.

French overseas territories use the five-digit French postal code system, each code starting with the three letter department identifier. Monaco also uses the French system.

Italy, San Marino and Vatican City use one system. Liechtenstein and Switzerland use one system. Slovakia and the Czech Republic base their systems on the codes of Czechoslovakia, their ranges not overlapping.

Non-geographic codes

In Finland the special postal code 99999 is for Korvatunturi, the place where Santa Claus (Joulupukki in Finnish) is said to live.

In Greenland the postal code 2412 is for Julemanden (Santa Claus)

In Canada the amount of mail sent to Santa Claus increased every Christmas, up to the point that Canada Post decided to start an official Santa Claus letter-response program in 1983. Approximately one million letters come in to Santa Claus each Christmas, including from outside of Canada, and all of them are answered in the same languages in which they are written. Canada Post introduced a special address for mail to Santa Claus, complete with its own postal code:

:SANTA CLAUS :NORTH POLE  H0H 0H0

In the United Kingdom, the non-conforming postal code GIR 0AA was used for the National Girobank until its closure in 2003.

Formats

A = letter

N = number

CC = ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code

!Country	!Introduced	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2>ISO	!Format	!Note
Afghanistan			- no codes -
			NNNNN	With Finland, first two numbers are 22.
			NNNN
			NNNNN	First two as in ISO 3166-2:DZ
	2004		CCNNN
			- no codes -
	1974, modified 1999		1974-1998 NNNN; From 1999 ANNNNAAA	Codigo Postal Argentino (CPA), where A is the province code as in ISO 3166-2:AR
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
	2006-04-01		NNNN
Ascension island			AAAANAA one code: ASCN 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
	1967		NNNN
	1966		NNNN
			CCNNNN
			NNNN
		BB	CCNNNNN
		BY	NNNNNN
		BE	NNNN	First number indicates the province. (not completely correct)
		BZ	- no codes -
		BJ	- no codes -
			NNNNN
	1972	BR	NNNNN	Código de Endereçamento Postal (CEP)
	1992	BR	NNNNNNNN (NNNNN-NNN)
British Indian Ocean Territory			AAAANAA one code: BIQQ 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
		VG	CCNNNN
			AANNNN
	1975		NNNN
			NNNNN
	1971–1975		ANA NAN	The system was gradually introduced starting in April 1971 in Ottawa
		CV	NNNN	The first digit indicates the island.
			NNNNNNN (NNN-NNNN)
			NNNNNN
			NNNNNN
	2007-03	CR	NNNNN	First codes the provinces, next two the canton, last two the district.
		HR	NNNNN
	1994-10-01	CY	NNNN
	1973	CZ	NNNNN (NNN NN)	with Slovak Republic, Poštovní směrovací číslo (PSČ) - postal routing number
	1967-09-20	DK	NNNN
	2007-12	EC	CCNNNNNN
		EG	NNNNN
		EE	NNNNN
Falkland Islands			AAAANAA one code: FIQQ 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
	1971	FI	NNNNN
	1972	FR	NNNNN	First mostly as in ISO 3166-2:FR.
			NNNN
	1941-07-25	--	NN	Postleitzahl (PLZ)
	1962	DE	NNNN	Postleitzahl (PLZ)
	1993	DE	NNNNN	Postleitzahl (PLZ)
	1983	GR	NNNNN
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
	1993		AAN NAA	UK-format postcode (first two letters are always GY not GG)
Hong Kong			- no codes -
		HU	NNNN
		IS	NNN
	1972-08-15	IN	NNNNNN,	NNN NNN	Postal Index Number (PIN)
		ID	NNNNN	Kode Pos
			NNNNN-NNNNN	کد پستی
	2004		NNNNN
			- no codes -	Alphanumeric system planned, however no known rollout date
	1993		CCN NAA, CCNN NAA	UK-format postcode
		IL	NNNNN
	1967		NNNNN	Codice di Avviamento Postale (CAP)
	1968	JP	NNNNNNN (NNN-NNNN)
	1994		CCN NAA	UK-format postcode
			NNNNNN	Reference:
		LV	CC-NNNN
	1964	LI	NNNN	With Switzerland, ordered from west to east
		LT	NNNNN	References: http://www.post.lt/en/?id=421 http://www.post.lt/en/?id=271
		LU	NNNN	References: http://www.upu.int/post_code/en/countries/LUX.pdf
Macau		MO	- no codes -
		MY	NNNNN
		MT	AAANNNN (AAA NNNN)	Kodiċi Postali
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
		MX	NNNNN
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
		MD	CCNNNN (CC-NNNN)
	1972	MC	980NN
		ME	NNNNN
	1997-01-01	MA	NNNNN
	1977	NL	NNNN AA
	2008-06	NZ	NNNN	Postcode
		NI	NNNNNN
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
	1968-03-18	NO	NNNN	From south to north
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
			NNNNNN
		PK	NNNNNN
		PY	NNNN
		PE	Alphanumeric	New National Postal Code system to be implemented in February 2011
		PH	NNNN
Pitcairn Islands			AAAANAA one code: PCRN 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
	1973	PL	NNNNN (NN-NNN)
	1976		NNNN
	1994	PT	NNNN-NNN (NNNN NNN)
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
	2003-05-01	RO	NNNNNN
	1971		NNNNNN
			NNNNN	With Italy, uses a five-digit numeric CAP of Emilia Romagna
	2005-01-01		NNNNN	Poshtanski adresni kod (PAK)
	1950		NN
	1979		NNNN
	1995		NNNNNN
	1973	SK	NNNNN (NNN NN)	with Czech Republic from west to east, Poštové smerovacie číslo (PSČ) - postal routing number
			CCNNNN (CC-NNNN)
	1975		NNNN
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands			AAAANAA one code: SIQQ 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
			NNNNNN (NNN-NNN)
	1976		NNNNN	First two indicate the province, range 01-52
			NNNNN	Reference: http://mohanjith.net/ZIPLook/
	1968-05-12		NNNNN (NNN NN)
	1964		NNNN	With Liechtenstein, ordered from west to east
			NNNNN	includes some territories administrated by Japan
	1982-02-25	TH	NNNNN	The first two specify the province, numbers as in ISO 3166-2:TH, the third and fourth digits specify a district (amphoe)
Tunisia			NNNN
Turks and Caicos Islands			AAAANAA one code: TKCA 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
			NNNNN	The first two specify the province as in ISO 3166-2:TR
			NNNNN
	1959–1974		A(A)N(A/N)NAA (A[A]N[A/N] NAA)	Postcode, letters before the first number identify a town or district. AN NAA, ANN NAA, ANA NAA, AAN NAA, AANN NAA, AANA NAA. Complex as incorporates early non-systematic postal districts.
	1963-07-01		NNNNN (optionally NNNNN-NNNN or NNNNN-NNNNNN)	ZIP code
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
			NNNNN	with Italy, uses a five-digit numeric CAP of Rome
			NNNNNN

Non-postal uses and economic aspects

While postal codes were introduced to expedite the delivery of mail, they are very useful tools for several other purposes, particularly in countries where codes are very fine-grained and identify just a few addresses. Among uses are: Finding the nearest branch of an organisation to a given address. A computer program uses the postal codes of the target address and the branches to list the closest branches in order of distance as the crow flies (or, if used in conjunction with streetmap software, road distance). This can be used by companies to inform potential customers where to go, by job centres to find jobs for job-seekers, to alert people of town planning applications in their area, and a great many other applications.

Fine-grained postal codes can be used with satellite navigation systems to navigate to an address by street number and postcode.

Geographical sales territories for representatives in the pharmaceutical industry are allocated based on a workload index that is based upon postcode.

Availability

The availability of postal code information has significant economic advantages. In some countries, the postal authorities charge for access to the code database. , the United Kingdom Government is consulting on whether to waive licensing fees for some geographical data sets (to be determined) related to UK postcodes.

See also

List of postal codes

:Category:Lists of postal codes

Mailing address format by country

References

External links

Universal Postal Union

*Addressing

*Postcodes

Reference on World Postcodes

countries postal codes Formats and list

Category:Postal system

als:Postleitzahl ar:رمز بريدي an:Codigo postal ast:Códigu postal az:Poçt indeksi bn:পোস্ট কোড be:Паштовы індэкс be-x-old:Паштовы індэкс bar:Postleitzoi bs:Poštanski broj br:Kod-post bg:Пощенски код ca:Codi postal cs:Poštovní směrovací číslo cy:Côd post da:Postnummer de:Postleitzahl el:Ταχυδρομικός κώδικας es:Código postal eo:Poŝtkodo ext:Coigu postal eu:Posta-kode fa:کد پستی fr:Code postal fy:Postkoade fur:CAP gl:Código postal ko:우편번호 hy:Փոստային ինդեքս hr:Poštanski broj id:Kodepos is:Póstnúmer it:Codice postale he:מיקוד (דואר) jv:Kodhe pos la:Numerus cursualis lv:Pasta indekss lb:Postcode lt:Pašto kodas lij:Codiçe postâ hu:Irányítószám mk:Поштенски број ms:Poskod nl:Postcode nds-nl:Postcode ja:郵便番号 no:Postnummer nn:Postnummer oc:Còde postal nds:Postleddtall pl:Kod pocztowy pt:Código postal ro:Cod poștal ru:Почтовый индекс sq:Kodi postar scn:CAP simple:Postal code sk:Poštové smerovacie číslo sl:Poštna številka v Sloveniji sr:Поштански код sh:Poštanski broj fi:Postinumero sv:Postnummer ta:அஞ்சல் குறியீடுகள் th:รหัสไปรษณีย์ tg:Нишонаи почта tr:Posta kodu uk:Поштовий індекс ur:رمزِ ڈاک vec:Codice postale vi:Mã bưu chính wa:Limero del posse vls:Postnummer wuu:邮政编码 zh:邮政编码

Name	Manny Ramirez
Position	Left fielder / Right fielder
Bats	Right
Throws	Right
Birth date	May 30, 1972
Birth place	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Debutdate	September 2
Debutyear	1993
Debutteam	Cleveland Indians
Finaldate	April 6
Finalyear	2011
Finalteam	Tampa Bay Rays
Stat1label	Batting average
Stat1value	.312
Stat2label	Home runs
Stat2value	555
Stat3label	Hits
Stat3value	2,574
Stat4label	Runs batted in
Stat4value	1,831
Teams	Cleveland Indians (–) Boston Red Sox (–) Los Angeles Dodgers (–) Chicago White Sox () Tampa Bay Rays ()
Awards	12× All-Star selection (1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) 2× World Series champion (, ) 9× Silver Slugger Award winner (1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) 2004 World Series MVP 2× AL Hank Aaron Award winner (1999, 2004) }}

Manuel "Manny" Arístides Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a retired Dominican-American professional baseball outfielder. He was recognized for great batting skill and power, a nine-time Silver Slugger and one of 25 players to hit 500 career home runs. Ramirez's 21 grand slams are third all-time, and his 28 post-season home runs are the most by any player in MLB history. He was a fixture in the All-Star Game with 12 appearances including eleven consecutive beginning 1998.

Ramirez was allegedly among a group of 104 major league players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during 2003. In he was suspended 50 games for violating baseball's drug policy by taking human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a women's fertility drug. According to steroid dealer Victor Conte, hCG is often used to restart natural testosterone production after a steroid cycle.

In 2011 Ramirez was informed of another violation of the drug policy, and he retired from baseball on April 8, 2011, rather than continue with the process entailed by a positive test, which would have included a 100-game suspension.

Career

High school

Ramirez was born in Santo Domingo, and grew up in the Washington Heights section of the New York City borough of Manhattan. Ramirez attended George Washington High School, leaving at the age of 19 years old without graduating. He was a 3-time All-City selection in baseball, and as a high school senior was named New York City Public School Player of the Year in 1991, after batting .650 with 14 home runs in 22 games. He was inducted into the New York City Public School Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

Minor leagues

The Cleveland Indians selected Ramirez with the 13th pick of the 1991 draft and assigned to the Rookie-level Burlington Indians for his professional debut. He was named the Appalachian League MVP and was selected by Baseball America as short-season Player of the Year while slugging 19 homers and driving in 63 runs in 59 games, while leading the league in slugging and total bases.

With the Single-A Kinston Indians in 1992, Ramirez battled injuries but still hit .278 with 13 homers and 63 RBI in 81 games and was named as the No.3 Prospect and the "Most Exciting Player in the Carolina League" by Baseball America.

In 1993, Ramirez was named "Minor League Player of the Year" by Baseball America while combining to hit .333 with 31 homers and 115 RBI in 129 games with the Double-A Canton-Akron Indians and Triple-A Charlotte Knights.

Cleveland Indians (1993–2000)

Ramirez made his major league debut on September 2, 1993 against the Minnesota Twins, going hitless in four at-bats as the designated hitter. The following day against the New York Yankees he went 3 for 4 with 2 home runs and a double. His first career homer was against Mélido Pérez.

In his first full season in the majors, Ramirez finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting after batting .269 with 17 homers and 60 RBI in 91 games. He was selected to his first All-Star Game in 1995 and won his first career Silver Slugger Award following the season. In December 1995, Ramirez agreed to a $10.15 million, four-year contract.

From 1993 to 2000, he had 236 home runs and 804 RBI in 967 games for the Cleveland Indians, including a career-high 45 home runs in 1998, and a career-high 165 RBI in 1999, when he hit .333 with 44 homers and scored a career-high 131 runs. On September 30, 1999 Ramirez set the Indians' single-season record for RBIs at 164, beating Hal Trosky's 1936 record of 162. He finished the season with 165 RBI in 1999 were the highest total by any player since Jimmie Foxx (1938). During his time in Cleveland, he played in two World Series: and .

Boston Red Sox (2001–2008)

2001–03

In December 2000, Ramirez signed an eight-year, $160 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, with $20 million options for 2009 and 2010, pushing the total value of the contract to $200 million for 10 years. Ramirez immediately delivered for the Red Sox, hitting .408 in April. His final season stats were a .306 batting average with 41 home runs and 125 RBI. On June 23, Ramirez hit two monstrous home runs against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park, with the second one hitting the very top of the light tower in left field. The length of the home run was officially listed at 501 feet, just short of Ted Williams' record of 502 feet.

Manny only played in 120 games in 2002, due to a hamstring injury that put him on the DL for more than a month from mid-May to the end of June. Despite this, Ramirez won the American League batting title, hitting .349, and his .647 slugging percentage was second in the league behind Jim Thome's .677. Ramirez hit his 300th career home run on August 26 against the Angels' Ramon Ortiz. It was the first of two home runs of the night for Ramirez, as he went 5-for-5 overall.

In the summer of 2003, Ramirez missed several games with pharyngitis. When it became public that he was spotted in a bar (in the same hotel where Ramirez lives) with a close friend, Yankees infielder Enrique Wilson when Ramirez was supposedly too ill to play in the Yankees series, Boston manager Grady Little benched him for one game. Despite his strong play in the 2003 postseason, the Red Sox lost to the Yankees in a seven game showdown in the ALCS. The new Red Sox ownership and management, trying to rid themselves of his massive contract, put Ramirez on irrevocable waivers, thus making him available to any team willing to assume the remainder of his contract. However, all 29 other teams passed on the opportunity to claim Ramirez.

According to the ''New York Times'', in 2003 Ramirez tested positive for performance enhancing drugs from the "survey" drug test, in which MLB players were tested to see if drugs were being used, but faced no penalties or sanction for testing positive.

2004

In 2004, Ramirez led the American League in home runs (43), slugging percentage (.613) and OPS (1.009); he finished second in errors committed as a left fielder (7), third in RBIs (130), fourth in doubles (44) and total bases (348), sixth in on base percentage (.397), eighth in walks (82), tenth in runs (108), and posted a .308 batting average. He also led the AL in salary, at $22.5 million. a

In addition, Ramirez and David Ortiz became the first pair of American League teammates to hit 40 home runs, have 100 RBI, and bat .300 since the Yankees' Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1931. Together they hit back-to-back home runs six times, tying the major league single-season mark set by the Detroit Tigers' Hank Greenberg and Rudy York and later matched by the Chicago White Sox's Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordóñez.

In the 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Ramirez hit a two-run home run off Roger Clemens in the top of the first inning, giving his teammates a 3–0 lead. Ramirez, Derek Jeter (with a single), Ichiro Suzuki (with a double) and Iván Rodríguez (with a triple) became the first All-Star quartet to hit for the cycle during the same inning. His season was capped off by being named the MVP of the World Series as the Red Sox won their first title since 1918.

2005–06

On May 15, Ramirez hit his 400th home run off Gil Meche of the Seattle Mariners. Ramirez is one of only 45 MLB players in the 400 home run club. On July 5, Ramirez hit his 20th career grand slam — and his third of the season — off Chris Young of the Texas Rangers. Off the field, this season was one of much conflict for Ramirez. Persistent trade rumors (generally involving the New York Mets) dogged him all season. After the Red Sox were eliminated in the first round of that year's playoffs by the eventual World Series champion Chicago White Sox, Ramirez once again expressed a wish to be traded. This included a threat to not show up for spring training if his latest demand was not met by Red Sox GM Theo Epstein. Toward this end, in December 2005, Ramirez put his Ritz-Carlton condominium up for sale.

Trade rumors circulated with Ramirez possibly going to the Baltimore Orioles or Mets, but no deal was reached. By January 5, 2006, Ramirez changed his mind, stating to ESPN Deportes he was dropping the demand. His agents, in turn, insisted their client was still open to a trade.

On June 10, Ramirez became the 31st player in history to hit 450 home runs, with a solo shot off Francisco Cordero of the Texas Rangers. Three weeks later, on July 1, he collected his 2000th hit. The remainder of the season was feast or famine for Ramirez: beginning in mid-July, he had a 28-game hitting streak, including 12 multi-hit games, 8 HR, and 28 RBI, but then missed 28 games from mid-August on with soreness in his right knee.

2007–08

On April 22, 2007, Ramirez was the first of four Red Sox batters to homer in consecutive at bats in a game against the New York Yankees, tying a league record. All of the home runs were against Chase Wright. On April 29, Ramirez became the fifth player to hit 50 career home runs against the Yankees.

Ramirez had a well-below-average year, finishing with a .296 batting average, 20 home runs, and 88 runs batted in. His season was cut short when he strained his left oblique in late August during a Yankees series, but he did return to the lineup for the final homestand of the season. In 2007, he had the highest fielding percentage (.990) among left fielders in the American League, tied for second in the Major Leagues; he was ranked 6th-highest in range factor of all AL left fielders, 1.72, 16th in both leagues, but had the lowest zone rating of Major League left fielders with 100+ games (.713). He made two errors during the 2007 season in left field, and tied for 5th overall in the Majors in assists from left field.

In the post-season, Ramirez hit a walk-off 3-run home run in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In the fourth inning of the series' final game, Ramirez combined with teammate David Ortiz to hit back-to-back home runs off pitcher Jered Weaver. The home run tied him with Bernie Williams for first place all-time in post-season home runs. On October 13, Ramirez hit his 23rd post-season home run, passing Bernie Williams for the most all-time.

He helped the Red Sox to reach and win the 2007 World Series, where they swept the Colorado Rockies. In the 2007 post-season, Ramirez batted .348 with 4 home runs and 16 RBIs.

On May 31, 2008, Ramirez hit his 500th home run, against Baltimore Orioles pitcher Chad Bradford at Camden Yards in the 7th inning on the first pitch, becoming the 24th player in MLB history to do so. He joined two other Red Sox players, Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams, in the exclusive home run club.

A heated altercation between Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis took place on June 5, during a game at Fenway against the Tampa Bay Rays. It was prompted either, as the ''Boston Globe'' speculated, by Youkilis complaining about Ramirez having been slow in joining his teammates in a bench-clearing brawl two innings earlier (lagging behind even the team's pitchers, who ran in from the bullpen), or by Ramirez objecting to what he believed was excessive complaining by Youkilis about the strike zone, as well as the first baseman's penchant for sometimes throwing his helmet in frustration after making an out. Before the fifth inning, Ramirez was caught on NESN cameras taking a swing at Youkilis. Ramirez and Youkilis yelled at each other, and had to be separated by teammates, coaches, and training staff. Youkilis headed out to the field still barking at Ramirez, while Ramirez was escorted into the tunnel leading to the clubhouse by bench coach Brad Mills and trainer Paul Lessard.

Later in the season, during a series with the Houston Astros, Ramirez had a physical altercation with elderly Red Sox traveling secretary Jack McCormick. The two were arguing over the traveling secretary' inability to fill Ramirez's large game-day request for 16 tickets to the game in Houston. Ramirez pushed the 64-year-old McCormick to the ground, after telling him "Just do your job." The two were quickly separated, and Ramirez later apologized. The matter was dealt with internally, and Ramirez was fined.

On July 25, after sitting out one game against the Seattle Mariners with a sore knee, Ramirez was slated to start against the Yankees. Several minutes before the game, however, he informed manager Terry Francona, through a bench coach, that he would not be playing. During the series Ramirez was directed to an area hospital for MRIs on both his knees; the results showed no damage. When back in action, Ramirez frequently failed to run out ground balls. Assuming that this was due to his displeasure about his contract situation, many Red Sox fans and reporters, including Dan Shaughnessy of the ''Boston Globe'', called for Ramirez to be traded.

Los Angeles Dodgers (2008–10)

On July 31, 2008, Manny was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-way deal. The Boston Red Sox acquired outfielder Jason Bay and minor league infielder Josh Wilson, and the Pittsburgh Pirates got infielder Andy LaRoche, and pitching prospect Bryan Morris from the Dodgers, and outfielder Brandon Moss and pitcher Craig Hansen from the Red Sox.

Ramirez had always worn uniform number 24, but the Dodgers retired that number in honor of Hall-of-Fame manager Walter Alston. Ramirez instead chose to wear number 99 with the Dodgers.

Ramirez was named the National League Player of the Month for August 2008. He hit .415 (44-for-106) with seven doubles, nine home runs, 25 RBI and 21 runs scored during the month. He finished the season with the Dodgers hitting a .396 batting average, 17 home runs, and 53 RBI.

Ramirez finished the season with 37 home runs and 121 runs batted in. Among all major leaguers, he finished 3rd in batting average, 2nd in slugging percentage, and 3rd in OPS. WIth Ramirez in the line-up, the Dodgers won the National League West, then swept the Chicago Cubs in a division series before losing the National League Championship Series to the eventual World Series winner Philadelphia Phillies in five games. During the playoffs, Manny hit .520 with 4 home runs, 2 doubles, 11 walks and 10 RBI.

Ramirez was fourth in the voting for the 2008 NL MVP award, with 138 points, behind Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, and Ryan Braun.

After the Dodgers lost in the playoffs, Manny was asked about his future. "Gas is up, and so am I", was his reply, indicating that he expected to be valued highly in the free agent market. After long and contentious negotiations that dragged into the start of spring training, Ramirez signed a two-year $45 million contract with Los Angeles on March 4.

2009

On May 7, 2009, Ramirez was suspended 50 games for violating the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program established by MLB and the MLB Players Association in 2004. In the announcement by Major League Baseball, Ramirez was suspended for unspecified violation of the agreement section 8.G.2. Shortly afterward, Ramirez stated that a physician had unknowingly prescribed a banned medication. After consulting with the players association, Ramirez waived his right to challenge the suspension. According to an ESPN report, the drug used by Ramirez was human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a women's fertility drug typically used by steroid users to restart their body's natural testosterone production as they come off a steroid cycle. It is similar to Clomid, the drug Jason Giambi and others used as clients of BALCO. Testing revealed artificial testosterone, too. As a condition for returning from the suspension, Ramirez was subject to three additional drug tests per year in addition to the minimum of two per player. To get back into shape he was allowed a short rehab stint in the minor leagues. Ramirez played two games with the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes, where his appearance led to record crowds for the Isotopes. He played several games with the Single-A Inland Empire 66ers, homering in his first at-bat with the 66ers. Ramirez returned from his suspension and reclaimed his starting role with the Dodgers on July 3 against the San Diego Padres.

On July 21, Ramirez hit his 537th career home run, passing Mickey Mantle for 15th place on the all-time home run list.

On July 30, ''The New York Times'' reported that Ramirez tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during Major League Baseball's 2003 survey testing. Ramirez, a member of the Boston Red Sox at the time, was among 104 major league players to test positive. On April 18 against the San Francisco Giants, Ramirez hit his 548th career home run to tie Mike Schmidt for the 14th place on the all-time home run list. He hit his 549th to pass Schmidt on May 28 against the Colorado Rockies. On June 19, he hit a home run in his second game back at Fenway Park.

In 2010, Ramirez had three separate stints on the disabled list. When he returned from the third trip on August 21, he apparently had lost his starting job to Scott Podsednik. As a pinch hitter, he was ejected on August 29 by home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom one pitch into his at-bat for arguing a strike call. That appearance was his final one in a Dodger uniform.

Chicago White Sox (2010)

Ramirez was claimed on waivers by the Chicago White Sox. The Dodgers awarded Ramirez to the White Sox on August 30, receiving no prospects, but with the White Sox assuming the $3.8 million remaining on Ramirez's salary. He hit .261 with only one home run in his 24 games with the White Sox and then became a free agent at the conclusion of the season.

Tampa Bay Rays (2011)

On January 21, 2011, Ramirez agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, while the Rays also signed his former Boston Red Sox teammate Johnny Damon in a package deal suggested by agent Scott Boras.

The 38-year-old Ramirez cut short his tenure with Tampa Bay and in major league baseball on April 8, 2011, after just five games during which he batted .059 (1-for-17), when he abruptly retired. Ramirez reportedly tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug in his spring training drug test. His first sample, or A sample, was retested and again returned a positive result. Ramirez filed a notice to appeal, and a second sample, or B sample, was tested under observation by Ramirez' representatives. When the B sample also tested positive, he dropped the appeal and told the MLB that he would immediately retire. Neither Ramirez nor the player's association issued a statement about the sudden retirement. Ramirez apparently did not personally inform the Rays about his decision. The team announced that they had been informed of his retirement by the MLB commissioner's office.

In 2004, Ramirez missed a Red Sox game to become an American citizen. He entered the next game running onto the field to a standing ovation while carrying a small American flag held in his hand. He planted the flag in the left outfield corner of the field, in the shadow of the Green Monster, where it remained for the entire game.

Ramirez has three sons: Manuelito "Manny" Ramirez (b. 1995) from a previous relationship; Manny Ramirez, Jr. (b. 2003), and Lucas Ramirez (b. February 2006) with his wife Juliana. The family lives in Weston, Florida.

Personality

Many stories depicted Ramirez as a carefree individual, whose concentration was dedicated solely to playing baseball. One story took place in his early years with the Cleveland Indians in June 1994. As teammates were gathered in the Indians clubhouse watching news of the O.J. Simpson Bronco chase, Ramirez asked what was going on. A player responded, "they are chasing O.J.", to which Ramirez responded in disbelief, "What did Chad do?" (in reference to then-current teammate Chad Ogea).

Ramirez was also described as a ''prima donna'' and periodically displayed a lack of enthusiasm and/or concentration, with mental lapses in both the outfield and running the bases. These incidents are typically described as "Manny Moments" or "Manny Being Manny." The first known documented usage of the phrase "Manny Being Manny" is attributed to then-Indians manager Mike Hargrove, quoted in a 1995 ''Newsday'' article.

Off the field

In 2007, Ramirez requested and received permission from the Red Sox to arrive late to spring training for family reasons. It was later revealed that during his absence Ramirez was scheduled to appear at the Atlantic City Classic car auction. It is unclear whether the appearance was scheduled before or after the family situation. Ramirez chose not to attend the auction. A remodeled car that Ramirez had put up for bidding at the auction did not generate a high enough bid to be sold. Ramirez missed the White House reception for the Red Sox 2007 World Series championship. President George W. Bush quipped: "I'm sorry [Ortiz'] running mate, Manny Ramirez, isn't here. I guess his grandmother died again. Just kidding. Tell Manny I didn't mean it."

Ramirez is mentioned in the song "Dump the Clip" by Army Of The Pharaohs, along with David Ortiz. He is also mentioned in the song "Battle Cry" by the same artist.

Career highlights

Honors

12x All-Star (1995, 1998–2008)

9x Silver Slugger Award (1995, 1999–2006)

2x Hank Aaron Award (1999, 2004)

World Series MVP Award (2004)

Member of Major League Baseball's Latino Legends Team

Led League

AL batting crown (2002, .349)

Led AL in home runs (2004, 43)

Led AL in RBIs (1999, 165)

3x led AL in slugging percentage (1999–2000, 2004)

3x led AL in OPS (1999–2000, 2004)

3x led AL in on base percentage (2002–03, 2006)

2x led AL in intentional walks (2001, 2003)

League Top-Ten

9x Top 10 AL in home runs (1998–2006)

8x Top 10 AL in total bases (1996–99, 2001, 2003–05)

8x Top 10 AL MVP (1998–2005)

8x Top 10 AL in RBIs (1995, 1998, 1999–2001, 2004–05)

6x Top 10 AL in times on base (1997, 1999, 2003–05)

*5x Top 10 AL hitters (1997, 1999–2000, 2003, 2006)

Career rankings on All-Time lists (as of April 8, 2011, when he retired)

*29 post-season home runs – 1st

*78 post-season RBIs – 1st

*21 grand slams – 3rd

*.5854 slugging average – 9th

*0.9960 OPS – 9th

*216 intentional walks – 11th

*1,122 extra base hits – 13th

*1,813 strikeouts – 13th

*14.9 at bats per home run – 13th

*555 home runs – 14th

*1,831 RBIs – 18th

*547 doubles – 24th

*4,826 total bases – 26th

*.4106 on base percentage – 32nd

* 243 double plays grounded into – 32nd

*.3122 batting average – 87th

Post-season

*2x World Series Champion (Boston, 2004, 2007)

Tied with Pete Rose for longest LCS hitting streak (15)

Other

*9 straight seasons of at least 30 HRs and 100 RBIs (1998–2006, tied for 3rd-longest in history)

27-game hitting streak in 2006

Hit 500th home run on May 31, 2008, vs. Baltimore Orioles off of Chad Bradford.

Sponsorship and endorsement deals

He was featured on the cover of the Sega Genesis video game ''World Series Baseball '96''

He was featured on the cover of the EA Sports video game ''MVP Baseball 2005''.

See also

List of Boston Red Sox awards

List of highest paid baseball players

List of AL Silver Slugger Winners at Designated Hitter

List of AL Silver Slugger Winners at Outfield

Major League Baseball Showdown

List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters

List of major league players with 2,000 hits

List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles

List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs

List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI

List of Major League Baseball Home Run Records

List of Major League Baseball RBI Records

List of Major League Baseball RBI champions

List of Major League Baseball batting champions

List of Major League Baseball home run champions

500 home run club

References

External links

Yahoo! Sports Profile Page

Manny Ramirez Profile Page on FoxSports.com

New Yorker profile">Waiting for Manny, a New Yorker profile

SoSH Wiki – Manny Ramirez

Baseball Library

Manny Ramirez: Red Sox Times

Manny Ramirez Video on FoxSports Video Archive

Manny Ramirez Video on ESPN.com

}}

Category:1972 births Category:500 home run club Category:Akron Aeros players Category:Albuquerque Isotopes players Category:American League All-Stars Category:American League batting champions Category:American League home run champions Category:American League RBI champions Category:Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Category:Burlington Indians players Category:Canton/Akron Indians players Category:Charlotte Knights players Category:Chicago White Sox players Category:Cleveland Indians players Category:Dominican Republic emigrants to the United States Category:Doping cases in baseball Category:Drugs in sport in the United States Category:Hispanic and Latino American sportspeople Category:Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino players Category:Kinston Indians players Category:Living people Category:Los Angeles Dodgers players Category:Major League Baseball left fielders Category:Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Category:Major League Baseball right fielders Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:Pawtucket Red Sox players Category:People from Santo Domingo Category:People from Washington Heights, Manhattan Category:Tampa Bay Rays players

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{{infobox mlb player| name

Ángel Berroa| image001B4430 Ángel Berroa (cropped).jpg| positionShortstop / Third baseman| teamArizona Diamondbacks| number| batsRight| throwsRight| birth_dateJanuary 27, 1978| birthplaceSantiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic| debutdateSeptember 18| debutyear2001| debutteamKansas City Royals| statyear2009 season| stat1labelBatting average| stat1value.258| stat2labelHome runs| stat2value46| stat3labelRuns batted in| stat3value254| stat4labelStolen bases| stat4value50| stat5labelOn-base plus slugging| stat5value.677| teams Kansas City Royals (-) Los Angeles Dodgers () New York Yankees () New York Mets ()

awards

AL Rookie of the Year Award winner () }}

Ángel Maria Berroa Selmo (born January 27, 1978 in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic) is a Dominican professional baseball infielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. Berroa was selected as the 2003 American League Rookie of the Year.

Playing career

Early career

Berroa was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Oakland Athletics in 1997. He made his professional debut in the Arizona Fall League in 1999 and then played briefly with the A's Double-A team, the Midland Rockhounds. In 2000, with the Visalia Oaks in the Single-A California League he received an honorable mention on the California League All-Star team when he recorded 11 doubles and stole 11 bases in 129 games.

Kansas City Royals

Berroa was acquired in 2001 by the Kansas City Royals from the Oakland Athletics in a three-way trade also involving the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Kansas City acquired Berroa, relief pitcher Roberto Hernández, and backup catcher A.J. Hinch in exchange for Johnny Damon and infielder Mark Ellis. He spent the 2001 season with the Single-A Wilmington Blue Rocks and the Double-A Wichita Wranglers.

He made his major league debut on September 18, 2001 for the Royals against the Cleveland Indians as a defensive replacement and went 0-1 in his debut. He recorded his first career Major League hit in his first career start, at shortstop on September 25 off of Detroit Tigers pitcher José Lima. He played in a total of 15 games that season and hit .302 in 53 at bats.

In 2002 he spent most of the season with the Triple-A Omaha Royals. He was selected to play for the World Team in the All-Star Futures Game and also played in the Pacific Coast League All-Star Game. He appeared in twenty games for the Royals after a September call-up.

Berroa was handed the starting shortstop job at the start of the 2003 season after the departure of Neifi Pérez (despite hitting a disappointing .194 in the previous season's Dominican Winter League). Berroa started the season hitting ninth in the batting order and committing 19 errors in his first 63 games. However, he finished the season with a .287 batting average with 17 home runs, 73 RBI, and 21 stolen bases, and committed only five more errors the rest of the season. Late in the season, manager Tony Peña moved Berroa to the top of the batting order, and Berroa's performance sparked a media debate over who should be the American League Rookie of the Year: Berroa, Devil Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli, Cleveland Indians outfielder Jody Gerut, or New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui, a former star in the Japanese Baseball Central League.

Rookie of the Year

Berroa became the fourth member of the Royals to win the Rookie of the Year award, following Lou Piniella (1969), Bob Hamelin (1994), and Carlos Beltrán (1999). The decision was controversial as Berroa beat out both Baldelli and Matsui in the closest vote since 1980, prompting criticism from Yankee owner George Steinbrenner. While some players and sports writers believe veteran Japanese players who come to play baseball in the United States should not be considered rookies, Major League Baseball rules allow them to win the award. Debate over the definition of a rookie aside, Berroa's backers pointed to their identical batting averages and Berroa's greater home run total while hitting in a weaker Kansas City lineup and playing a more demanding position. Matsui's backers pointed to his higher RBI total and on-base percentage while playing in the media spotlight of New York City, and previous Rookie of the Year Awards having been given to countrymen Hideo Nomo and Ichiro Suzuki.

Subsequent seasons

Following his rookie year, Berroa's performance went down annually in on-base percentage, runs, slugging percentage, and stolen bases. His fielding statistics included 77 errors from 2003–2005 (24, 28 —leading all Major League shortstops while he had the lowest fielding percentage among shortstops — .955, 25) that were the most among starting American League shortstops in that time span. Berroa has also produced declining walk totals in the years after his Rookie of the Year award. Berroa walked once every 21 plate appearances in 2003, but had fallen to a 36-to-1 PA/BB ratio in 2005. In both 2005 and 2006, he walked only 2.9% of the time, the second-worst and then the worst percentage in Major League Baseball. In 2006 he was last among AL qualifiers in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.

The disappointment in Berroa's development may be related to being caught up in the "Age-gate" fiasco in early 2002 when many Latin American players, subjected to greater scrutiny by the United States government, turned out to be older than they claimed. Berroa was two years older than thought when he was drafted by Oakland and traded to Kansas City.

After a disappointing 2007 spring training, the Royals traded for another shortstop, Tony Peña, Jr. Berroa, having lost his starting shortstop role, spent most of the 2007 season in Triple-A Omaha, appearing in only nine games for the Major League club. He again failed to make the 2008 club and spent the first two months in Omaha.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On June 6, 2008, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers (who were looking for a temporary replacement for injured starter Rafael Furcal). Berroa received a surprisingly large amount of playing time, hitting .230 over 226 at bats and starting 64 games at shortstop (appeared in 84 games overall). Notably, he showed increased patience at the plate, drawing more walks than in any season since 2004 despite not playing a full season. Additionally, he had one hit in two at bats while appearing in five games in the postseason.

New York Yankees and New York Mets

On January 6, 2009, Berroa agreed to a minor league deal worth $600,000 with the New York Yankees. Despite a strong performance in spring training, he did not make the Opening Day roster. He was added to the major league roster on April 25 following the injury to INF Cody Ransom. He got his first hit with the Yankees that same day. He was designated for assignment on June 24 upon Ransom's return from the 60-day DL, and was granted his release on July 7.

On July 11, 2009 the New York Mets signed Berroa to a minor league contract assigned him to Triple-A Buffalo. On July 16, 2009, his contract was purchased by the major league club. He was designated for assignment on August 7, 2009. He finished the season having played a combined 35 games with 49 at bats and a .391 OPS for the Yankees and the Mets.

Second stint with Dodgers

On December 17, 2009, Berroa was signed to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training by the Dodgers. However, he failed to make the team and was released by the Dodgers on March 22, 2010.

San Francisco Giants

On April 28, 2010, Berroa signed a minor league contract with the Giants. After a disappointing performance filling in while the AAA Fresno Grizzlies had a lack of depth at shortstop, Berroa was placed on the 7-day disabled list. On June 26, he was activated from the disabled list and released.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Berroa signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 24, 2011. He was assigned to the Triple-A Reno Aces.

Personal

Berroa is the son-in-law of former Royals coach and former Major League player Luis Silverio. He and his wife Jennifer were married on January 15, 2005 and have two children.

References

External links

The 100 Greatest Royals of All-Time- #64 Angel Berroa

Category:Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners Category:Kansas City Royals players Category:Los Angeles Dodgers players Category:New York Yankees players Category:New York Mets players Category:Major League Baseball shortstops Category:Major League Baseball third basemen Category:All-Star Futures Game players Category:Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Category:Dominican Republic people of African descent Category:Arizona League Athletics players Category:Midland RockHounds players Category:Visalia Oaks players Category:Wilmington Blue Rocks players Category:Wichita Wranglers players Category:Omaha Royals players Category:Brooklyn Cyclones players Category:Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players Category:Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Category:Fresno Grizzlies players Category:Bridgeport Bluefish players Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:People from Santiago de los Caballeros

es:Ángel Berroa fr:Ángel Berroa ja:アンヘル・ベローア

name	Alex Meraz
birthname	Alejandro Meraz
birth date	January 10, 1985
birth place	Mesa, Arizona, U.S.
yearsactive	2005 — present
occupation	dancer, actor
url	}}

Alejandro "Alex" Meraz (born January 10, 1985) is an American dancer, actor and martial artist. Meraz played the werewolf named Paul in the film ''New Moon'', the sequel to 2008's ''Twilight''.

Life and career

Meraz claims indigenous Mexican heritage from the P'urhépecha people. He attended the New School for the Arts, and is an avid painter and illustrator. Besides break-dancing Alex excels in indigenous and contemporary dancing. He has studied mixed martial arts, winning numerous tournaments in karate and the martial art of Capoeira. Alex's first big film was The New World as one of the Powhatan core warriors and that was when he got the acting bug. Thereafter he was in the running for the film Apocalypto but in the end was turned down. His big break came when he was cast as werewolf Paul in the film ''New Moon.

He is married to his Vietnamese-American wife, Kim. His wife was the true Twilight fan, it was she who told him he should audition for ''New Moon'', she believed he was perfect for the part. They have a son named Somak, for whom his mentor, actor Raoul Trujillo, is the godfather. ''Somak'' means "beautiful one" in Quechua, an indigenous language from Peru.

He also starred in the latest season of CSI: New York.

Filmography

''Two Spirits, One Journey'' ''The Twilight Saga: Eclipse'' ''CSI: NY''

Year
rowspan="1"	2005	The New World (film)>The New World''	Core Warrior
rowspan="2"	2007	|	Luke	Short film
''"Dancing with Spirit"-Here on Earth''	Dancer
rowspan="3"	2009
''American Experience''	Warrior
''The Twilight Saga: New Moon''	List of Twilight characters#Paul>Paul
rowspan="2">2010	|	List of Twilight characters#Paul>Paul	''Movie''
The City of Gardens	Nicaragua
rowspan="3"	2011	|	Odelin Gonzales Jr.	''TV''
''The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part I''	List of Twilight characters#Paul>Paul
Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown	Zack

References

External links

Alex Meraz's official Twitter account

Category:1985 births Category:American dancers Category:American film actors Category:American karateka Category:American martial artists Category:Living people Category:American people of Mexican descent Category:American people of P'urhépecha descent Category:Native American artists Category:People from Mesa, Arizona Category:Actors from Arizona

de:Alex Meraz es:Alex Meraz fr:Alex Meraz it:Alex Meraz no:Alex Meraz pl:Alex Meraz pt:Alex Meraz sl:Alex Meraz fi:Alex Meraz th:อเลกซ์ เมอราซ