Adeiny Hechavarria
Adeiny Hechavarria Barrera (born April 15, 1989) is a Cuban professional baseball shortstop for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Early life and defection
Hechavarria was born in Santiago de Cuba to Diosmede and Mirta Hechavarria. He has an older brother, Alien.
He participated in a Pan Am tournament in Mexico in 2006, and played shortstop for the Cuban Junior National team in 2008. In 2009 he defected to Mexico on a boat with 11 others. Agents and other representatives of the Toronto Blue Jays watched him play in workouts in the Dominican Republic, and signed him after his visa paperwork went through in 2010.
Minor League career
On April 13, 2010, Hechavarria signed a 4-year, $10 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was assigned to extended spring training and first appeared in a game with the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League. On June 30, 2010, Hechevarria was promoted to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the Eastern League, where he recorded a .273 batting average and .303 on-base percentage.