Rich Amaral

Infobox MLB retired
name=Rich Amaral
position=Utility Player
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1962|4|1
debutdate=May 27
debutyear=by|1991
debutteam=Seattle Mariners
finaldate=June 14
finalyear=by|2000
finalteam=Baltimore Orioles
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.276
stat2label=Hits
stat2value=493
stat3label=Stolen bases
stat3value=112
teams=
*Seattle Mariners (by|1991-by|1998)
*Baltimore Orioles (by|1999-by|2000)
highlights=
*Ranked 8th in the AL in stolen bases: 1996

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

Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in by|1983, Amaral was claimed by the Chicago White Sox in the by|1988 Rule 5 draft. After becoming a free agent after the by|1990 season, Amaral signed with the Seattle Mariners and made his major league debut on May 27, by|1991. Amaral played with the Mariners until 1998, signing as a free agent with the Orioles on December 21, 1998. Amaral was released by the Orioles on July 28, 2000, and signed with the Atlanta Braves on August 25, 2000. Amaral played 7 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 the minors and it appeared that he might be a career minor leaguer. After hitting .346 in the minors in by|1991, Amaral got his chance to become a Major League player. Amaral was a versatile player, and after making it to the Majors he played at least 40 games at every position except catcher and pitcher.

Amaral was a guest instructor for the Mariners in spring training in by|2008, teaching current Mariners like Ichiro Suzuki, Yuniesky Betancourt, and Adrián Beltré about stealing bases, after Mariners manager, John McLaren, made baserunning an offseason priority.

External links

* [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=amarari01 Baseball Almanac]
* [http://www.armchairgm.com/index.php?title=Rich_Amaral Player Profile at ArmchairGM]