Rafael Furcal

Rafael Antonio Furcal is a professional baseball player from the Dominican Republic and plays as a shortstop. A student at the Jose Cabrera High School, Furcal was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Braves in 1996. He started playing with the Gulf Coast Braves in the Rookie League, batting at .258 while playing at second base. The following season, still a part of the Rookie League, Furcal was part of the Danville Braves and batted at .328 for the season. He won the Danville Player of the Year title as well as the Appalachian League All-Star Second Baseman title.

He went up to the A-division in 1999, signing up with the Macon Braves. Playing 83 times, Furcal showed incredible potential as he stole 73 bases and hit at .337 before being promoted to the Advanced A-Division to play at a .293 batting average. With the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Furcal had a minor league steals total of 96, the highest for the season. He was named to the Baseball American All-Star First Team as well as the South Atlantic League All-Star First Team. Furcal was also named as the Braves’ Minor league Player of the Year as well as the South Atlantic League Most Outstanding Prospect as well as a Class-A All Star.

Just 3 games into the 2000 season, Furcal got his chance to play in the MLB and was named as a part of the roster directly from the A-League. His debut came in April, 2000, the beginning of a season when he hit at .295 with 40 stolen bases to win the National League Rookie of the Year award. Furcal would dislocate his shoulder in 2001, missing a major part of the year.

Over the next 4 years, Furcal was a regular part of the Braves’ MLB roster, and his batting average steadily improved to hit .284 in 2005, his last season with the Braves. In 2003, Furcal was named as a reserve to the 2003 National League All-Star team.

In December, 2005, Furcal became a free agent and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a 3-year, $39 million deal. Furcal would win the first Roy Campanella award and ended the season with a .300 batting average over 159 appearances.

In 2007, Furcal continued his performances and although his batting average dropped to .270 but he was still considered a force to be reckoned with, becoming only one of the five MLB players to get 4 hits in 3 consecutive games. The following season, he hit at .381 during the month of April, ending an injury-shortened season with an average of .357.

In 2009, Furcal hit .269 through the season, coming back from injury and signing a new contract with the Dodgers.