Tag: Mauricio Dubon

Former Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon looking for opening day spot with Giants

Former San Antonio Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon playing second base for the San Francisco Giants in a spring training game in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. - photo by Joe Alexander
Former San Antonio Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon playing second base for the San Francisco Giants in a 2022 spring training game on March 29 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The San Francisco Giants like former San Antonio Missions star Mauricio Dubon for his athleticism and versatility.

In Saturday’s spring training game, the Giants’ TV commentators talked about how valuable he is because of his ability to play second base, shortstop and center field. They also mentioned how much stress it can be to prepare for that many positions. The irony was on that particular afternoon he started at yet another position – third base. On the day he had a double, two walks and scored twice in four plate appearances.

Dubon played in 74 games for the Giants last season, batting .240 with five home runs. He also spent time in Triple-A.

The 6-footer, who will turn 28 years old in July, is a trailblazer as a Major League Baseball player from Honduras.

Dubon spent most of the 2019 season in San Antonio. He was the starting shortstop for the Missions the one season when they were the Triple-A farm club of the Milwaukee Brewers.

His playing career with the Missions ended at the trade deadline. In a quirk of timing and scheduling, he was traded from the Brewers organization to the Giants organization on a day the Giants’ Triple-A team was visiting Wolff Stadium – so Dubon played for the Missions one day and against the Missions the next.

San Antonio Missions history: welcome to Triple-A

Mauricio Dubon drives in the Missions' winning run in a 6-5 victory over the Memphis Redbirds on April 9, 2019 in the first Triple-A game in San Antonio history. - photo by Joe Alexander
Mauricio Dubon drives in the Missions’ winning run in a 6-5 victory over the Memphis Redbirds on April 9, 2019 in the first Triple-A game in San Antonio history.
One year ago today, Triple-A baseball was played in San Antonio for the first time.

Mauricio Dubon’s two-run, walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth drove in Lucas Erceg and Jake Hager with the tying and winning runs as the Missions beat the Memphis Redbirds 6-5.

Of the Missions who played in last year’s home opener at Wolff Stadium, these players also spent time with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019:

Keston Hiura, Tyler Saladino, Jacob Nottingham, Cory Spangenberg, Tyrone Taylor, Mauricio Dubon, Adrian Houser, Jeremy Jeffress, Deolis Guerra.

Missions watch: Mauricio Dubon

Former Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon playing center field for the San Francisco Giants during a spring training game Feb. 26 at Scottsdale Stadium in Arizona. - photo by Joe Alexander
Former Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon playing center field for the San Francisco Giants during a spring training game Feb. 26.
One in a series of brief looks at players with ties to the San Antonio Missions as we get ready for the 2020 baseball season.

Mauricio Dubon was a fan favorite last season at Wolff Stadium.

The flashy shortstop looked like he had a future with the Milwaukee Brewers as he teamed with Keston Hiura in the San Antonio Missions’ middle infield.

But things changed over the summer.

Hiura was called up twice by the Brewers. The second time he was a hit and stayed in the big leagues.

Then, after batting .297 with 16 home runs in 98 games for the Missions, Dubon suddenly changed organizations. The Brewers traded him for pitching acquired from the San Francisco Giants at the 2019 trade deadline.

The Giants slid Dubon over to second base on their Triple-A Sacramento team after the trade.

The 25-year-old from Honduras is with San Francisco’s major league camp for 2020 spring training. The Giants have put his speed to work playing not only middle infield, but also in center field. Maria Guardado on MLB.com lists Dubon as potentially being on the Giants’ opening day roster as a second baseman, shortstop and outfielder.

Dubon is listed as a shortstop on the Giants spring training roster. After his first seven Cactus League games, he is hitting .412 with two home runs in 17 at-bats.

By Lamarr Fields for SportsDGI.com
Mauricio Dubon brings versatility to Giants

By Mark W. Sanchez on KNBR.com:
Mauricio Dubon is winning whatever camp competition he’s in

Closeups of the 2019 San Antonio Missions

San Antonio Missions catcher/first baseman David Freitas won the Pacific Coast League batting title. - photo by Joe Alexander
San Antonio Missions catcher/first baseman David Freitas won the Pacific Coast League batting title. – photo by Joe Alexander
Even front row seats are a long way from some positions on a baseball field.

During the course of the 2019 San Antonio Missions season, I occasionally got closer a look at some of the players.

That seemed like a good way to wrap up my summer from Wolff Stadium.

Mauricio Dubon leaves Missions, but doesn’t go far

Former San Antonio Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon playing for the Sacramento River Cats on Wednesday at Wolff Stadium in his first game after being traded. - photo by Joe Alexander
Former San Antonio Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon playing for the Sacramento River Cats on Wednesday at Wolff Stadium in his first game after being traded. – photo by Joe Alexander
As the San Antonio Missions took batting practice at Wolff Stadium, Mauricio Dubon walked out on the field and joined his friends and teammates.

Except they weren’t teammates anymore.

Dubon, the Missions’ regular shortstop, was part of a trade-deadline deal between the Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants.

As a coincidence of scheduling, the trade only sent Dubon from one side of Wolff Stadium to the other. The Missions, the Triple-A farm club of the Brewers, are in the middle of a series against the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A farm club of the Giants.

Dubon batted second and played shortstop for the Missions on Tuesday against the River Cats. He batted second and played shortstop for the River Cats on Wednesday against the Missions.

Dubon didn’t have a notable night at the plate in his Sacramento debut. He was hit by a pitch in his first at-bat and went 0-for-3. But he had a slick defensive play catching a looping line drive late and the River Cats beat the Missions 5-2.

In the trade that sent Dubon to the Giants organization, the Brewers acquired veteran left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz and right-handed pitcher Ray Black.

  • Photo gallery: Mauricio Dubon with the Missions

    • Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon traded to Giants

    Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon playing at Wolff Stadium this season. - photo by Joe Alexander
    Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon playing at Wolff Stadium this season. – photo by Joe Alexander
    The Major League Baseball trade deadline hit the San Antonio Missions on Wednesday afternoon.

    With less than an hour remaining before the 3 p.m. (Central) deadline, it was reported that Missions shortstop and Milwaukee Brewers prospect Mauricio Dubon was part of a deal between the Brewers and San Francisco Giants.

    Dubon played 98 games for the Missions this season, batting .297 and hitting 16 home runs.

    The 25-year-old from Honduras made a brief appearance with the Brewers this season, becoming the first native of Honduras to play in the majors.

    Dubon was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2013.

    In Tuesday’s deadline trade, Dubon went to the Giants in exchange for pitchers Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black. The Brewers badly needed pitching for the stretch run. Dubon is likely to have more opportunity to play in the majors with the Giants as a middle infielder than he was with the Brewers.

    Jake Hager is slotted to start for the Missions tonight against the Sacramento River Cats at Wolff Stadium.

    Trent Grisham, Hernan Perez power Missions past River Cats in series opener

    Hernan Perez (left) and David Freitas celebrate after Perez's fifth-inning home run. The San Antonio Missions to beat the Sacramento River Cats 8-4 Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
    Hernan Perez (left) and David Freitas celebrate after Perez’s fifth-inning home run. The Missions beat the Sacramento River Cats 8-4 Tuesday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
    The San Antonio Missions had 12 hits including three home runs to beat the Sacramento River Cats 8-4 Tuesday at Wolff Stadium.

    Trent Grisham homered twice and hit for the cycle and Hernan Perez had two hits including a home run. Grisham has 13 home runs since moving up from Double-A on June 20. Perez had five home runs in the last eight games.

    David Freitas had two hits, walked once and scored twice.

    Corbin Burnes started on the mound for the Missions and went two innings. The plan is for him to get reliever type innings, so the short was expected.

    Thomas Jankins, usually a starter, had the longest stint on the mound. Jankins (10-3) went five innings and allowed three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks to earn the win.

    Alex Wilson and Angel Perdomo pitched one inning each to finish the game.

    Missions’ Mauricio Dubon homers in back-to-back games

    Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon playing against the Iowa Cubs on Thursday at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
    Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon playing against the Iowa Cubs on Thursday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
    Mauricio Dubon has hit 16 home runs this season.

    Two of those have come at Wolff Stadium in the San Antonio Missions’ last two games.

    Dubon had a 15-game hitting streak with the Missions from June 28 to July 20. During that stretch he was out of the San Antonio lineup from July 7 to July 13 while he was up with the Milwaukee Brewers.

    Back with San Antonio, he has 10 hits in the last 10 games. He is hitting .299 on the season.

    Brewers prospect and Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon

    Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon playing against the Iowa Cubs at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
    Missions shortstop Mauricio Dubon playing against the Iowa Cubs at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe Alexander
    Mauricio Dubon finds himself one of the top offensive weapons in the San Antonio Missions’ batting order.

    Since Keston Hiura and Tyler Saladino have been called up by the Milwaukee Brewers, Dubon is the team leader on the active roster in home runs with 12.

    The 6-foot, 24-year-old shortstop from Honduras is second on the current roster in batting average (.308) and RBIs (40) and third in runs scored (46).

    Erceg, Dubon, Spangenberg, Allemand homer to power Missions past Cubs

    The San Antonio Missions' Blake Allemand hit his second home run of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium, a solo shot in the seventh inning. - photo by Joe Alexander
    The San Antonio Missions’ Blake Allemand hit his second home run of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium, a solo shot in the seventh inning. – photo by Joe Alexander
    The San Antonio Missions hit four home runs including back-to-back shots by Mauricio Dubon and Cory Spangenberg to beat the Iowa Cubs 10-2 Sunday at Wolff Stadium.

    Iowa scored one run in the top of the first to lead briefly but only scored one run the rest of the way.

    Missions starting pitcher Thomas Jankins, who picked up the win, also drove in San Antonio’s first run with a line drive to left in the third inning. Jankins and Trent Grisham scored later in the inning and the Missions had all the runs it turned out they needed.

    Lucas Erceg hit his 11th home run of the season, a two-run blast in the fourth to make it 5-2.

    Dubon hit his 12th home run of the season and Spangenberg hit his seventh back-to-back in the fifth inning.

    Blake Allemand added his second home run of the season in the seventh inning.

    The Missions finished with 11 hits.

    Jankins (8-2) pitched six innings and gave up two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and one walk.

    Jon Olczak, who was activated off the injured list earlier in the day, pitched two innings and Donnie Hart pitched the ninth to finish the game for the Missions.

    The San Antonio Missions' Lucas Erceg hit his 11th home run of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium, a two-run shot in the fourth inning. - photo by Joe Alexander
    The San Antonio Missions’ Lucas Erceg hit his 11th home run of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium, a two-run shot in the fourth inning. – photo by Joe Alexander
    The San Antonio Missions' Mauricio Dubon hit his 12th home run of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium, a solo shot in the fifth inning. - photo by Joe Alexander
    The San Antonio Missions’ Mauricio Dubon hit his 12th home run of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium, a solo shot in the fifth inning. – photo by Joe Alexander
    The San Antonio Missions' Cory Spangenberg hit his seventh home run of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium, a solo shot in the fifth inning. - photo by Joe Alexander
    The San Antonio Missions’ Cory Spangenberg hit his seventh home run of the season Sunday at Wolff Stadium, a solo shot in the fifth inning. – photo by Joe Alexander