Juan Graterol

[William Malone]

Juan Jose Graterol Montevideo was born on February 14, 1989 in Venezuela.

He was signed by the Kansas City Royals as an amateur free agent in 2005. Graterol spent over a decade in the minor leagues, before finally getting a big league call-up with the Los Angeles Angels in 2016. Playing sparingly as a third catcher, he saw action in 58 games for the Angels between 2016 and 2018. He was designated for assignment on June 18, 2018.

The Minnesota Twins signed Graterol to a minor league contract shortly after Los Angeles released him. He was called up in very late September, going 1-for-7 in limited action at the plate. Joe Mauer replaced Graterol at catcher in the final game of the regular season that year, allowing the Twins legend to get behind home plate one final time.

Graterol spent the next few years jumping around on minor league deals, playing in six big league games for the Cincinnati Reds in 2019. He retired after the 2023 season, and is currently the bullpen catcher for the Kansas City Royals.

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