Christian Bethancourt

Christian Gabriel Bethancourt Ruiz (born September 2, 1991) is a Panamanian professional baseball catcher and first baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and Oakland Athletics, and in the KBO League for the NC Dinos. Early life Bethancourt was born and raised in Panama City, Panama where he began playing baseball at the age of five. As a third baseman, Bethancourt had a tendency to abandon his position in favor of wherever the ball was hit. His parents convinced him to move behind the plate, saying that if Bethancourt left his position as a catcher during a game, his team would lose, as the other team would find it easy to score. Career Minor leagues Bethancourt was signed as a non-drafted international free agent and began his minor league career at the age of 16 in 2008. He was named the seventh-most-promising catching prospect in baseball by MLB.com prior to the 2012 season.