Jesús Aguilar

[Michael Trzinski]

Jesús Alexander Aguilar was born in Venezuela in 1990. He was signed as an amateur free agent by Cleveland in November 2007 and spent six-plus years in the minor leagues before he got called up to the big leagues briefly in 2014. He languished three more years with the Indians organization, getting only 58 at-bats in three brief cups of coffee with Cleveland. Out of minor league options in 2017, Aguilar was selected off waivers in early February by the Brewers.

Aguilar platooned at first base with lefty Eric Thames and did well in his first year with Milwaukee, slashing .265/.331/.505 across 279 at-bats, with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs. The following season, Thames and Aguilar were once again scheduled to platoon at first, but when Thames had surgery in late April on an injured left thumb, Aguilar took over the position on a full-time basis. Taking advantage of the unfortunate situation, he became an NL All-Star and finished 16th in MVP voting, hitting .274/.352/.539 across 492 at-bats. He hit 35 HRs, tied for fifth best in the league, and his 108 RBIs were tied for fourth. 

In 2019, Aguilar didn't get his batting average above the Mendoza Line until mid-May. At the end of July, he was hitting .225/.320/.374 with eight homers. Frustrated with his lack of production--and also looking for pitching help--the Brewers traded the struggling slugger to the Tampa Bay Rays for pitcher Jake Faria. Neither player fared well for their new teams: Faria was released by Milwaukee after the 2020 season, while Aguilar last 37 games for the Rays and was waived after the 2019 season. Aguilar, also known as "Dino," was selected off waivers by the Miami Marlins in December.

The big man (6-foot-3, 277 pounds) played during the pandemic-abbreviated season of 2020, and then played most of the next two seasons with Miami before getting released in late August 2022. He was picked up by the Baltimore Orioles but played only 16 games before being granted his free agency. Aguilar was signed by the Oakland Athletics in early 2023 and played 36 games for the A's before getting released in June. He soon signed with the Atlanta Braves, but after hitting only five HRs in 214 ABs at a pair of minor league stops, was granted his free agency by the Braves. 

Aguilar signed with the Saitama Seibu Lions of the Japanese Pacific League in December 2023. He played just 30 games in 2024 before undergoing season-ending surgery on his right ankle. Just before Halloween, the Lions announced that they would not re-sign Aguilar, making him a free agent.

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