Quick Facts
Biography
Manuel Margot [man-well'/mar-goe'] is a Dominican professional baseball center fielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Career
The Boston Red Sox signed Margot as an international free agent in July 2011, receiving a reported bonus of $800,000. According to scouting report, he has plus-plus speed that he uses well on the bases, above average range and solid outfield defense, as well as the ability to hit the ball hard to all fields. At age 17, he started his professional career with Rookie Level Dominican Summer League Red Sox in their 2012 season.
In his season debut, Margot earned Red Sox Minor League Latin Program Player of the Year honors, after batting a .285/.382/.423 slash line with 38 stolen bases in just 68 games, gaining a spot on the DSL All-Star team. Regarded as a patient hitter, he walked more than he struck out in the DSL (36-to-25 in 260 at-bats).
Margot jumped up two levels to the Lowell Spinners in 2013, and held his own as the youngest regular in the Short-Season A New York–Penn League. Following his successful debut, Margot did manage to get a hit in 12 out of his first 15 games with Lowell, collecting a .254/.343/.307 line through July 24, when a hamstring injury laid him up. After a disabled list stint, he returned on August 16 showing glimpses of his potential with a .447/.475/.658 line over his first eight games back. He finished the year with a .270 average and 18 stolen bases in only 49 games.
Margot had his first taste of full-season ball with the Low A Greenville Drive of the South Atlantic League in 2014. In his first 99 games at Greenville, he posted a .282/.362/.418 line with 10 home runs and 45 runs batted in, while leading the Drive with 105 hits and 61 runs scored, and the Red Sox organization with 39 stolen bases. As a result, he was promoted to High A Salem Red Sox on August 15.
Margot posted the best numbers in the entire system in 2014, showing no signs of an adjustment period after a mid-month promotion. He hit .340/.356/.560 in just 18 games for Salem, combining for a .293/.356/.462 line with 12 homers and 59 RBI in 115 contests in the two stints. Besides, he led the Sox minors system with 42 stolen bases. It was just the latest part in what was a very solid season in the organization despite his youth. As such, he climbed from No. 11 to No. 4 in the MLB.com Top 20 Boston Red Sox Prospects list.
Margot came back to the Salem Redsox in 2015. He pushed his slash line up to .282/.321/.420 through 46 games, and earned a promotion to the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs in the midseason. His five triples were tied for third-most in the Carolina League, while his 20 steals in 25 attempts ranked fourth in the circuit at the time of his promotion. Soon after, MLB.com announced that he would be member of the World Team in the Futures Game prior to the Major League All-Star Game.
Margot then posted a combined .271/.326/.419 batting line with 25 extra bases and 19 steals over 109 games played for the Sea Dogs. His season highlight came during the Sea Dogs annual Field of Dream Fan Appreciation Game at Hadlock Field, when he hit for the cycle and drove in a season-high five runs as the Sea Dogs topped the New Britain Rock Cats, 10–5, becoming the first ever Portland player to hit a cycle at Hadlock Field.
On November 13, 2015, the Red Sox traded Margot, Javier Guerra, Carlos Asuaje, and Logan Allen to the San Diego Padres for Craig Kimbrel. On November 19, 2015, the Padres added Margot to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The Padres promoted him to the major leagues on September 21, 2016.