Rafael Furcal

Lore & Background

Furcal grew up in Loma de Cabrera, a small village in the Dominican Republic near the Dajabón River and the border with Haiti. His father, Silvino Furcal, drove a taxi, and his mother, Aura, was a schoolteacher. Furcal had three older brothers, José, Manuel, and Lorenzo, and a sister. Silvino introduced his sons to baseball and Rafael credited his father with teaching him how to enjoy the game.

Until his death in 2010, Silvino would often call Rafael to give him advice after games. Manuel Furcal pitched in the Seattle Mariners organization and Lorenzo played in the Oakland Athletics system before suffering career-ending injuries. José Furcal committed suicide in 1999 and Manuel died in 2000 in a car accident. Furcal attended Liceo José Cabrera and was prepared to enroll in engineering school before being spotted by a scout at a tryout in Santo Domingo.

He was subsequently signed as an amateur free agent by the Atlanta Braves on November 9, 1996, for $5,000. Furcal began his professional career as a second baseman with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Braves in 1997. The following season, with the Danville Braves he hit .328 and stole a league record 60 bases in only 66 games. He was named Danville's Player of the Year and Appalachian League All-Star Second Baseman.

In 1999, Furcal switched to shortstop and joined the Macon Braves in Single-A and hit .337 with 73 stolen bases in 83 games. He was transferred to the High-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans and hit .293 for them with 23 steals in 43 games. Furcal led all of minor league baseball with 96 steals total. He was named to Baseball America's first team All-Star team and the South Atlantic League All-Star team.

In addition, Furcal was the Braves Minor League Player of the Year, the South Atlantic League Most Outstanding Prospect and a Single-A All-Star. An injury to Braves shortstop Walt Weiss prior to the 2000 season led to Furcal improbably making the jump from 'A' ball to the Major League roster. He made his Major League debut on April 4, 2000, against the Colorado Rockies, getting 2 hits in 4 at-bats. His first hit was against Rockies pitcher Rolando Arrojo.

Reader's Guide

Rafael Furcal is a former MLB shortstop known for his speed, arm, and unassisted triple play. He won the 2000 NL Rookie of the Year with the Braves and a World Series ring with the Cardinals in 2011.

Did You Know?

• Furcal completed an unassisted triple play on August 10, 2003, the 12th in MLB history.
• He stole 73 bases with Macon in 1999, not a minor-league-leading 96.