8am EST, November 2, 2022
Matthew Tallarini, Chief Correspondent, WORLD BASEBALL NETWORK
Center Fielder and Middle Infielder Mauricio Dubon, born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, is the first Honduran baseball player to play in the World Series. Dubon attended a bilingual charter school in his home country at 15. A Christian mission group from the United States visited him and closely watched his mechanics and skillset on the ballfield. The Christian mission group was satisfied with how Dubon played and would eventually invite him to the United States to attend high school in Sacramento, California, at Capital Christian HS. Dubon would post incredible stats during his junior and senior years. Having a combined .509 batting average, with 23 doubles, 14 triples, eight home runs, and 81 runs batted in before being drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2013 in the 26th round and later signed right out of high school.
Dubon would play at the Gulf Coast Rookie Level league with the Red Sox shortly after signing with the organization. He played in 20 games with a .245 batting average. Coming out of the 2014 Spring Training season for Dubon, he would be promoted to Single-A for the Lowell Spinners. He hit .320, with three home runs and 34 runs batted in during the regular season. Dubon played in a combined 120 games in Single-A during the 2015 season, with Salem and Greenville hitting .288, putting out five home runs, and driving in 47 runs.
Dubon began to hit his stride during his professional career as he was assigned out of 2016 Spring Training to Salem High Single-A. Everything would fall into place for Dubon, as he was sent to AA Portland for the second half of the 2016 season. In Portland, he played in 71 games with 300 plus plate appearances, capping off six home runs and 40 runs batted in for the year. After playing Single-A during the 2016 season, Dubon played in the Arizona Fall League and got more at-bats before Spring Training in 2017. On December 6, 2016, shortly after the Arizona Fall League season, Dubon was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in a packaged deal that included Travis Shaw and Josh Pennington in exchange for Tyler Thornburg going to the Boston Red Sox. Dubon would have an excellent Spring Training with the Brewers in 2017. He would be assigned to play in Double-A out of Minor League Spring Training with Biloxi in 71 games, hitting two home runs and driving in 24 runs before being called up to Triple-A with Colorado Springs during the middle of the season. Dubon would have a chance to interest more major league scouts when the 2018 season began. He was assigned back to Triple-A with Colorado Springs batting .343, with four home runs, 18 runs batted in, and six stolen bases before landing on the injured list, ending his 2018 season.
At the start of the 2019 season, Milwaukee would relocate their Triple-A franchise with the San Antonio Missions. Dubon would earn the starting job with San Antonio playing in 98 games under the Milwaukee Brewers organization before being traded to the San Francisco Giants later in the season. He would make his Major League debut on July 7 for Milwaukee entering the game as a pinch hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates and becoming the second Honduran baseball player to play in the majors after outfielder Gerald Young during the 1987 season with the Houston Astros. During the 2019 season, Dubon would play middle infield for 31 games with the Giants batting .279, with four home runs and nine runs batted in. Dubon would get his shine for the Giants during the 2020 shortened season, playing 54 games with four home runs and nine runs batted in. A lot would be at stake for Dubon entering the 2021 season attempting to win a roster spot on the Giants out of Spring Training. He would eventually split his time between Triple-A Sacramento and the main ball club during the 2021 season. Entering the 2022 season with the Giants, Dubon would play in25 games during Spring Training, batting .280 in 25 at-bats with two home runs and six runs batted in. That opened the managerial discussion of allowing Dubon to start with the Giants on Opening Day before being traded to the Houston Astros in May. On June 19, Dubon would hit his first home run with the Houston Astros going deep against starting pitcher Michael Kopech of the Chicago White Sox. Dubon would play 83 games this year with the Astros hitting .208, with three home runs and 16 runs batted in during the regular season. Mauricio Dubon would appear in four postseason games for defensive alignment purposes with the Astros. He would make his World Series Debut in Game 2 against the Phillies, becoming the first Honduran player to appear in the Fall Classic.
