The Boston Red Sox today signed shortstop Marco Scutaro to a two-year contract through the 2011 season with dual club and player options for 2012. No further terms were disclosed.
The Red Sox 40-man roster is now at 34.
The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein.
Scutaro, 34, set career highs with a .282 average, .379 on-base percentage, .409 slugging, 162 hits, 574 at-bats, 35 doubles, 12 home runs, 100 runs scored, 90 walks and 14 stolen bases in 144 games with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009. The right-handed hitter also matched his career mark with 60 RBI, set in 2008. He ranked seventh in the American League in walks and tied for 11th in runs. Scutaro’s 90 walks were also second among Major League leadoff hitters while his 38 walks leading off an inning topped the Majors. He led the Blue Jays with a .322 average (93-for-289) and .405 on-base percentage on the road, finishing eighth and fourth respectively among AL leaders.
In 143 starts at shortstop in 2009, Scutaro posted a .984 fielding percentage (10 errors/621 total chances), the third-best mark among American League shortstops. He placed second among AL shortstops with 421 assists and 99 double plays. Scutaro also made two appearances at second base last season, playing 4.0 errorless innings.
Originally signed by the Cleveland Indians as an international free agent on July 26, 1994, Scutaro has hit .265 (727-for-2,741) with 150 doubles, 13 triples, 50 home runs, 294 RBI, 387 runs and 297 walks in 840 Major League games over parts of eight seasons with the New York Mets (2002-03), Oakland Athletics (2004-07) and Blue Jays (2008-09). He started at shortstop in all seven of the A’s postseason games in 2006, leading all Division Series hitters with six RBI in three ALDS contests.
A native of San Felipe, Venezuela, Scutaro has Major League appearances at first base (3 games, 2 starts), second base (306 games, 238 starts), third base (98 games, 79 starts), left field (14 games, 5 starts) and right field (4 games, 2 starts) in addition to 415 games at shortstop (383 starts). Among AL shortstops with at least 1,000 total chances since the start of the 2007 campaign, he ranks first with a .981 fielding percentage (20 errors/1,030 total chances).
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