Tucupita Marcano

Tucupita Jose Marcano (born September 16, 1999) is a Venezuelan professional baseball utility player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2024, he was banned from MLB for life for betting on Pirates games while on the team's injured list.^[1]

Tucupita Marcano
Marcano with the Indianapolis Indians in 2021
Utility player
Born: (1999-09-16) September 16, 1999 (age 25) Tucupita, Venezuela
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 1, 2021, for the San Diego Padres
Last MLB appearance
July 24, 2023, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
Batting average	.217
Home runs	5
Runs batted in	34
Teams
San Diego Padres (2021) Pittsburgh Pirates (2022–2023)

Career

San Diego Padres

On July 2, 2016, Marcano signed with the San Diego Padres as an international free agent.^[2] Marcano made his professional debut in 2017 with the Dominican Summer League Padres, slashing .206/.337/.353 in 49 games.^[3] In 2018, Marcano split the season between the AZL Padres and the Low-A Tri-City Dust Devils, accumulating a .366/.450/.438 slash line with 1 home run and 26 RBI. The following season, Marcano played with the Single-A Fort Wayne TinCaps, hitting .270/.323/.337 with 2 home runs and 45 RBI in 111 games with the team.^[4] Marcano did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[5][6] The Padres added him to their 40-man roster after the 2020 season.^[7]

On April 1, 2021, Marcano made his MLB debut as a pinch hitter for Keone Kela, and drew a walk against Stefan Crichton of the Arizona Diamondbacks.^[8][9] On April 6, Marcano collected his first major league hit, a single off of San Francisco Giants reliever Wandy Peralta.^[10] After going 2-for-12 with an RBI in 10 games for the Padres, Marcano was optioned off the roster^[11] and assigned to the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas to begin the minor league season.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On July 26, 2021, the Padres traded Marcano, Jack Suwinski, and Michell Miliano to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Adam Frazier.^[12] Marcano finished the season with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, then began the 2022 campaign with the Double-A Altoona Curve. He appeared in one game in April against the Milwaukee Brewers as a pinch hitter,^[13][14] and was recalled to the major leagues on May 27, 2022.^[15] He hit his first MLB home run off of Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler on May 30.^[16]

The Pirates optioned Marcano to Triple-A Indianapolis to begin the 2023 season.^[17] He was recalled to the majors on April 15. Playing in 75 games for Pittsburgh, he hit .233/.276/.356 with 3 home runs and 18 RBI. On July 25, 2023, Marcano was placed on the 60–day injured list with a right knee ligament injury.^[18] On August 3, it was confirmed that Marcano had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and would require surgery.^[19]

San Diego Padres (second stint)

On November 2, 2023, Marcano was claimed off waivers by the Padres.^[20] He began the 2024 season on the injured list as he continued his recovery from ACL surgery.^[21]

Permanent ineligibility

On June 4, 2024, Marcano was banned for life from MLB and four other players were each suspended for one year for violating the league's gambling policy. The league stated that Marcano began betting on Pirates games during the 2023 season while recovering from surgery.^[1] MLB found that Marcano placed 387 bets on MLB and international contests, wagering more than $150,000 between October 2022 and November 2023. Almost all of his bets on Pirates games were on which club would win or over–under bets on the number of runs scored, and many were parlay bets. He denied having inside information that would influence his bets, which MLB confirmed. He won just 4.3% of his wagers, according to the league.^[22]

Personal life

Marcano was named after his birthplace, the Venezuelan city of Tucupita. Tucupita is also his father Raul's nickname.^[23]

References

1. Richter, Erich (June 4, 2024). "Tucupita Marcano banned for life, four others suspended in gambling probe". New York Post. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
2. Sanders, Jeff (September 28, 2018). "Minors: For Padres' Tucupita Marcano, the origin as important as the destination". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
3. "Tucupita Marcano Stats & Scouting Report". Baseball America. July 30, 2021. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
4. "Tucupita Marcano Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
5. Wagner, James (June 30, 2020). "Minor League Baseball Season Is Canceled for the First Time". The New York Times. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
6. "Baseball's minor leagues cancel 2020 season due to the coronavirus". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 30, 2020. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
7. Acee, Kevin (November 20, 2020). "Padres designate Perdomo for assignment, add three prospects to 40-man roster". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
8. "D-backs 7, Padres 8 (Final Score) on MLB Gameday". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
9. Cassavell, AJ (April 1, 2021). "Padres rally to win Opening Day slugfest". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
10. "Tucupita Marcano's first hit | 04/06/2021". MLB.com. April 6, 2021. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
11. "Padres' Tucupita Marcano: Optioned to alternate camp". CBSSports.com. April 16, 2021. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
12. Cassavell, AJ (July 26, 2021). "All-Star 2B/OF Frazier traded to San Diego". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
13. "Roster moves". MLB.com. April 26, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
14. "Adames 2 homers, career-best 7 RBIs as Brewers beat Pirates". ESPN.com. Associated Press. April 26, 2022. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
15. "Myers, Voit provide punch as Padres beat Pirates 4-3". ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 27, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
16. "Pirates rally in 9th inning for wild 6-5 win over Dodgers". ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 31, 2022. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
17. "Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Optioned to Triple-A". CBSSports.com. March 24, 2023. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
18. "Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Placed on 60-day IL". cbssports.com. July 25, 2023. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
19. "Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: ACL surgery confirmed". cbssports.com. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
20. "Padres Claim Tucupita Marcano From Pirates". MLB Trade Rumors. November 2, 2023.
21. "Jackson Merrill, Graham Pauley, Jeremiah Estrada, Stephen Kolek make Padres' roster in Seoul". sandiegouniontribune.com. March 19, 2024. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
22. "Marcano gets lifetime ban for betting on MLB". ESPN.com. June 4, 2024. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
23. Sands, Ethan (June 12, 2022). "Marcano keeps surging with first 3-hit game". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.

See also

• List of people banned from Major League Baseball

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet