Rafael Motooka

From BR Bullpen

Rafael Motooka de Oliveira

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 0", Weight 200 lb.

Born April 18, 1982 in Guarulhos, São Paulo Brazil

Rafael Motooka caught for seven years in the minor leagues.

In 2000, the 17-year-old was 3 for 12 for the GCL Reds. He was not the only Brazilian on the team as Tiago Magalhães was also breaking in then. Motooka hit .250/.302/.313 as the GCL Reds' most-used catcher in 2001. In 2002, Rafael hit .226/.293/.274 for the Billings Mustangs. In the 2002 Intercontinental Cup, he batted .158/.200/.263 as Brazil's catcher. Motooka was 0 for 4 with Billings in 2003 and batted .171/.244/.171 for the Potomac Cannons. The Brazilian native hit .150/.190/.300 for Potomac in 2004. The next year, he hit .200/.250/.300 in 10 games for the Sarasota Reds. In 2006, Motooka produced at a .171/.211/.314 clip in 13 games for the Chattanooga Lookouts. In 7 seasons, he had played 113 games, hitting .210/.270/.277. In the 2007 Pan American Games, Motooka was one of Brazil's best players, going 3 for 6 with 4 walks and a RBI. He was far less successful in the 2008 Americas Baseball Cup, going 0 for 19 with 2 walks and 2 times hit by pitch as Brazil finished just 2-6.