Who is he, and where is he from?
This new Red Sox signee is a baseball player hailing from Canada—specifically, French Canada. He comes from Longueuil, a city right across the St. Lawrence River from Montreal. After high school, he made an unexpected move to Oklahoma to play at Seminole Junior College. While it may seem like an odd choice for a French-Canadian player, it’s the same path taken by fellow Quebecois Eric Gagne. Interestingly, this player, Gagne, and Russell Martin all attended the same high school, Polyvalente Édouard-Montpetit, Montreal’s top amateur baseball school.
The Red Sox have now signed him to a minor league contract with a non-roster invite to Spring Training.
What position does he play?
At the major league level, he has mostly played second and third base, with occasional appearances at first base and in the outfield. Across his 882-game professional career, spanning both the majors and minors, he’s only played 10 innings at shortstop, so don’t expect to see him there. He’s definitely not a shortstop.
Is he any good?
Well, he’s a decent baserunner, with above-average speed and a knack for taking extra bases. However, despite his speed, he’s not much of a base-stealing threat, so it’s hard to get too excited about his running ability. In his 365 MLB games with four teams, his career numbers are .220/.285/.353, with 34 home runs and 14 stolen bases. Defensively, he’s not a standout, and the Astros even tried moving him to catcher while he was in the minors.
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What he does excel at is making contact. As a switch-hitter with good strike-zone control and a low strikeout rate, he’s difficult to fan. Unfortunately, though, the ball doesn’t seem to carry much when he does make contact. Maybe the Red Sox believe there’s potential to unlock some power in his 223-pound frame.
Show me a cool highlight.
Baseball often gives even lesser-known players a chance to experience special moments. For this player, that moment came on June 27, 2021. He started the day as a Houston Astro, having homered in back-to-back games. But before the game against the Mariners, the Astros traded him to Seattle. After switching teams and uniforms, he entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning and homered for the third consecutive day. He became the first player in MLB history to homer for one team and then against that team in consecutive games, capping off the feat with another homer the next day.
What’s he doing in his picture?
He’s celebrating with teammates after winning the Seattle Mariners’ Annual Poutine Cook-Off in 2022.
What’s his role on the 2025 Red Sox?
Here’s a look at the Red Sox’s current depth chart at third base and second base:
- Rafael Devers
- Vaughn Grissom
- David Hamilton
- Romy Gonzalez
- Ceddanne Rafaela
- Nick Sogard
- Kristian Campbell
- Marcelo Mayer
Campbell and Mayer aren’t on the 40-man roster yet, and it’s likely they won’t be until the Red Sox decide it’s time to promote them. So, we can expect this player to be in the mix with Nick Sogard. If you see him in a Red Sox uniform in 2025, it will either mean he’s dramatically reinvented his hitting game, or something has gone terribly wrong.
Now, it’s time to reveal his identity—his name is Abraham Toro, also known as THE BULL!
