Rich Amaral

Richard Louis Amaral (born April 1, 1962 in Visalia, California) is a former utility player in Major League Baseball who played with the Seattle Mariners (1991-1998), and Baltimore Orioles (1999-2000). He batted and threw right-handed.

Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1983, Amaral was claimed by the Chicago White Sox in the 1988 Rule 5 Draft. After becoming a free agent after the 1990 season, Amaral signed with the Seattle Mariners and made his major league debut on May 27, 1991. Amaral played with the Mariners until 1998, signing as a free agent with the Orioles on December 21, 1998. Amaral was released by the Orioles on July 28, 2000, and signed with the Atlanta Braves on August 25, 2000. Amaral played 7 games for their Triple-A affiliate, the Richmond Braves and became a free agent after the season.

In his 10-year career, Amaral was a .276 hitter with 493 career hits. He was a college standout at UCLA earning nod as second baseman on the College All-American team. After being drafted in the second round by the Chicago Cubs, he spent his next nine years in Minor league baseball, and it appeared that he might be a career minor leaguer. After hitting .346 in the minors in 1991, Amaral got his chance to become a Major League player. Amaral was a versatile player, and after making it to the Majors he played at least 40 games at every position except catcher and pitcher.

Amaral was a baserunning guest instructor for the Mariners in spring training of 2008 as part of Mariners manager John McLaren's offseason emphasis on baserunning.

Amaral's son Beau played outfield for the UCLA Bruins baseball team that went all the way to the 2010 College World Series Championship games. Beau was named to the All Tournament Team. Beau was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds and in 2014 played with High Class-A affiliate in the California League, the Bakersfield Blaze.