Rich Amaral

Amaral attended Estancia High School and then Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California. He then transferred to UCLA and was named a first-team All-American by The Sporting News in 1983. Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in second round of the 1983 MLB draft, Amaral was claimed by the Chicago White Sox in the 1988 Rule 5 Draft. After becoming a free agent after the 1990 season, he signed with the Seattle Mariners. He made his major league debut on May 27, 1991. After winning the 1991 Pacific Coast League batting title, hitting .346 with Calgary Cannons, and batting .318 in 1992, Amaral got his chance to become a full-time major league player at age 31 under new manager Lou Piniella in 1993. He played in 110 games that season, finishing fifth in Rookie of the Year voting and was the oldest rookie in the majors. Amaral was the first-ever batter at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, hitting a groundout against future Mariners teammate Dennis Martínez on April 4, 1994. Amaral played with the Mariners through , then signed as a free agent with the Orioles on December 21, 1998. Released by the Orioles on July 28, 2000, he signed with the Atlanta Braves on August 25. Amaral played seven games for the Triple-A Richmond Braves, then became a free agent after the season. Amaral stayed in playing shape but chose to retire after no team offered him a contract for 2001. In his 10-year MLB career, Amaral hit .276 with 493 hits and 112 stolen bases. A versatile player, Amaral played at least 41 games in the majors at every position except catcher and pitcher. == Post-playing career and personal life ==

Amaral's friend and former teammate, fellow former major leaguer Jeff Gardner, threw Amaral a retirement party in 2001. as part of Mariners manager John McLaren's offseason emphasis on baserunning. Amaral worked as a scout for the Kansas City Royals since at least 2010, helping the team draft Nick Pratto in 2017. Amaral became a scout for the Baltimore Orioles in June 2018. He is based in Huntington Beach, California. Three of Amaral's four children also played sports at UCLA. Beau Amaral played outfield for the UCLA team that finished second in the 2010 College World Series. Beau was named to the All Tournament Team. Amaral's daughter Jessica played softball at UCLA, playing primarily as a pinch runner. Amaral's son Daniel played baseball at UCLA, being named to the All-Pac 12 Defensive team as an outfielder. The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Daniel in the 14th round of the 2018 MLB draft. He played in the minors through 2023, reaching Double-A, before playing in the Mexican and independent leagues. Daniel self-published a book on base stealing in 2025. ==References==