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Maicer Izturis Jr., the 14-year-old son of former Blue Jays infielder Maicer Izturis, has a verbal agreement with the Texas Rangers. He announced the agreement on Instagram while training at his father's academy in Venezuela.
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Maicer Izturis played his final MLB game with the Toronto Blue Jays in April 2014. Fans for whom 12 years ago feels like yesterday, this week’s news will come as a shock.
Maicer Izturis Jr. has a verbal agreement with the Texas Rangers. The 14-year-old namesake of the former big leaguer revealed the agreement — a common practice in Latin America before players are eligible to sign formal contracts — May 12 on Instagram.
Izturis trains at his father’s academy in Cabudare, his home town in Venezuela.
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Not much is known publicly about the younger Izturis, but the Rangers are betting on his bloodlines to translate to the pros. It’s not a bad bet.
Vladimir Guerrero Sr. played his penultimate season, and made his ninth and final All-Star team, with the Rangers in 2010. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., a five-time All-Star with the Jays, is now more than halfway to his father’s total.
Like the younger Guerrero, Maicer Izturis Jr. has both a father and an uncle who played in MLB.
César Izturis played 13 seasons in the big leagues with the Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers, , , , , and Blue Jays.
The verbal agreement indicates that Izturis Jr. is on track to potentially join a Major League Baseball team, following a common practice in Latin America for young players.
He trains at his father's baseball academy located in Cabudare, Venezuela.
Maicer Izturis is a former MLB infielder who played for the Toronto Blue Jays and other teams, and he is the father of Maicer Izturis Jr.

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One year older than Maicer, César Izturis made an All-Star team and won a Gold Glove Award in his long career.
Maicer Izturis, 45, was signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur in 1998. He was traded to Montreal in January 2004, and made his debut with the Expos later that season.
Rather than following the franchise south to Washington D.C., Izturis was traded with Juan Rivera to the Anaheim Angels for José Guillén in November 2004.
Izturis played eight seasons in Anaheim (2005-12), saw time at five different positions, and slashed .276/.339/.384.
Although he was more of a utility player than a star, Iztrus delivered a key go-ahead RBI single in Game 2 off Josh Beckett in the 2009 American League Division Series against the Red Sox. That hit sparked a decisive Angels rally and helped push the club toward its first playoff-series win over Boston after years of frustration.
In two seasons in Toronto (2013-14), Izturis slashed .240/.291/.310 as a backup shortstop/second baseman before officially retiring in March 2016.
Suddenly, the days of Maicer Izturis once again patrolling an American League infield seem possible once again.