1. Overview
Tucupita José Marcano is a Venezuelan professional baseball utility player primarily known for his career in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates. Born on September 16, 1999, Marcano was signed by the San Diego Padres as an international free agent in 2016. He made his MLB debut in 2021 before being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he hit his first MLB home run in 2022. His career was significantly impacted in 2023 by a right knee ligament injury, specifically a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which required surgery. In 2024, Marcano received a lifetime ban from MLB for violating the league's gambling policy, an unprecedented event for an active player in a century, as he was found to have placed bets on MLB games, including those involving his own team while he was on the injured list. Following his ban, he returned to play in the Venezuelan Winter League.
2. Early Life and Background
Tucupita Marcano's early life and background are closely tied to his Venezuelan origins.
2.1. Birth and Name Origin
Tucupita José Marcano was born on September 16, 1999, in Tucupita, a city in Venezuela. His unique first name, Tucupita, is derived from his birthplace, a common practice in his family as it is also the nickname of his father, Raul Marcano.
3. Professional Career
Tucupita Marcano's professional baseball career began in 2016, progressing through various minor league levels before his debut in Major League Baseball and his eventual permanent ban due to gambling activities.
3.1. San Diego Padres (First Stint)
Marcano's professional journey began on July 2, 2016, when he signed with the San Diego Padres as an international free agent, receiving a signing bonus of 320.00 K USD. He made his professional debut in 2017 with the Dominican Summer League Padres, where he posted a batting line of .206/.337/.353 in 49 games.
In 2018, Marcano split his season between the AZL Padres and the Low-A Tri-City Dust Devils, achieving an impressive .366/.450/.438 slash line, along with one home run and 26 RBI. The following season, 2019, he played with the Single-A Fort Wayne TinCaps, recording a .270 batting average, .323 on-base percentage, and .337 slugging percentage, adding two home runs and 45 RBI in 111 games. The 2020 minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing Marcano from playing. Despite this, the Padres added him to their 40-man roster after the 2020 season, signaling their confidence in his potential.
Marcano made his Major League Baseball debut on April 1, 2021, appearing as a pinch hitter for Keone Kela against the Arizona Diamondbacks and drawing a walk from pitcher Stefan Crichton. His first major league hit came on April 6, when he singled off San Francisco Giants reliever Wandy Peralta. After playing in 10 games for the Padres, where he went 2-for-12 with one RBI, Marcano was optioned off the roster and assigned to the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas to commence the minor league season.
3.2. Pittsburgh Pirates
On July 26, 2021, Marcano was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates alongside Jack Suwinski and Michell Miliano, in exchange for Adam Frazier and 1.40 M USD. He concluded the 2021 season with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.
He started the 2022 campaign with the Double-A Altoona Curve but made an appearance in one MLB game in April as a pinch hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers. Marcano was recalled to the major leagues on May 27, 2022. He hit his first MLB home run off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler on May 30, marking a significant milestone in his career.
For the start of the 2023 season, the Pirates optioned Marcano to Triple-A Indianapolis, but he was recalled to the majors on April 15. In 75 games for Pittsburgh during that season, he achieved a batting line of .233/.276/.356, hitting three home runs and driving in 18 runs. On July 25, 2023, Marcano was placed on the injured list due to a right knee ligament injury. Further examination confirmed on August 3 that he had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), necessitating surgery.
3.3. San Diego Padres (Second Stint)
On November 2, 2023, Marcano was claimed off waivers by his former team, the San Diego Padres. He began the 2024 season on the injured list, continuing his recovery and rehabilitation from the ACL surgery.
3.4. Permanent Ineligibility from MLB
On June 4, 2024, Tucupita Marcano was permanently banned from Major League Baseball, a decision that stemmed from violations of the league's gambling policy. This disciplinary action was taken after an investigation revealed that Marcano had engaged in illegal gambling activities.
The league's findings indicated that Marcano began placing bets on Pirates games during the 2023 season while he was on the team's injured list, recovering from his ACL surgery. Between October 2022 and November 2023, Marcano placed a total of 387 bets on MLB and international baseball contests, wagering more than 150.00 K USD. The specific periods during which he placed these bets were identified as October 16 to 23, 2022, and July 12 to November 1, 2023.
A significant portion of his bets on Pirates games were focused on outcomes such as which club would win or over-under bets on the total number of runs scored. Many of these were parlay bets, combining multiple wagers. Marcano denied using inside information to influence his bets, a claim that MLB's investigation confirmed. Despite the volume of his wagers, the league reported that he only won 4.3% of his bets.
Marcano's lifetime ban holds historical significance as he is the first active MLB player to be permanently banned for gambling since Jimmy O'Connell of the New York Giants in 1924, making this event the first of its kind in a century. The fact that he bet on games involving his own team, even while injured, was a crucial factor in the league's decision for a permanent ban.
3.5. Return to Venezuelan Winter League
Following his permanent ban from Major League Baseball, Tucupita Marcano returned to play in his home country. He is currently playing for the Navegantes del Magallanes in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP), having joined the team for the 2024-2025 season.
4. Career Statistics
Tucupita Marcano's professional career includes statistics from his time in Major League Baseball as both a batter and a fielder.
4.1. Batting Statistics
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | TB | RBI | SB | CS | BB | HBP | SO | SH | SF | GDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | SD | 25 | 50 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | .182 | .280 | .205 | .484 | |
| 2022 | PIT | 49 | 177 | 160 | 18 | 33 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 49 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 44 | 1 | .206 | .256 | .306 | .562 |
| 2023 | PIT | 75 | 220 | 202 | 16 | 47 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 72 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 35 | 2 | .233 | .276 | .356 | .632 |
| MLB: 3 years | 149 | 447 | 406 | 41 | 88 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 130 | 34 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 88 | 5 | .217 | .269 | .320 | .589 | |
- Statistics as of the end of the 2023 season.
4.2. Fielding Statistics
Marcano played various infield and outfield positions throughout his Major League Baseball career.
; Infield Fielding
| Year | Team | Second Base (2B) | Third Base (3B) | Shortstop (SS) | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | PO | A | E | DP | FPCT | G | PO | A | E | DP | FPCT | G | PO | A | E | DP | FPCT | ||
| 2021 | SD | 8 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ---- | - | |||||
| 2022 | PIT | 23 | 36 | 52 | 1 | 7 | .989 | - | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | |||||
| 2023 | PIT | 18 | 10 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 58 | 60 | 96 | 3 | 18 | .981 |
| MLB | 49 | 51 | 84 | 1 | 12 | .993 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 59 | 61 | 96 | 3 | 18 | .981 | |
; Outfield Fielding
| Year | Team | Left Field (LF) | Right Field (RF) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | PO | A | E | DP | FPCT | G | PO | A | E | DP | FPCT | ||
| 2021 | SD | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| 2022 | PIT | 30 | 40 | 3 | 1 | 1 | .977 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ---- |
| MLB | 34 | 42 | 3 | 1 | 1 | .978 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .500 | |
- Statistics as of the end of the 2023 season.
4.3. Jersey Numbers
Throughout his professional career, Marcano wore the following jersey numbers:
- 16 (2021 - part of 2021 season with San Diego Padres)
- 30 (2022 - 2023 with Pittsburgh Pirates)