Japhet Amador

Japhet Isidro Amador Hernandez (born January 19, 1987), nicknamed "El Gigante de Mulegé", is a Mexican professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Piratas de Campeche of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Career

Diablos Rojos del Mexico Amador was born in Mulegé, Baja California Sur. From 2007 through a portion of the 2013 season, Amador played in the Mexican League, for the Petroleros de Minatitlán, Rojos del Águila de Veracruz and Diablos Rojos del México. In 2012, he hit 15 home runs through 81 Mexican League games; he hit 17 home runs in 61 games that year during winter baseball in the Mexican Pacific League.

Houston Astros On August 18, 2013 the Astros signed him and assigned him to the Triple–A Oklahoma City RedHawks. When the Astros signed him, Amador weighed 330 pounds.

In February 2014, the Astros reported that Amador was in Mexico dealing with a family emergency, that he would not be reporting for the beginning of spring training and that they were not sure whether he would report to the Astros at all. Amador reported to camp a couple of weeks late, and reporter Evan Drellich wrote that Amador's pregnant wife had been ill. Drellich said that Amador had hurt his already low chances of playing first base with the Astros.

Amador appeared in seven games with Triple–A Oklahoma City early in the 2014 season. He hit 13 home runs that year in 64 games with the Diablos Rojos.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles On December 24, 2015, Amador signed with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) after the 2015 season.

On May 25, 2016, Amador made his NPB debut. On November 28, 2016, he signed a 1-year extension to remain with the Eagles.

On November 27, 2017, Amador signed a 1-year extension to remain with the Eagles.

On August 9, 2018, Amador was suspended for six months after testing positive for the banned substances chlortalidone and furosemide, but he stated that he would appeal the suspension, and claimed that he would never intentionally take any banned drugs. Leading up to his suspension, Amador had a .269 average and 20 home runs in 62 games played for the club. Amador became a free agent after the season.

Diablos Rojos del México (third stint) In 2019, Amador returned to Mexico to play with the Diablos Rojos del México. He hit .346 with 28 home runs and 115 runs batted in that year. Amador did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican League season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He played for the Charros de Jalisco in the Mexican Pacific Winter League in 2020-21. In 78 games, he hit .336/.406/.532 with 15 home runs, 78 RBI and two stolen bases.

In 2024, Amador appeared in 39 games, hitting .234/.318/.390 with six home runs and 33 RBI. With the team, he won the Serie del Rey.

Amador made 27 appearances in his sixth season for México in 2026, hitting .281/.407/.472 with four home runs, 14 RBI, and one stolen base.

Piratas de Campeche On May 17, 2026, Amador was loaned to the Piratas de Campeche of the Mexican League for the 2026 season.

International career Amador was selected for Mexico national baseball team at the exhibition games against Japan in 2016 and 2017 World Baseball Classic.

On October 16, 2016, he was selected for exhibition games against Japan in 2016.

On February 8, 2017, he was selected for 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Personal In Mexico, Amador has been given the nickname "El Gigante de Mulegé" (The Giant of Mulegé) due to his 1.93 m height. Only one 300-pound player in baseball history has made the major leagues.