Luis Alexander Basabe

Luis Alexander Basabe (born August 26, 1996) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants. Listed at 6' 0" , 160 lb. , he is a switch hitter and throws right handed. The Boston Red Sox signed Basabe as an international amateur free agent in 2012. He made his MLB debut in 2020.

Career Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox signed Basabe as an international amateur free agent in 2012 out of Venezuela for $450,000, at the same time that they signed his twin brother, Luis Alejandro Basabe. Basabe gained attention from scouts due to his tool set at a young age, displaying plus speed, plus arm strength in center field, raw power, athleticism, plate discipline, and the ability to hit from both sides of the plate. He showed speed on the basepaths as well, leading Lowell with 15 stolen bases. That was also good for 10th in the NYPL. Besides, he became the first player in Lowell's 20-year history to homer from both sides of the plate in one game, doing so in June and again in July, and also represented his team in the NYPL All-Star Game.

Basabe opened 2016 at Low-A Class Greenville Drive, where he showed his potential and rare combination of power and speed in 105 games. Though he scuffled in the first half, Basabe emerged in the second half and hit .298/.361/.502, including a .363 average in the month of July, to bring his season line to .261/.328/.451, hitting 8 triples (fourth in the South Atlantic League), 12 home runs, and stealing 25 bases (ninth in the league) while being caught only five times. In addition, he drove in 52 runs and scored 61 times.

After being promoted to the Salem Red Sox for the last week of the season and postseason, Basabe seemed to be fitting right into the High-A Class. In five games, he went 8-for-22 and slashed .364/.391/.545 with two doubles and one triple. He was eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft in December. He spent his first season in the White Sox organization with the High-A Winston-Salem Dash where he batted .221/.320/.320 with five home runs, 17 stolen bases (while being caught 6 times), and 36 RBIs.

The White Sox added Basabe to their 40-man roster after the 2017 season. He spent 2018 with Winston-Salem, with whom he was a mid-season Carolina League All Star, and the Double–A Birmingham Barons, slashing .258/.354/.445 with 15 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases (while being caught 12 times) over 119 games. He was an All-Star Futures Game selection with Birmingham. On February 11, Basabe was outrighted to the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. He was assigned to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights to begin the 2022 season. After limping to an .080/.115/.160 slash with no home runs or RBI in 9 games for Charlotte, Basabe was released by the White Sox organization on May 3, 2022.

Personal life Two of Basabe's cousins, Osleivis Basabe and Luis Matos, have played in MLB.