BIOGRAPHY
Jose Lobaton was born October 21, 1984, in Acarigua, Venezuela. He is a catcher in the MLB.
On May 13, 2002, Lobatón signed with the San Diego Padres organization as an international free agent. Lobatón made his professional debut in 2003 with the rookie ball Idaho Falls Padres, slashing .272/.352/.366 in 56 games. The next year, Lobatón played for the Low-A Eugene Emeralds, batting .219/.298/.437 with 7 home runs and 23 RBI. In 2005, he split the season between Eugene, the AZL Padres, and the Single-A Fort Wayne Wizards, accumulating a .250/.368/.313 slash line with 6 RBI between the three teams. In 2006, he split the year between the High-A Lake Elsinore Storm and Fort Wayne, posting a .235/.355/.383 batting line with 5 home runs and 26 RBI. He returned to Lake Elsinore for the 2007 season and hit .260/.346/.428 paired with career-highs in home runs (10) and RBI (47). In 2008, Lobatón played for the Double-A San Antonio Missions, logging a .259/.338/.422 slash line with 9 home runs and 45 RBI. He was assigned to the Triple-A Portland Beavers to begin the 2009 season.
On July 5, 2009, Lobatón was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his Major League debut that day against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He only played in 7 games with the Padres, going .176 in 17 at-bats with 3 hits and no RBI's. He was designated for assignment by the team on July 28.
On July 15, 2020, Lobatón signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs. Lobatón was released by the organization on September 7, 2020. On February 12, 2021, Lobatón re-signed with the Cubs on a minor league contract that included an invitation to Spring Training. He was assigned to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs to begin the season and hit .179/.347/.410 in 15 games for the team. On June 11, Lobatón was selected to the active roster.
