# Maikel Cleto

Maikel Jose Cleto (born May 1, 1989) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox.

## Professional career
### New York Mets

Cleto began his professional career in 2007 with the Gulf Coast League Mets. He went 1–2 with a 5.03 ERA, one save, and 28 strikeouts.
In 2008 Cleto split the season between the Single-A Savannah Sand Gnats and the High-A St. Lucie Mets. He had a combined record of 5–12 with a 4.41 ERA, one shutout, and 82 strikeouts in 26 games (23 starts) split between the two affiliates.

### Seattle Mariners

On December 11, 2008, Cleto was traded to the Mariners with Aaron Heilman, Endy Chávez, Jason Vargas, Mike Carp and Ezequiel Carrera in exchange for J. J. Putz, Jeremy Reed and Sean Green.
Cleto split the 2009 season between the Rookie-Level Peoria Mariners and the Class-A Clinton LumberKings. He went 0–4 with a 5.54 ERA and 25 strikeouts in nine games, eight starts. He attended spring training with the Mariners but was assigned to the Minor Leagues early in camp. Cleto was placed on the disabled list of July 7 due to back discomfort and made his return on August 15.

### St. Louis Cardinals

On December 12, 2010, Cleto was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for shortstop Brendan Ryan. Cleto was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on June 2, 2011, (the same day Lance Lynn was also called up), directly from the Double-A (Springfield Cardinals) to shore up an overworked bullpen. In 3 games during his rookie campaign, he struggled to a 12.46 ERA with 6 strikeouts across 4+1⁄3 innings pitched.
Cleto made 9 appearances for the Cardinals in 2012, struggling to a 7.00 ERA with 15 strikeouts over 9 innings of work. He made one appearance for St. Louis in 2013, allowing five runs with five strikeouts across 2+1⁄3 innings.

### Kansas City Royals

Cleto was claimed off waivers to the Kansas City Royals on June 23, 2013. In 19 appearances for the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers, he compiled a 1-2 record and 3.55 ERA with 36 strikeouts across 38 innings of work. On February 17, 2014, Cleto was designated for assignment by the Royals.

### Chicago White Sox

On February 26, 2014, Cleto was claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox. Cleto was designated for assignment on May 10, to make room for Frank Francisco on the roster. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights on May 12, and was selected back to the active roster on August 4. In 28 appearances out of the bullpen, Cleto compiled a 4.60 ERA with 32 strikeouts across 29+1⁄3 innings pitched.
On April 3, 2015, Cleto was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Triple-A Charlotte. In 31 games for Charlotte, he registered a 3-2 record and 3.00 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 5 saves across 51 innings pitched.
On February 2, 2016, the White Sox re-signed Cleto to a minor league contract. He was released prior to the start of the season on March 31.

### Vaqueros Laguna

On May 30, 2016, Cleto signed with the Vaqueros Laguna of the Mexican League. In 14 relief outings for Laguna, he posted an 0-1 record and 1.29 ERA with 16 strikeouts across 14 innings pitched. Cleto was released by the team on July 1.

### Atlanta Braves

On July 3, 2016, Cleto signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves, where he made 20 appearances and registered a 2.14 ERA with 31 strikeouts and 4 saves in 21 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 7.

### Chicago Cubs

On December 13, 2016, Cleto signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs. He was released on March 13, 2017.

### Mexican League (2017–2021)

On May 4, 2017, Cleto signed with the Vaqueros Unión Laguna of the Mexican Baseball League. On June 20, 2017, he was traded to the Leones de Yucatán. On March 19, 2018, Cleto was traded back to the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna prior to the beginning of the 2018 season. On July 17, 2018, Cleto was traded back to the Leones de Yucatán. On June 1, 2019, Cleto was loaned to the Toros de Tijuana. On July 2, 2019, he was loaned to the Rieleros de Aguascalientes. On February 27, 2020, Cleto signed with the Piratas de Campeche. Cleto did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the LMB season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 7, 2021, Cleto signed with the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna. On October 20, 2021, Cleto was traded back to the Toros de Tijuana. He was released prior to the 2022 season on March 1, 2022.

## Pitching style

Cleto is a hard-thrower, wielding a four-seam fastball at 96–99 mph. The fastball is by far his most used pitch, but he also throws three off-speed pitches: a changeup (89–91) to lefties, a slider (84–86) to righties, and a curveball (79–82) to hitters from both sides of the plate.