Ángel Mangual
Angel Mangual | ||
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Home runs 22 | | |
Runs batted in | 125 | |
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Ángel Luis Mangual Guilbe (March 19, 1947 – February 16, 2021) was a
Mangual was signed as an
Early life
Mangual was born in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico, on March 19, 1947.[1][2] His family were baseball fans whose idol was Roberto Clemente.[2] Mangual's younger brother, Pepe Mangual, and their cousin, Coco Laboy, would also become major league players.[1][2] He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates before the 1966 season.[1] Pancho Coimbre, the scout who recruited Mangual, had also convinced the Pirates to draft Clemente back in 1954.[2][3]
Professional career
Minor leagues
Mangual began his professional baseball career with the
Pittsburgh Pirates (1969)
Mangual made his MLB debut on September 15, 1969, at the age of 22,[1] entering as a pinch hitter and grounding out in his only plate appearance in a 4–3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.[5] He played in five more games that season, entering as a defensive replacement in three and pinch-hitting in two.[6][7] Mangual spent the entire 1970 season in the minor leagues,[4] having been the final outfielder to be cut from the spring training roster.[2] He recorded a .281 batting average with 20 home runs and 87 RBIs during his second stint with the Jets.[4] He was subsequently traded to the Oakland Athletics on October 20 that same year, as the player to be named later to complete the deal that sent Mudcat Grant to the Pirates one month earlier.[1] He received the nickname "Little Clemente" around this time.[2][8]
Oakland Athletics (1971–1976)
Mangual batted .286 with 4 home runs and 30 RBIs in his first year with the Athletics.
In the 1972 season, Mangual's batting average dropped to .246 with 5 home runs and 32 RBIs.[1] His defense proved to be unreliable;[2] he made 5 errors and Reggie Jackson ended up playing nearly four times as many games at center field as Mangual.[1][2] Mangual won the first of three World Series rings that year, as part of the Athletics dynasty that won three consecutive championships between 1972 and 1974.[1] During Game 4 of the 1972 World Series, Mangual hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds. It was the last of three pinch hits in that inning, setting a World Series record. The A's won that game 3–2 and took a 3–1 lead in the series.[8] Mangual played his final major league game on June 20, 1976, at the age of 29. He finished his final season with a .167 batting average and one RBI in just 8 games. For his career, he batted .245 with 22 home runs and 125 RBIs in 450 games.[1]
Later life
Mangual auctioned his personal replica of the Commissioner's Trophy, given to every A's player on the 1972 team by owner Charlie Finley, in August 2010.[2] In an interview he gave eight years later, he spoke fondly of his time with the Athletics, crediting the support given to him by teammates like Reggie Jackson, Joe Rudi, and Ray Fosse.[8] Mangual said of his teammates:
They were all good people. They came looking for me, offering their help. And to see them give me their hand made me feel like the proudest Puerto Rican in the major leagues. I felt part of the team. Every time we slapped five and said, 'Let’s go,' it gave me goosebumps. When people like that help you, it gives you the strength to keep going.[8]
Mangual died on the morning of February 16, 2021, in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He was 73.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Ángel Mangual Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Dunn, Geoffrey. "Angel Mangual". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ "Roberto Clemente Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f "Ángel Mangual Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ "September 15, 1969 Pittsburgh Pirates at Philadelphia Phillies Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. September 15, 1969. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ "Ángel Mangual 1969 Fielding Game Log". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ "Ángel Mangual 1969 Batting Game Log". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Becker, Jon (February 16, 2021). "Former Oakland A's World Series hero dies at 73". The Mercury News. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
- ^ "July 9, 1971 California Angels at Oakland Athletics Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. July 9, 1971. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ Ringolsby, Tracy (July 9, 2020). "July 9, 2005: The First 1–0 Game In Coors Field History". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
- ^ "1971 Awards Voting". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet