José Rodríguez (infielder, born 1894)
José Rodríguez | |
---|---|
Second Baseman | |
Born: Havana, Cuba | February 23, 1894|
Died: January 21, 1953 Havana, Cuba | (aged 58)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
October 5, 1916, for the New York Giants | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 2, 1918, for the New York Giants | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .166 |
Home runs | 0 |
Runs batted in | 17 |
Teams | |
| |
Member of the Cuban | |
Baseball Hall of Fame | |
Induction | 1951 |
José Rodríguez (February 23, 1894 – January 21, 1953), nicknamed "Joseíto" or "El Hombre Goma" in Spanish and "Joe" in English, was a
Rodríguez was born in Havana in 1894. His younger brother Oscar also became a baseball player and manager in the Cuban League and the minor leagues and joined José as a member of the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1960.[5]
Baseball career
United States
José Rodríguez toured the United States with a Cuban team, the
Rodríguez debuted with the Giants on October 5, 1916, when he appeared as a pinch runner.[1][9] In 1917 he was assigned to the Rochester Hustlers in the International League, where he hit .252. When he was again called up by the Giants, he played in seven major league games and hit .200 in 20 at bats.[1][8]
After spring training in 1918, Rodríguez was retained by the Giants as their utility infielder.[10] He hit poorly, and after Larry Doyle, the regular second baseman, had surgery in May, the Giants acquired other infielders such as Bert Niehoff and Ed Sicking.[11][12] Rodríguez ended the season with a .160 batting average in 40 games. After the season, he was traded to Rochester, ending his major league career.[1]
Rodríguez played the next two seasons as Rochester's first baseman, hitting .264 and .320.
Rodríguez returned to minor league baseball for one season in 1948 as the manager of the Sherman-Denison Twins in the
Cuba
Rodríguez began his professional career in the winter of 1914/15 as the first baseman of the Fe club of the Cuban League. The following winter he moved to Almendares. The team, which included Cristóbal Torriente, Adolfo Luque, José Méndez, Ramón Herrera, and Rafael Almeida, won the championship, with Rodríguez hitting .286. He again played for a championship team, the Orientals, in the winter of 1917, but hit only .194. The league didn't play in the winter of 1917/18, but in 1918/19 he again played for Almendares and hit .312.[14]
In 1919/20 he moved to
The following winter, 1922/23, his role shifted as he became the playing manager of Almendares.[16] In his third season as manager, 1924/25, he won the league championship with a team powered by Negro league stars, including five future members of the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame—Bullet Rogan, Andy Cooper, John Henry ("Pop") Lloyd, Biz Mackey, and Oscar Charleston—as well as Dick Lundy, Newt Allen, and Valentín Dreke, and major leaguers Adolfo Luque and José Acosta.[17][18]
He won his next championship as manager for Almendares in 1931/32, his last season as a full-time player and a season in which no American players were signed to play in the Cuban league. He continued to play part-time until 1938/39 and to manage for various teams until 1943/44. In 1950 he became the general manager of the minor league Havana Cubans.[19]
Rodríguez died in 1953 at the age of 58.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e "Jose Rodriguez Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ Figueredo 2003, p. 489.
- ^ González Echevarría 1999, p. 176.
- ^ Figueredo 2003, pp. 147, 253, 509.
- ^ Figueredo 2003, pp. 489, 509. González Echevarría 1999, p. 56.
- ^ "Giants Hopes Rest with Youngsters" (PDF). The New York Times. February 27, 1916. p. S2. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- Pittsburgh Press. March 2, 1916. p. 20. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Jose Rodriguez Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ^ "National League: Games of Thursday, October 5". The Sporting News. October 12, 1916. p. 8.
- ^ "Rodriguez Is Sure to Be Utility Man". Pittsburgh Press. April 16, 1918. p. 23. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ^ "May Have to Quit Diamond". Pittsburgh Press. May 21, 1918. p. 23. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ^ "Ed Sicking Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ^ "Eyrich Ready for Transfer". Reading Eagle. March 13, 1921. p. 7. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ^ Figueredo 2003, pp. 115, 120, 124, 129.
- ^ Figueredo 2003, pp. 133, 138, 142.
- ^ Figueredo 2003, p. 147.
- ^ Figueredo 2003, pp. 157–159.
- ^ "Hall of Famers". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Figueredo 2003, pp. 196–197, 227, 253, 334.
References
- Figueredo, Jorge S. (2003), Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History, 1878–1961, Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, ISBN 0-7864-1250-X
- ISBN 0-19-514605-0
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Negro league baseball statistics and player information from Seamheads.com