Nino Escalera

Nino Escalera
Nino Escalera
	Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
	Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
	April 17, 1954, for the Cincinnati Redlegs
Last MLB appearance
	September 25, 1954, for the Cincinnati Redlegs
MLB statistics
Batting average	.159
Home runs	0
Runs batted in	3
Teams
	Cincinnati Redlegs (1954);
Career highlights and awards
	An African-American to appear for the Cincinnati club.;

Saturnino Escalera Cuadrado (December 1, 1929 – July 3, 2021) was a

left-handed

, stood 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and 165 pounds (75 kg).

Playing career

Born in

American Association

, and later that year, by the Cincinnati organization.

On April 17, 1954, at

fielding chance. He was replaced by Rocky Bridges for the ninth inning, and the Redlegs won the game, 4–2.^[3] Escalera returned to the minor leagues in 1955 with the Havana Sugar Kings and was selected for and played in the 1958 International League

All-Star Game.

Professional baseball playing experience

1949–1950

Bristol Owls

1950
Class C) Amsterdam Rugmakers (New York Yankees
)

1951
Class A) Muskegon Reds
(Yankees)

1951

Syracuse Chiefs

1952
American Association (Triple-A) Toledo Mud Hens/Charleston Senators

1953 American Association (Triple-A)

1954 National League (MLB) Cincinnati Redlegs
1955–1958 International League (Triple-A) Havana Sugar Kings (Redlegs)
1959–1961 International League (Triple-A) Columbus Jets (Pittsburgh Pirates)
1962 International League (Triple-A) Rochester Red Wings (Baltimore Orioles)

Scouting career

After his active career, Escalera worked as a scout for the New York Mets' organization from 1966 to 1981. In 1982, he scouted for the San Francisco Giants. Among players signed by Escalera are retired major league players Jerry Morales, Ed Figueroa, Benny Ayala, José Oquendo and Juan Berenguer. Escalera is a member of the Puerto Rico Baseball Hall of Fame, Río Piedras Sport Hall of Fame, Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame and Santurce Sports Hall of Fame. In 2015, he was also named as one of the best 75 baseball players who ever played in Puerto Rico winter league history.

Later life and legacy

Escalera's nephew Ruben Escalera, played for the

Alfredo Escalera, was drafted by the Kansas City Royals as the youngest player ever to be drafted by any organization.^[4]

Escalera died on July 3, 2021, at the age of 91.[5]

References

^ Retrosheet box score: 04-17-1954
^ Preston, JG. "The forgotten left-handed throwing shortstop". prestonjg.wordpress.com. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
^ Retrosheet box score: 1954-05-22
^ Ortiz, Peter (8 June 2012). "Boricua el prospecto más joven: "Un sueño hecho realidad"". Noticel News. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
^ Colón Delgado, Jorge. "Fallece Nino Escalera: El Caballero de la Inicial". Confederación de Beisbol Profesional del Caribe. Retrieved 6 July 2021.

External links

http://minors.sabrwebs.com/cgi-bin/person.php?milbID=escale001sat
Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
Retrosheet
Nino Escalera - Baseball Biography and Highlights
Baseball Integration Timeline

[1] Retrosheet box score: 04-17-1954

[2] Preston, JG. "The forgotten left-handed throwing shortstop". prestonjg.wordpress.com. Retrieved 30 January 2017.

[3] Retrosheet box score: 1954-05-22

[4] Ortiz, Peter (8 June 2012). "Boricua el prospecto más joven: "Un sueño hecho realidad"". Noticel News. Retrieved 19 August 2012.

[5] Colón Delgado, Jorge. "Fallece Nino Escalera: El Caballero de la Inicial". Confederación de Beisbol Profesional del Caribe. Retrieved 6 July 2021.

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