Rogelio Álvarez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rogelio Álvarez |
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| First baseman | |||
| Born: April 18, 1938 Pinar del Río, Cuba |
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| Died: November 30, 2012 (aged 74) Hialeah, Florida |
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| debut | |||
| September 18, 1960, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 28, 1962, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .189 | ||
| Hits | 7 | ||
| Runs batted in | 2 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Rogelio Álvarez Hernández (born April 18, 1938 – died November 30, 2012) was a baseball player from Cuba. He played for 18 seasons in professional baseball. This included two seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Cincinnati Reds in 1960 and 1962.
During his time in the major leagues, Rogelio had a batting average of .211. He also scored two runs, hit seven hits, and had two runs batted in (RBIs). Besides the MLB, Álvarez played for many different teams in the minor leagues. He mostly played as a first baseman, but sometimes he also played in the outfield or as a pitcher.
In 1963, Rogelio was supposed to play for the Washington Senators. However, he faced challenges leaving his home country of Cuba. This meant he could not join the team for spring training. He later managed to leave Cuba and continued his baseball career in the Pacific Coast League.
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Rogelio Álvarez's Baseball Journey
Starting with the Cincinnati Reds
In 1956, Rogelio Álvarez began his professional baseball career. He signed with the Cincinnati Redlegs, which is what the Cincinnati Reds were called back then. In his first year, he played for two minor league teams: the Class-C Yuma Sun Sox and the Class-B Port Arthur Sea Hawks. That season, he had a strong batting average of .305. He also hit 10 doubles, 5 triples, and 5 home runs.
The next year, Álvarez continued to play well. He split his time between the Class-B Wenatchee Chiefs and the Class-B Clovis Redlegs. He had an even better batting average of .325. He also hit 24 doubles, 7 triples, and an impressive 39 home runs. Even though he played fewer games in one league, he still finished third in home runs for that league.
In 1958, Álvarez moved up to play for the Triple-A Havana Sugar Kings in the International League. He played 146 games and had a batting average of .268. He scored 67 runs, got 130 hits, and hit 25 home runs. He also had 88 runs batted in (RBIs), which means he helped his teammates score runs. He was one of the top home run hitters in the league that year.
Álvarez continued with the Havana Sugar Kings in 1959 and 1960. In 1960, the team moved to Jersey City and became the Jerseys. This happened because of changes in Cuba. With the Jerseys, he had a batting average of .254. He got 134 hits, including 17 home runs, and had 72 RBIs in 151 games.
Playing in Major League Baseball
On September 18, 1960, Rogelio Álvarez made his first appearance in Major League Baseball with the Cincinnati Reds. He was called up from the minor leagues. In his first game, he struck out in one at-bat against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He got his first major league hit in his third game. That season, he played three games in the majors and had one hit.
In 1961, Álvarez played for the Triple-A Jersey City Jerseys again. He had 101 hits, including 12 home runs, and 58 RBIs. In 1962, he started the season with the Triple-A San Diego Padres. He played very well, batting .318 with 18 home runs and 73 RBIs in 132 games. His strong performance earned him a spot on the PCL all-star team.
The Cincinnati Reds bought Álvarez back in September 1962. This happened because their main first baseman, Gordy Coleman, was injured. Rogelio got his first major league hit of the season on September 9 against the St. Louis Cardinals. He got his first major league RBI on September 14 against the New York Mets. His last game in the major leagues was on September 28 against the Philadelphia Phillies. In 14 games with the Reds that season, he had six hits and two RBIs.
Later Years in Baseball
In November 1962, the Cincinnati Reds traded Álvarez to the Washington Senators. The Senators' manager, Mickey Vernon, expected Álvarez to be their starting first baseman. However, in 1963, Álvarez was unable to leave Cuba. This meant he could not join the Senators for spring training.
The Mexican government helped Álvarez leave Cuba and return to his baseball career. After he returned, the Senators sold him to the Triple-A San Diego Padres. That season with the Padres, Álvarez batted .259. He hit 15 home runs and had 63 RBIs in 103 games.
In 1964, Álvarez played for the Double-A Macon Peaches. He continued to hit well, with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs in 56 games. He played for the Triple-A San Diego Padres and the Double-A Knoxville Smokies in 1965. In 1966, he had a great season with the Double-A Smokies, batting .312 with 27 home runs and 78 RBIs. He was one of the top players in the Southern League that year.
Álvarez played for two Southern League teams in 1967: the Double-A Knoxville Smokies and the Double-A Evansville White Sox. He continued to hit home runs, with 19 that season. In 1968, he joined the Triple-A Veracruz Aguila in the Mexican League. He played in Mexico for the rest of his career, including for the Poza Rica Petroleros in 1972 and the Yucatán Leones in 1973. He retired from professional baseball after the 1973 season.
See also
- List of baseball players who defected from Cuba
