Álvaro Espinoza
| Álvaro Espinoza | |
|---|---|
| Shortstop | |
| Born: February 19, 1962 Valencia, Carabobo State, Venezuela |
|
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 14, 1984 for the Minnesota Twins | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 12, 1997 for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .254 |
| Home runs | 22 |
| Runs batted in | 201 |
| Teams | |
Álvaro Alberto Espinoza [es-pe-NO-zah] (born February 19, 1962) is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball and current infield coach for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Born in Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela, he graduated from Pedro Gual High School where he played baseball, soccer and basketball.
[edit] Playing career
Espinoza played with the Minnesota Twins (1984–1986), New York Yankees (1988–1991), Cleveland Indians (1993–1996), New York Mets (1996) and Seattle Mariners (1997). He batted and threw right-handed.
In a 12-season career, Espinoza was a .254 hitter with 22 home runs, 201 RBI, 252 runs, 105 doubles, nine triples, and 13 stolen bases in 942 games. He was second in the MLB in sacrifices in 1989.
As a young prospect, Espinoza was let go by Houston and Minnesota. But he went on to have four decent seasons with the Yankees, after which he played for, in turn, the Indians, the Mets, and the Mariners.
At the plate, Espinoza, though a notorious free swinger, was a good bat handler and contact hitter. His game was to simply put the ball in play and not try to hit for power. As a baserunner, he had average speed.
In the field, concentration and knowledge were Espinoza's main assets. He wasn't among the most gifted athletes ever to play shortstop, but he positioned himself extremely well and got to many balls that might have eluded some flashier shortstops. He was sure-handed, good at turning the double play, and had a very strong throwing arm.
Espinoza's was one of New York Yankees public address announcer Bob Sheppard's favorite names to announce.[1]
Espinoza was also noted for his bubble gum hat antics, as well as other practical jokes he and teammmate Wayne Kirby used to play on the 1995 Cleveland Indians.
[edit] Coaching career
Following his playing career after the 1997 season, Espinoza turned to coaching. In 1998, he worked with the Montreal Expos as their minor league infield coordinator.
Hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, Espinoza made his managerial debut in 1999 and guided Class-A Vero Beach to a 48–85 record in the Florida State League. He spent 2000 and 2001 as the Dodgers Minor League Roving Infield Coordinator.
In 2002, Espinoza was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates and named their infield Instructor in 2004.
[edit] Milestone
- Espinoza joins Ruppert Jones, Ricky Lee Nelson, Dave Kingman, José Canseco, and Kevin Millar as the only players in MLB history to hit a fair ball that got stuck in a stadium obstruction.[2]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- Baseball Stars
- MLB page
- The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia – Gary Gillette, Peter Gammons, Pete Palmer. Publisher: Sterling Publishing, 2005. Format: Paperback, 1824pp. Language: English. ISBN 1-4027-4771-3
- 1962 births
- Living people
- People from Valencia, Venezuela
- Cleveland Indians players
- Minnesota Twins players
- New York Mets players
- New York Yankees players
- Seattle Mariners players
- Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
- Major League Baseball shortstops
- Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
- Minor league baseball coaches
- Pittsburgh Pirates coaches
- Tacoma Rainiers players
- Minor league baseball managers
