Carlos Mendoza (outfielder)
| Carlos Mendoza | |
|---|---|
| New York Yankees – No. 64 | |
| Outfielder / Quality control coach | |
| Born: November 4, 1974 Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 3, 1997, for the New York Mets | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 2000, for the Colorado Rockies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .182 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 1 |
| Teams | |
Carlos Ramón Mendoza (born November 4, 1974) is a New York Yankees coach in Major League Baseball.
Career
Mendoza previously played parts of two seasons in the majors with the New York Mets (1997) and Colorado Rockies (2000), primarily as an outfielder. Listed at 5.11 (1.80 m), 160 lb (72 k), Mendoza batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela.
In a two-season MLB career, Mendoza hit .182 with one run batted in and no home runs in 28 games played.
In between, Mendoza played winterball with the Navegantes del Magallanes and Caribes de Oriente clubs of the Venezuelan League from 1994 through 2004.[1] In addition, he represented his country in the 1999 Caribbean Series tournament, where he led all hitters with a.529 average and was included in the All-Star team.
Mendoza entered the Yankees Minor League system for the 2009 season as a member of the Staten Island Yankees coaching staff before joining the Charleston RiverDogs in 2010. During the 2011 campaign, he served as the manager of the Gulf Coast League Yankees. He then returned to the RiverDogs as their manager from 2012–2017.[2]
Afterwards, Mendoza gained a promotion as an infield coach for the Yankees before the 2018 MLB season.[3]
Pre-Game Rituals
Mendoza has been credited as a team leader both on and off the field – being hired as an infield coach, despite only playing outfield during his career[4]. He has a number of rituals before, during, and after games that set him apart from other coaches. According to Michael Kay (as discussed during the Michael Kay show), before each game at Yankee Stadium Mendoza ceremoniously tosses exactly 40 sunflower seeds in the grass behind home plate (one for each man on the extended Yankees roster)[5]. The prayer he recites after he tosses the seeds is unknown to the public[6].
Sources
- ^ VPBL batting statistics. Pelota Binaria. Retrieved on December 23, 2017.
- ^ Carlos Mendoza will be manager of RiverDogs. Post and Courier. Retrieved on December 23, 2017.
- ^ Phil Nevin anticipating season with Yankees. MLB News. Retrieved on December 23, 2017.
- ^ https://www.pinstripealley.com/yankees-editorials-opinions-analysis/2017/12/12/16764064/yankees-coaching-staff-aaron-boone-larry-rothschild-marcus-thames
- ^ www.espn.com/espnradio/newyork/play?id=23158499
- ^ http://www.espn.com/espnradio/newyork/play?id=23158499
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet, or Pelota Binaria
- 1974 births
- Living people
- Amarillo Dillas players
- Binghamton Mets players
- Capital City Bombers players
- Caribbean Series players
- Caribes de Oriente players
- Colorado Rockies players
- Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
- Durham Bulls players
- Expatriate sportspeople in San Marino
- Gulf Coast Devil Rays players
- Kingsport Mets players
- Major League Baseball outfielders
- Major League Baseball players from Venezuela
- Minor league baseball managers
- Navegantes del Magallanes players
- New York Mets players
- New York Yankees coaches
- Norfolk Tides players
- Orlando Rays players
- People from Ciudad Bolívar
- Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings players
- Saraperos de Saltillo players
- St. Petersburg Devil Rays players
- T & A San Marino players
- Venezuelan baseball coaches
- Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States
- Venezuelan people of African descent