1971
Born March 12, 1971
San Cristobal, San Cristóbal, D.R.
Raúl Mondesí Marquee
b. March 12, 1971 · Los Angeles Dodgers 1993–1999, Toronto Blue Jays 2000–2002, New York Yankees 2002–2003, Arizona Diamondbacks 2003, Pittsburgh Pirates 2004, Anaheim Angels 2004, Atlanta Braves 2005
He was the unanimous Rookie of the Year in 1994, all 28 first-place votes, and hit 30 home runs with 32 steals in 1997 and 33 with 36 in 1999. Thirteen seasons gave him 1,589 hits, 271 home runs, 229 stolen bases and a .273 average, with two Gold Gloves.
The arm is what people remember: runners stopped at third on singles to right field, and he threw out men at first base from the outfield more than once. He was Dominican, signed at seventeen, and one of five straight Dodgers to win the rookie award between 1992 and 1996.
He was elected mayor of San Cristóbal in the Dominican Republic in 2010 and was later convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to prison. His son Adalberto has played for Kansas City. The 2011 ballot gave him no votes at all.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star selection | 1 | 1995 |
| Player of the Week | 4 | 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001 |
| Gold Glove | 2 | 1995, 1997 |
| MLB Players Choice Outstanding Rookie | 1 | 1994 |
| Rookie of the Year | 1 | 1994 |
| The Sporting News Rookie Player of the Year | 1 | 1994 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | LAD | 42 | 86 | 13 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 4 | .291 |
| 1994 | LAD | 112 | 434 | 63 | 133 | 27 | 8 | 16 | 56 | 16 | 78 | 11 | .306 |
| 1995 | LAD | 139 | 536 | 91 | 153 | 23 | 6 | 26 | 88 | 33 | 96 | 27 | .285 |
| 1996 | LAD | 157 | 634 | 98 | 188 | 40 | 7 | 24 | 88 | 32 | 122 | 14 | .297 |
| 1997 | LAD | 159 | 616 | 95 | 191 | 42 | 5 | 30 | 87 | 44 | 105 | 32 | .310 |
| 1998 | LAD | 148 | 580 | 85 | 162 | 26 | 5 | 30 | 90 | 30 | 112 | 16 | .279 |
| 1999 | LAD | 159 | 601 | 98 | 152 | 29 | 5 | 33 | 99 | 71 | 134 | 36 | .253 |
| 2000 | TOR | 96 | 388 | 78 | 105 | 22 | 2 | 24 | 67 | 32 | 73 | 22 | .271 |
| 2001 | TOR | 149 | 572 | 88 | 144 | 26 | 4 | 27 | 84 | 73 | 128 | 30 | .252 |
| 2002 | NYY/TOR | 146 | 569 | 90 | 132 | 34 | 1 | 26 | 88 | 59 | 103 | 15 | .232 |
| 2003 | ARI/NYY | 143 | 523 | 83 | 142 | 31 | 4 | 24 | 71 | 56 | 97 | 22 | .272 |
| 2004 | ANA/PIT | 34 | 133 | 10 | 32 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 13 | 31 | 0 | .241 |
| 2005 | ATL | 41 | 142 | 17 | 30 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 12 | 35 | 0 | .211 |
| Career | — | 1525 | 5814 | 909 | 1589 | 319 | 49 | 271 | 860 | 475 | 1130 | 229 | .273 |
On this day & linked events
1993
Major-league debut: Raúl Mondesí
Raúl Mondesí made a major-league debut on July 19, 1993.
2005
Final major-league game: Raúl Mondesí
Raúl Mondesí played a final major-league game on May 27, 2005.
Image: Chuck Thurmond, CC BY 2.0