José Oquendo
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José Manuel Oquendo Contreras (born July 4, 1963 in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico) is a former infielder in Major League Baseball and the current third base coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.
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[edit] Career
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Oquendo began his major league career at the age of 19 in 1983 with the New York Mets. In the 1986 season, however, he joined the Cardinals, where he would spend the rest of his career, eventually playing every defensive position, most often second base until his retirement at the end of the 1995 season. He finished as a lifetime .256 hitter.
Oquendo once pitched in relief for four innings, shutting out the Atlanta Braves for three innings before yielding a home run, earning the first decision by a non-pitcher in 20 years. His best year came in 1989, when he was in the top 10 in batting average, hits, triples, walks, singles, on base percentage, and games played.
Oquendo served as manager of the team representing Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.
[edit] Trivia
- In 1990, Oquendo set a major league record for the fewest errors (three) by a second baseman in a 150+ game season after tying what is the current American League record (five) the previous season (based upon 2002 information) [1]. However, Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg won the Gold Glove Award both years.
- Oquendo has played every single position on a baseball field.
[edit] The Sklar Brothers and the "Utility Man"
In 2004, a comical one hour special aired on ESPN and was produced by MLB Productions about José Oquendo. It featured Randy and Jason Sklar of Cheap Seats going on a trip all the way to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on a campaign to get José "The Utilityman" Oquendo inducted for his versatility to play almost any position on the baseball field. The special included the Sklars receiving Oquendo's blessing to lobby for his spot in Cooperstown, collecting signatures for the petition, and giving a lackluster presentation to the Hall of Fame's committee. After initially denying their claim, the committee agreed to place his plaque in a spot that fits the man- the utility closet.
[edit] Nickname
- In Puerto Rico, he is known as "Cheito".
- In St. Louis, he is known as "The Secret Weapon", a nickname bestowed by former manager Whitey Herzog.
[edit] See also
[edit] External link
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
