Melvin Mora

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Melvin Mora

Baltimore Orioles — No. 6
Third base
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
May 30, 1999 for the New York Mets
Selected MLB statistics
(through August 31, 2006)
Avg     .280
Hits     966
Runs scored     549
Teams

    Melvin Mora (born February 2, 1972 in Agua Negra, Yaracuy State, Venezuela), affectionately nicknamed Melmo or Melvy, is a Major League Baseball Third Baseman for the Baltimore Orioles. He bats and throws right-handed.

    From his debut in 1999 to 2003, Melvin Mora was known as a utility player, playing all three outfield positions, shortstop, and second base. In 2004, Mora was designated the everyday third baseman, a position he has played regularly since.

    Contents

    [edit] Career

    Mora was signed out of Venezuela in 1991. After spending seven years in the Astros minors system and couple months in Chinese (Taiwan) Professional Baseball League (CPBL)×, he signed as a free agent with the Mets in 1998 and made his major league debut in the 1999 season. With his ability to play all three outfield positions, shortstop, second base and third, Mora was considered a valuable man to have around.

    He was infamously traded by the Mets to Baltimore in midseason 2000 with two minor league players and Mike Kinkade for shortstop Mike Bordick.

    Melvin Mora continued to be used as a utility player in Baltimore, always showing promise and hints of ability to play regularly at any position, but never playing at a superb level that could justify giving him the playing time opportunity to do so consistently. Things changed when an injury-depleted Orioles team used Mora almost exclusively in left field, and Mora responded with the best stretch of his career. He reached base in 32 straight games while using a 23-game hitting streak to temporarily become the American League batting leader. Finally excelling as a hitter, Mora was chosen for his first All-Star selection. Mora's season was cut short due to injuries (a bruised wrist and a partially torn ligament in his left knee), but finished with a .317 batting average, 15 home runs, and a .418 on-base percentage in 96 games.

    Mora's 2003 season proved that he could be a consistent hitter at the Major League level. In 2004, Mora became the Orioles' regular third baseman and enjoyed his most productive season in the majors. Mora hit a career-high .340, finishing second in the AL batting race to Ichiro Suzuki's .372 mark; led the league hitters in on base percentage (.419); ranked 5th in slugging average (.562) and OPS (.981); 6th in runs (111), doubles (41) and times on base (264); 8th in hits (187), and 9th in total bases (264). His 27 home runs and 104 RBI were also career-highs, while leading his team in batting average, runs, on base percentage, slugging average and OPS. At third base, he improved and became more consistent as the season wore on.

    In 2005, Mora once again hit 27 home runs, although his batting average and on base percentage dropped.

    In a seven-year career through 2005, Mora is a .281 hitter with a .363 on-base percentage, 103 home runs and 400 RBI in 860 games.

    [edit] World Baseball Classic

    Melvin Mora agreed to represent his native country, Venezuela, in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, joining fellow Venezuelan major Leaguers Bobby Abreu, Edgardo Alfonzo, Miguel Cairo, Omar Vizquel, Carlos Guillen, Johan Santana, Freddy Garcia, Carlos Silva, Carlos Zambrano, Victor Zambrano, and Francisco Rodriguez. He later pulled out after being denied the third-base position in favor of Miguel Cabrera.

    [edit] Highlights

    [edit] Personal Trivia

    • When he was seven years old, his father was violently murdered in Venezuela by men who mistook him for somebody else.

    [edit] See also

    [edit] External links

    Preceded by
    Carlos Beltrán    		 American League Player of the Month
    May, 2004    		 Succeeded by
    Iván Rodríguez
    Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../m/e/l/Melvin_Mora_4396.html"
    In other languages