Fred Rico

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Alfredo Rico Cruz (born July 4, 1944 in Jerome, Arizona) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He was signed by the Baltimore Orioles before the 1964 season, and later drafted by the Kansas City Royals from the Orioles in the 1968 rule V draft. (December 2, 1968)

He was called up by the expansion Royals from Triple-A Omaha when rosters expanded in September of 1969. Rico got into 12 games during his one month with Kansas City, including seven in the starting lineup. He did an excellent job in the field, making no errors in 31 chances, including two innings as a third baseman.

Though he had a low batting average of .231 (6-for-26), he had a terrific on base percentage of .429 because he also walked nine times. His best game was probably September 28 against the Chicago White Sox, when he went 1-for-3 with 2 walks, one RBI, and one run scored in a 10-3 win at Comiskey Park.

While playing again for Omaha, Rico was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals organization for second baseman Cookie Rojas on June 13, 1970. Assigned to stay in the minors, he went to the Tulsa Oilers, also of the American Association. He had an excellent season for Tulsa in 1971, batting .296 with 19 HR and 101 RBI, and was acquired by the Minnesota Twins organization on September 14. He was listed on Minnesota's 1972 spring roster, but never again reached the major league level.