Alfonso "Houston" Jiménez González (born 30 October 1957) is a Mexican former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

who is currently the third base coach for the

Dorados de Chihuahua Dorados de Chihuahua (English: Chihuahua Goldens) are a refounded baseball team from the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Chihuahua. Recently, the Tuneros de San Luis moved to Chihuahua and took the Dorados namesake, which also brought the LMB (AAA ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. Jiménez played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

from 1983 through 1988 for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

. Jiménez spent 14 seasons playing in the

and 25 seasons in the

Mexican Pacific League The Mexican Pacific League (), known as Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico for sponsorship reasons or simply LMP for its acronym in Spanish, is a professional baseball winter league based in Northern Mexico. The ten-team regular season schedule run ...

. He was inducted into the

Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame The Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México (in English, Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame), commonly called the Salón de la Fama (Hall of Fame) is a baseball hall of fame and museum located in Monterrey, Nuevo León. ...

as part of the class of 2007.

Playing career

Early years

Jiménez began his playing career with Puebla in 1974 at the age of 16. In 1975, he was signed as a free agent by the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

organization, where he played for the

Key West Cubs The Key West Cubs were a Class A minor league baseball affiliate of the Chicago Cubs in 1975. The team played its home games at Wickers Stadium in Key West, Florida. Prior to being named the Cubs, the team was known as the Key West Conchs from 1 ...

. After batting just .215 as their regular shortstop, he returned to Pericos for two seasons. He had a brief trial with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

organization in 1978, batting .220 in 13 games.

Twins

After two more seasons with Puebla, Jiménez signed with the

before the 1981 season. At the end of

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

, he was purchased by the

Broncos de Reynosa The Reynosa Broncos (''los Broncos de Reynosa'') were a Mexican team that played in the Adolfo Lopez Mateos stadium in the city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. The Broncos de Reynosa played in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol and it was part of the Zona Nort ...

. After spending a season and a half with Reynosa, he was reacquired by the Twins, finishing the season with the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

. Jiménez started 1983 with the Mud Hens, but was called up to the majors in June. He spent the rest of the season splitting time at shortstop with

Ron Washington Ronald Louis Washington (born April 29, 1952) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, and Houston Astros. W ...

. The following year, Jiménez became the Twins' starter, playing in 108 games. However, 1984 would prove to be the only full season he spent at the major league level. After batting just .201, he spent all of the 1985 season with Toledo, then was released just before the start of the 1986 season.

Pirates and Indians

After spending 1986 out of organized ball, Jiménez signed with the

in December. He spent most of the 1987 season with the

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. ...

, playing in just six games for the Pirates, for whom he went hitless in 7 at bats. He became a free agent after the season. In June 1988, Jiménez signed with the

. His experience was similar to the previous year, as he spent most of the season in Triple-A with the

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockie ...

. He appeared in eight games with the Indians, managing just one hit in 21 at-bats.

Back to Mexico

After spending several years playing winter ball, Jiménez returned to the Mexican League in 1993 with the

Saraperos de Saltillo The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serape Wearers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (198 ...

. He played there until his retirement in 2001.

Managerial career

While still active with Saltillo, he was named the clubs' manager in 1999. After leaving Saltillo in 2001, he managed the

Guerreros de Oaxaca The Guerreros de Oaxaca (English: Oaxaca Warriors) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their home field is Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos. History In October 1995, a group of businessmen, l ...

from 2002 until 2004. He managed the

Diablos Rojos del México The Diablos Rojos del Mexico (English: Mexico Red Devils) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Mexico City, Mexico. The team was founded in 1940 by Salvador Lutteroth and Ernesto Carmona. The Diablos Rojos play their hom ...

in 2005 and the

Potros de Tijuana The Potros de Tijuana were a baseball club that played in the Mexican Pacific League and later in the Mexican League. The Potros were based in Tijuana, Baja California, and played their home games at Estadio Nacional de Tijuana (Tijuana National ...

at the start of 2006. After being let go by Tijuana, Jiménez was named to the coaching staff of the

Tri-City Dust Devils The Tri-City Dust Devils are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels. Tri-City plays their home gam ...

, a class-A farm team for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

. In 2007, he became the hitting coach for the

Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in differen ...

, where he served for two seasons. He was also elected to the

in 2007. Jiménez was named manager of the

Pericos de Puebla The Pericos de Puebla (English: "Puebla Parrots") are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Puebla, Mexico. History The state of Puebla came upon baseball in the early 1920s when returning Poblanos that had come from militar ...

in 2009. That year, he also served as

third base coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisi ...

for the

Mexico national baseball team The Mexico national baseball team (Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de México'') is the baseball team that represents Mexico in international tournaments. It is currently the 4th-ranked baseball team in the world. Roster Results and fixtures ...

at the

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international baseball competition. It began on 5 9 and finished 5 26. Unlike in 2006, when the round-robin format of the first two rounds led to some eliminations being decided by run-difference ti ...

. Jiménez led Puebla to the 2010 Final Series, but lost to Saltillo 1 games to 4. After the 2011 season, Jiménez left the Pericos and was later hired by the

Petroleros de Minatitlán The Petroleros de Minatitlán (English: Minatitlán Oilers) was a AAA-level baseball team playing in the Mexican League. Their homefield was the Parque 18 de marzo de 1938 in Minatitlán, Veracruz Minatitlán is a city in southeastern Mexican ...

in May 2012 as a replacement for

Roberto Heras Roberto Heras Hernández (born 1 February 1974) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer who won the Vuelta a España a record four times. Between 1997 and 2005 he finished in the top 5 of the Vuelta every year except 1998 when he f ...

; after taking the Petroleros with a 19–40 record, Minatitlán finished the season last in the South Division with a 40–73 record. In

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, he was enshrined into the

Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame The Pabellón de la Fama del Caribe (In English, the ''Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame'') was established in 1996 by Juan Francisco Puello Herrera, commissioner of the Confederación de Béisbol del Caribe (''Caribbean Confederation of Profession ...

. In February 2013 he was named again Puebla's manager. On 14 May 2014, Jiménez left Puebla, replaced by

Joe Alvarez José René Álvarez Ramírez (born June 11, 1956), known as Joe Alvarez, is a Cuban American baseball manager and a former utility infielder in Minor League Baseball. Listed at 5' 9" , 165 lb. , Alvarez batted and threw right handed.

. On 14 July 2014, he was hired as the manager of

El Águila de Veracruz El Águila de Veracruz (English: ''The Veracruz Eagle'') is a professional baseball team that plays in the Mexican League. Based in Veracruz, Mexico, they play their home games at the Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila. History Baseball was intro ...

replacing Eddie Castro. In 2015, he managed

Olmecas de Tabasco The Olmecas de Tabasco (English: Tabasco Olmecs) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Their home ballpark is the Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero. The Olmecas won their only Mexican Leag ...

finishing sixth in the South Division with a 48–56 record. In April 2016, Jiménez was appointed manager of Oaxaca, replacing Enrique Reyes. He managed the Guerreros for two seasons, failing to qualify for the postseason in both years. Jiménez was named manager of the

for the first tournament of 2018 season, finishing sixth in the South Division. On 18 May 2019, he was hired by the

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (''Owls of the Two Laredos''), formerly known as the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo (''Owls of Nuevo Laredo''), are a Minor League Baseball team based in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, and Laredo, Texas in the Mexican Leagu ...

, replacing manager

Félix Fermín Félix José Fermín Minaya (born October 9, 1963) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (–), Cleveland Indians (–), Seattle Mariners (–) and Chicago Cubs ( ...

; on 23 August 2018, with six games remaining in the season and with a 36–41 record, he was replaced by Rafael Rijo. In 2024, Jiménez joined the

as third base coach.

Managerial statistics

Mexican League

References

External links

Salon de la Fama page for Houston Jiménez
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jimenez, Houston 1957 births Living people Baseball players from Mexico City Broncos de Reynosa players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Diablos Rojos del México managers Diablos Rojos del México players Guerreros de Oaxaca managers Iowa Oaks players Key West Cubs players Langosteros de Cancún players Major League Baseball players from Mexico Major League Baseball shortstops Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Mexican expatriate baseball players in Canada Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States Mexican League baseball managers Mexican League baseball third basemen Mexican League Rookie of the Year Award winners Minnesota Twins players Minor league baseball managers Olmecas de Tabasco managers Pericos de Puebla managers Pericos de Puebla players Piratas de Campeche players Pittsburgh Pirates players Saraperos de Saltillo managers Saraperos de Saltillo players Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos managers Toledo Mud Hens players Vancouver Canadians players