Jesús Anthony Vega Morales is a former

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), ...

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

and first baseman. He played parts of three seasons in the major leagues between and , all with 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 ...

Pro career

In 1975 Jesus Vega made his pro debut for the Newark Co-Pilots of the New York-Penn League. During his first season as a pro, Vega batted .309 and drove in 27 runs. all three season Vega spent in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system, he played at the single A level and batted over 300 each season. While with the

Burlington Bees The Burlington Bees are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Burlington, Iowa, and have played their home games at Community Field since 1947. Founded in 1889, the Bees played in Minor League Basebal ...

Vega showed he had power to go along with his hitting, as he belted 23 home runs while maintaining a batting average over 300. He finally reached the double-a level, but it was for the

, and not the Brewers, as Vega had been acquired by the Twins. They assigned Vega to the

Orlando Twins Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

of the Southern League. While Vega's numbers went down against a higher level of competition, they still remained respectable, as he batted .297 and drove in 49 runs. Vega quickly moved up the chain in the Twins system, as the following season, he was promoted to their Triple A club, 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 ...

. While Toledo struggled on the field, they were stocked with future major league talent like

Dave Engle Ralph David Engle (born November 30, 1956) is a former Major League Baseball utility player who played for the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers of the American League and the Montreal Expos of the National League from 1981 to ...

Hosken Powell Hosken Powell (born May 14, 1955) is a former professional baseball player. He played from 1978 to 1983 for the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). An outfielder, he threw and batted left-handed, stood tall and ...

Sal Butera Salvatore Philip Butera (born September 25, 1952) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He was a major league scout for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball during the 2015 season. Playing career Signed by the Minnesota ...

and Gary Ward. At 23 years old, Vega was established as the Mud Hens regular first baseman. Despite the higher level of competition, Vega batted a respectable .293 and even found a little power as well as he hit 13 home runs and led the team in RBIs with 72. Later on in the 1979 season, Vega got promoted to the majors, but his stay was short. He appeared in just four games and did not get a hit in seven at bats. In 1980, he found himself back in Toledo, but would earn another promotion to Minnesota. He stuck around for 24 games this time, but he served mainly as a

Designated Hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

and played just two games at first, spelling starter Ron Johnson. Vega did not appear in the majors at all in 1981, instead split time between Toledo and the Mets Triple A squad, the

Tidewater Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

. Vega returned to Minnesota in 1982, but he was no longer in their plans, as he'd been passed up by prospect

Kent Hrbek Kent Alan Hrbek (; born May 21, 1960), nicknamed "Herbie", is a former American Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 14-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins (1981–1994). Hrbek batted left-handed and threw right-hand ...

. On September 8th, 1982, Vega played his final game on the major league level, getting a hit in his only at bat when he pinch hit for outfielder Bobby Mitchell in the Twins 2-0 loss to the Texas Rangers. In 1983, Vega signed with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

and was assigned to their Triple A club, the

Albuquerque Dukes The Albuquerque Dukes were a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. History The first Dukes team was formed in 1915 as part of the Class D Rio Grande Association. The team finished in third place with a 32-25 record. Fra ...

. He also spent a portion of the 1983 season with the Mexico City Reds of the Mexican league. After one season, the Dodgers released Vega and he finished his pro career with Yucatan in the Mexican League one year later in 1985.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vega, Jesus Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball first basemen Minnesota Twins players Newark Co-Pilots players Burlington Bees players Orlando Twins players Toledo Mud Hens players Tidewater Tides players Albuquerque Dukes players Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Baseball players from Bayamón, Puerto Rico 1955 births Living people

Pro career

See also

References

Sources