Rogelio Álvarez Hernández (April 18, 1938 – November 30, 2012) was a Cuban

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 ...

player whose career spanned 18 seasons, including parts of two 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), ...

with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

(1960, 1962). Over his career in the majors, Álvarez batted .189 with two runs, seven

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

and two

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBIs). Álvarez also played in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

with the Class-C Yuma Sun Sox (1956), the Class-B

Port Arthur Sea Hawks The Port Arthur Sea Hawks were a Gulf Coast League (1950–1953), Evangeline League (1940–1942, 1954) and Big State League (1955–1956) baseball team based in Port Arthur, Texas, United States. In 1953, they were affiliated with the Dallas Eagle ...

(1956), the Class-B

Wenatchee Chiefs The Wenatchee Chiefs were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Wenatchee, Washington. Founded in 1937, the team was a part of the Class B Western International League through 1954, although the team did not operat ...

(1957), the Class-B Clovis Redlegs (1957), the Triple-A

Havana Sugar Kings The Havana Sugar Kings were a Cuban-based minor league baseball team that played from 1946 to 1960. From 1954 until 1960, they belonged in the Class Triple-A (baseball), AAA International League, affiliated with Major League Baseball's 1960 Cinc ...

Jersey City Jerseys {{unreferenced, date=January 2023 The Jersey City Jerseys was a minor league baseball team based in Jersey City, New Jersey that played in the International League for two seasons, 1960 and 1961. It was the AAA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. ...

(1958–1961), the Triple-A

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

(1962–1963, 1965), the Double-A Macon Peaches (1964), the Double-A

Knoxville Smokies Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...

(1965–1967), the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

(1966), the Double-A

Evansville White Sox The Evansville White Sox were a minor league baseball team based in Evansville, Indiana that played in the Southern League from 1966 to 1968. They were affiliated with the Chicago White Sox and played their home games at Bosse Field Bosse Fiel ...

, the Triple-A Veracruz Aguila (1968–1971), the Triple-A Poza Rica Petroleros (1972) and the Triple-A Yucatán Leones (1973). During his minor league career, he played 1,706 games. He primarily played

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

over his career, but also played

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball and ...

and

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

on occasion. Álvarez was a member of the Washington Senators during

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 ...

in 1963 and was expected to be the team's starting first baseman going into the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...

. However, Álvarez, who was born in

Pinar del Río, Cuba Pinar may refer to: * Pınar, Turkish feminine given name * Píñar, municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain * Pinar del Río, a city of Cuba * Pinar del Río Province, a province of Cuba * Pinar, Albania, village in Tirana County, ...

, was forced to stay in his native country by the Cuban government. This made Álvarez incapable of reporting to the Senators, who trained in

Pompano Beach, Florida Pompano Beach ( ) is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is located along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Fort Lauderdale. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As of the 2020 ...

. He later left the country during unknown circumstances and joined the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

after the Senators returned his contract to the Reds' organization.

Professional career

Early career: Cincinnati Reds

In 1956, Álvarez signed with the

Cincinnati Redlegs Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

(now known as the "Reds") as an amateur

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. In his first professional season, he played the Class-C Yuma Sun Sox of the

Arizona–Mexico League The Arizona–Mexico League was a Minor League Baseball league in the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico, that operated as an affiliated Class C league that existed from 1955–58, and then again in 2003 as an independent baseball league ...

and the Class-B

of the

Big State League The Big State League was a mid-level, Class B level circuit in American minor league baseball that played for 11 seasons, from 1947 through 1957. Its member clubs were exclusively based in Texas. The Corpus Christi Clippers (1955-1956), Texark ...

. That season, he batted a combined .305 with 10 doubles, 5

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

, and 5

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

. During the next season, Álvarez split his playing time between the Class-B

of the

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...

and the Class-B Clovis Redlegs of the

Southwestern League The Southwestern League was the name of four former minor league baseball leagues that operated in the Southwestern United States. The second league, also known as the ''Oklahoma State League'', was in operation for the 1904 season. The third l ...

. He batted a combined .325 with 24 doubles, 7 triples, and 39 home runs. Despite only appearing in 48 games in the Southwestern League, Álvarez finished the season third in the league in home runs with 24. In 1958, Álvarez played for the Triple-A

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. In 146 games, Álvarez batted .268 with 67 runs, 130 hits, 23 doubles, five triples, 25 home runs and 88

(RBIs). Along with

Bob Lennon Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) ...

, Álvarez was fourth in the International League in home runs that year. He was also fifth in RBIs. Álvarez continued playing with the Triple-A Havana Sugar Kings in 1959. That season, he batted .196 with 51 runs, 99 hits, 19 doubles, one triple, 22 home runs and 65 RBIs. Álvarez was second to last in batting average in the International League, however, he was tied for eight with Luke Easter in home runs. In 1960, Álvarez continued playing with the Havana until their move to

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Jerseys" after

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

rose to power in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. With the team, he batted .254 with 134 hits, 20 doubles, one triple, 17 home runs and 72 RBIs in 151 games. On September 18, 1960, Álvarez made his debut in

after being called up by the Reds. In his first game, Álvarez

struck out In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denot ...

in one

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a bat ...

against the

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 ...

. His first and only major league hit of the season came in his third game. In his three games in the majors that season, Álvarez batted .111 with one run and one hit in three games. During the 1961 season, Álvarez played with the Triple-A Jersey City Jerseys. In 140 games that season, he batted .228 with 56 runs, 101 hits, 13 doubles, six triples, 12 home runs and 58 RBIs. In 1962, Álvarez started at the Triple-A level with the

of the

(PCL). With the Padres, he batted .318 with 88 runs, 153 hits, 27 doubles, five triples, 18 home runs and 73 RBIs in 132 games. In September 1962, it was announced that Álvarez made the PCL all-star team. He was seventh in the PCL in batting average that season. Álvarez was purchased by the Reds in September of the 1962 season after playing with the San Diego Padres in their minor league organization. His call-up to the majors was due to an injury to the Reds'

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Gordy Coleman Gordon Calvin "Gordy" Coleman (July 5, 1934 – March 12, 1994) was a professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball with the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds. He helped the Reds win the 1961 National League pennant, ...

. His first major league hit of the season came on September 9, against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

. His first major league RBI came on September 14, against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. Álvarez made his final major league appearance on September 28, against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

, striking out in one at-bat. On the season with the Reds, Álvarez batted .241 with one run, six hits and two RBIs in 14 games.

Later career

In November 1962, the Cincinnati Reds traded Álvarez to the Washington Senators in exchange for first baseman

Harry Bright Harry James Bright (September 22, 1929 – March 13, 2000) was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman and utility player in Major League Baseball over all or parts of eight seasons, from to , for the Pittsburgh Pirates, W ...

. Going into the season,

Mickey Vernon James Barton "Mickey" Vernon (April 22, 1918 – September 24, 2008) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who played for the Washington Senators (1939–1948, 1950–1955), Cleveland Indians (1949–1950, 1958), Boston Red ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

of the Senators at the time, said that Álvarez was poised to play first base in the majors that season with Washington. During

in 1963, Álvarez was barred from leaving his native Cuba, making it impossible for him to report to the Senators. The Mexican government was involved in helping Álvarez leave Cuba to return to the United States. Tom Brown replaced Álvarez on the Senators roster while he was in Cuba. On May 10, 1963, it was reported that Álvarez left Cuba and returned to his baseball career. Álvarez, who did not comment on how he returned from Cuba, was sold by the Senators to the Triple-A San Diego Padres after his return. That season with the Padres, Álvarez batted .259 with 51 runs, 95 hits, 19 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs and 63 RBIs in 103 games. Álvarez joined the Double-A Macon Peaches of the Southern League in 1964. With the Peaches, he batted .271 with 16 runs, 39 hits, seven doubles, 10 home runs and 42 RBIs in 56 games. Álvarez split the 1965 season between the Triple-A San Diego Padres and the Double-A

. He batted a combined .233 with 27 runs, 70 hits, 10 doubles, 16 home runs and 50 RBIs in 111 games. In 1967, Álvarez started the season with the Double-A Smokies batting .312 with 56 runs, 115 hits, 20 doubles, one triple, 27 home runs and 78 RBIs in 114 games. He was second amongst Southern League batters in home runs, fifth in batting average and sixth in RBIs. Álvarez split the 1967 season between the Double-A Knoxville Smokies and the Double-A

. Between the two Southern League teams, he batted .240 with 46 runs, 110 hits, 21 doubles, one triple, 19 home runs and 84 RBIs in 133 games. In 1968, Álvarez joined the Triple-A Veracruz Aguila 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 ...

. He played with Veracruz for the next four season before joining the

Poza Rica Petroleros Poza or Pozas may refer to: Geography * Poza Rica, city in Veracruz, Mexico ** C.D. Poza Rica, football team in Poza Rica * Poza de la Sal, town in Castille and León, Spain * Poza de la Vega, municipality in Castille and León, Spain * Pozas, ...

, also of the Mexican League, in 1972. Álvarez spent his final season in professional baseball in 1973 with the Mexican League Yucatán Leones.

References

;General references # # ;Inline citations

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez, Rogelio 1938 births 2012 deaths Rojos del Águila de Veracruz players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cardenales de Lara players Cuban expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Cienfuegos players Cincinnati Reds players Clovis Redlegs players Defecting Cuban baseball players Evansville White Sox players Havana Sugar Kings players Jersey City Jerseys players Knoxville Smokies players Leones de Yucatán players Macon Peaches players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Navegantes del Magallanes players People from Pinar del Río Petroleros de Poza Rica players Port Arthur Sea Hawks players San Diego Padres (minor league) players Wenatchee Chiefs players Yuma Sun Sox players 21st-century African-American people

Professional career

Early career: Cincinnati Reds

Later career

See also

References

External links