Raúl Ramón Mondesí Avelino (born March 12, 1971) is a Dominican former politician and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player. Mondesí 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 (A ...

(MLB) for 13 seasons, primarily for 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) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

, and made his MLB debut with them in 1993. He was the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

(NL) Rookie of the Year in 1994, an

MLB All-Star The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

, and a two-time

Rawlings Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

winner. Known for his combination of

power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

and speed, Mondesí twice achieved the

30–30 club In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 30–30 club is the group of batters who have collected thirty home runs and thirty stolen bases in a single season. Ken Williams was the first to achieve this, doing so in 1922. He remained the sole member ...

. He led MLB right fielders in assists in three separate seasons over the course of his career. After baseball, Mondesí began a career in politics, gaining election to the Dominican

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon Res ...

in 2006. In 2010, he became mayor of San Cristóbal in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

, serving a six-year term. In 2017, Mondesí was sentenced to eight years in prison on corruption charges arising from his mayoral tenure.

Career

Los Angeles Dodgers

Mondesí was originally signed by the

as an amateur free agent in 1988 out of the

. With the Great Falls Dodgers in 1990, he hit .303 with 30 stolen bases and was selected to the Pioneer League All-Star team. In 1991, he played in 21 games with the

Bakersfield Dodgers Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's pop ...

, 53 games with the

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded ...

, and 2 with 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. Frank ...

hitting .277 with 8 home runs and 18 stolen bases. In 1992, he played 18 games with San Antonio and 35 with Albuquerque, hitting .296. He spent all of 1993 with the Dukes, hitting .280 with 12 homers and 13 steals. He made his MLB debut for the Dodgers on July 19, 1993, 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 ...

, hitting a single to center field as a pinch hitter in seventh inning against David West for his first major league hit. He hit his first home run, a two-run shot off

Bob Scanlan Robert Guy Scanlan Jr. (born August 9, 1966), is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1991-2001. He played for the Chicago Cubs (1991-1993), Milwaukee Brewers (1994-1995, 2000), Detroit Tigers (1996), Kansas ...

in the 13th inning of a game against 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 locate ...

on July 31. He returned to the minors after the August 6 games, but was back with the Dodgers for good in September. He appeared in 42 games that season for the Dodgers, hitting .291 with four home runs. Mondesí made the Dodgers opening day roster in 1994 and played in 112 games, hitting .306 with 16 homers, 56 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. He was selected as the National League Rookie of the Year. In 1995, he was twice selected as National League Player of the Week (April 30 and July 5), he won the

and was selected to the

1995 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1995 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 66th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 1 ...

. He flew out to right field in his one at-bat in the All-Star game. He also competed in the Home Run Derby. Overall, he hit .285 with 26 home runs, 88 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. He had two hits in nine at-bats for the Dodgers in the

1995 National League Division Series The 1995 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 1995 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 3, and ended on Saturday, October 7, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team� ...

loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He was two for twelve in the 1996 National League Division Series against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

, with two doubles. In 1997, he hit .310 with 30 homers, 88 RBI, and 32 steals becoming the first Dodger player in history to join the

. He also won his second

and finished 15th in voting for the National League Most Valuable Player Award. In 1999, he again joined the 30–30 club with 33 homers and 36 steals, though his average had dipped to .253.

Toronto Blue Jays

On November 8, 1999, Mondesí was traded by the Dodgers (along with Pedro Borbón Jr.) to the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

for

Shawn Green Shawn David Green (born November 10, 1972) is an American former Major League Baseball right fielder. Green was a 1st round draft pick and a two-time major league All-Star. He drove in 100 runs four times and scored 100 runs four times, hit ...

and minor league player Jorge Nunez. He only played in 96 games during his first season in Toronto after he tore ligaments in his right elbow during a game on July 21, which required season-ending surgery. He played two and a half seasons with the Blue Jays, playing in 320 games and hitting 66 home runs. He won the American League Player of the Week Award for the week of May 6, 2001.

New York Yankees

Mondesí was traded by the Blue Jays to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

on July 1, 2002 for Scott Wiggins. He played in 71 games for the Yankees that season and another 98 in 2003, hitting .250 with 27 home runs and 92 RBI. He had 3 hits in 12 at-bats for the Yankees in the

2002 American League Division Series The 2002 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2002 American League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 1, and ended on Sunday, October 6, with the champions of the three AL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—p ...

against the

Anaheim Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Yankees traded Mondesí on July 29, 2003 to the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

for David Dellucci, Bret Prinz and minor leaguer John Prowl. In 45 games with the Diamondbacks, he hit .302 with eight home runs.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Mondesí signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates on February 24, 2004. By May he was talking of leaving the team for personal reasons, involving a legal dispute, in the Dominican Republic. He left the team on May 11, 2004 and his contract was terminated a week later.

Anaheim Angels

The

signed Mondesí on May 30, 2004. The deal was investigated by

, but the Angels were cleared of any wrongdoing. Shortly after Mondesí signed with the Angels, he tore his quadriceps and was placed on the disabled list. He was released by the Angels in July for not showing up for his rehab therapy.

Atlanta Braves

The

signed Mondesí in 2005; he appeared in 41 games with the team before the Braves released him on May 31.

Post-baseball career

In May 2006, running on the ballot of the

Dominican Liberation Party The Dominican Liberation Party ( Spanish: Partido de la Liberación Dominicana, referred to here by its Spanish acronym, the PLD) is a political party in the Dominican Republic. Founded in 1973 by former president Juan Bosch, the party, along ...

, Mondesi was elected to a seat in the Dominican Republic's Chamber of Deputies, representing his home province San Cristóbal. In November 2007, he switched sides, aligning himself with the

Dominican Revolutionary Party The Dominican Revolutionary Party ( es, link=no, Partido Revolucionario Dominicano, PRD) is a political party in the Dominican Republic. Traditionally a left-of-centre party and social democratic in nature, the party has shifted since the 2000 ...

after discrepancies with the government over humanitarian aid to be given to his province after Tropical Storm Noel. He was elected mayor of his hometown on May 16, 2010, for a six-year term. In September 2017, Mondesi was sentenced to eight years in prison and ordered to pay a $1.3 million fine for corruption and mishandling of public funds during his term as mayor of San Cristóbal.

Personal life

Mondesí's son Adalberto Mondesí (formerly known as Raul Mondesí Jr.) is also a professional baseball player. He made his MLB debut for the Kansas City Royals in the

2015 World Series The 2015 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2015 season. The 111th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion New York Mets and the American Leag ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mondesi, Raul 1971 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Albuquerque Dukes players Anaheim Angels players Arizona Diamondbacks players Atlanta Braves players Bakersfield Dodgers players Baseball players at the 2007 Pan American Games Dominican Liberation Party politicians Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic prisoners and detainees Dominican Revolutionary Party politicians Gold Glove Award winners Great Falls Dodgers players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball right fielders Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners Mayors of places in the Dominican Republic Members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic Politicians convicted of corruption Prisoners and detainees of the Dominican Republic National League All-Stars New York Yankees players Pittsburgh Pirates players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Salt Lake Stingers players San Antonio Missions players Toronto Blue Jays players Pan American Games competitors for the Dominican Republic Sportsperson-politicians