Guillermo "Willy" Miranda Perez (May 24, 1926 — September 7, 1996) was a Cuban-born

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 who played

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 ...

in the Major Leagues from 1951–1959. Though he was often dazzling in the field, he was a notoriously light hitter, batting .221 lifetime in the majors with a .271 slugging percentage. Born in Velasco, Cuba, Miranda was a

switch-hitter In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers. Characteristics Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...

who threw right-handed; he was listed at and . He was a popular shortstop in the Cuban professional winter league, distinguishing himself as an outstanding fielder. He became even more famous in his native country for being the first Cuban player since the World War I era (

Ángel Aragón Ángel Aragón (August 2, 1890 — January 24, 1952) was a Cuban professional baseball player and father of Jack Aragon. Aragón spent his entire Major League Baseball career with the New York Yankees. He played in the Cuban League from 1912 to 19 ...

and

Armando Marsans Armando Marsans Mendiondo (October 3, 1887 – September 3, 1960) was a Cuban professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1918. He played in three different major leagues in his career: with the ...

) to play for the

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

. This was notable because it took place during the decade of the 1950s, when the Yankees won six

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

-- and because Miranda had grown up as a fan of that team. Miranda was on the Yankee roster for the

1953 World Series The 1953 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1953 season. The 50th edition of the World Series, it matched the four-time defending champions New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers in a rematch of the ...

but did not appear in the Fall Classic. He played for nine years in the majors for the Yankees, Washington Senators,

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 ...

and St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles. Frequently traded early in his career, he was passed back and forth between the White Sox and Browns during the season: traded by Chicago to St. Louis on June 15, 1952; claimed on waivers by the White Sox from the Browns 13 days later; then traded back to the Browns in October 1952. Finally, in June 1953, the Browns broke the cycle by selling Miranda's contract to the Yankees. In , Miranda led the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

double plays In 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 ...

.1957 T.C.G. baseball card. He died at the age of 70 in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

References

External links

SABR BioProject
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miranda, Willy 1926 births 1996 deaths Baltimore Orioles players Chattanooga Lookouts players Chicago White Sox players Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball shortstops New York Yankees players St. Louis Browns players St. Paul Saints (AA) players Sherman–Denison Twins players Syracuse Chiefs players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalists for Cuba Competitors at the 1946 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in baseball