Tag: Felipe Alou

San Francisco Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Posey, Melvin, Wotus, Correa, who amongst them will be Giants next manager

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Former San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey takes to the 2012 World Series celebration back on Oct 31, 2012. Posey has been named as a top candidate for manager for the Giants job. It’s unlikely that Posey will take the job according to sources as Posey left baseball to have more time with his family. (AP file photo)

On the SF Giants podcast with Stephen:

#1 Stephen wanted to go over some of the top candidates for the job of manager of the San Francisco Giants. We’ll start with Buster Posey nothing like name recognition. He’s a three time World Champion catcher and a no one would be surprised if he gets on a Hall of Fame ballot after the five year waiting period is up. Yet can Posey come in and manage the club with no managerial experience what would that adjustment be like?

#2 Bob Melvin is still managing the San Diego Padres but that all could come to an end. The Padres didn’t make post season and Padres GM AJ Preller and CEO Erik Greupner will be meeting Melvin Monday at Petco Park to discuss Melvin’s future. If Melvin gets canned in San Diego he’s been speculated as one of the top contenders for the Giants job. He managed a struggling Oakland A’s club and got the best out of a bad situation, he was a former Giants catcher and is well known and admired for his work in the Bay Area.

#3 Giants third base coach Mark Hallberg is considered the best candidate for the job. He’s well respected and has worked with all the players through his time as third base coach and the players would say he would be a fit. Hallberg was good friends with Posey and if Hallberg was named manager he might tab Posey to come back as a coach.

#4 Ron Wotus is a special assistant with the Giants and a fan favorite. Wotus has been coaching the team under managers Dusty Baker, Felipe Alou, Bruce Bochy, and now Gabe Kapler. Wotus spoke to the team after last Wednesday night’s game after the Giants lost giving up three runs in the top of the tenth inning against the Padres in a 5-2 loss. The writing was on the wall after that game. Did Wotus speaking with the team have meaning for the future for him as a possible manager.

#5 Stephen, just mentioning three more names that could come up available as manager the Rockies Bud Black, the Angels Phil Nevin, the Yankees Aaron Boone, and the Brewers Craig Counsell. Of that short list who do you see having a chance joining the helm at the Giants.

Stephen Ruderman was a MLB podcast contributor for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Jackie Robinson Legacy is International

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Jackie Robinson who broke the color line in Major League Baseball in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers takes a swing at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn (jackierobinson.com file photo)

Jackie Robinson Legacy is International

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaury Pi-González

April 15,2020 marks the 73rd Anniversary of Jackie Robinson as the first African-American player in MLB,with the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. His legacy and career was honored and his uniform number 42 retired by Major League Baseball by Commissioner Bud Selig 33 years ago on April 15,1997.

Robinson’s #42 was the first and only number retired by all MLB 30 teams. Generally people focus on African Americans who followed Robinson into baseball,but the great pioneer also opened the door for Black Latino players.

Jackie Robinson’s legacy goes beyond US borders.  Because of Robinson, Latino players of dark skin were also able to come and play in the big leagues with their American brothers.

Today almost 33 percent of all players in MLB are born in Latin America(higher percentage in the minor leagues)and after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier,some great Latino black players,like Cuban-born Orestes(Minnie) Miñoso who signed as a rookie in 1949 with the Cleveland Indians, before becoming the last player in baseball history to play for five (50 years) different decades.

Minnie played from 1949 until 1980. The Cuban-born Miñoso was the first unquestionable black Latin American in the major leagues, although some others with some black ancestry had played in MLB. By early 1950’s other Latino’s of black skin included, Luis Márquez(Puerto Rico)signed by the Boston Braves and Cuban catcher Rafael(Ray)Noble with the New York Giants as well as Ozzie Virgil Sr.from the Dominican Republic.

According to SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) in 1947; 98.3 perfect of players were white,0.9 percent African-American, 0.7 percent Latinos and 0.0 percent Asian. Decades later, especially in the mid 1950’s the great Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico) and 1960’s many more came from Latin America, like Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, Manny Mota, Felipe, Jesús and Mateo Alou, Tony Oliva, Luis Tiant, Leonardo(Leo) Cárdenas, Tony González, Francisco(Panchón)Herrera, José Cardenal, Dagoberto(Campy)Campaneris and more not mentioned.

Some of these Latino players are remembered with statues in the cities where they played,the one and only Roberto Clemente not only with a Statue at PNC Park but with the Roberto Clemente Bridge in downtown Pittsburgh over the Allegheny River.

Today all baseball fans around the world honor the great #42 Jackie Robinson,because he is also a historic figure in countries like Cuba, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Panamá, Puerto Rico, México,Nicaragua,Venezuela, Jamaica and all countries where baseball is a major sport, not to mention in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

“I never cared about acceptance as much as I cared about respect” -Jackie Robinson.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com