Luis E. Rojas (born September 1, 1981) is a Dominican

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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and

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 ...

. After coaching for 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 ...

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), ...

(MLB) in 2019, he managed the Mets from 2020 to 2021. Rojas joined 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 ...

as a third base coach after the 2021 season. He is the son of

Felipe Alou Felipe Rojas Alou (born May 12, 1935) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, first baseman, and manager. He managed the Montreal Expos (1992–2001) and the San Francisco Giants (2003–2006). The first Dominican to play regularly in the ...

, a former

MLB 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), ...

player and manager.

Playing career

Rojas grew up shagging fly balls, taking batting practice and running bases in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

as his father,

, managed the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

. After graduating from a Catholic high school, Rojas was signed in 1999 as a third baseman by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

for $300,000. He spent time in the Miami Marlins system and then the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

system. He spent the 2004 season as an infielder/outfielder with the Gulf Coast League Expos of minor league baseball. "Luis had talent," said his father, Felipe Alou. "He was a good-looking prospect, but he got hurt and had shoulder problems and he was never the player they thought he was gonna be."

Coaching career

Early coaching career

Rojas began his coaching career with the Dominican Summer League Nationals in 2006. The

hired him as a coach for the

Dominican Summer League Mets After withdrawing their affiliate from the Venezuelan Summer League, the Major League Baseball's 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 ...

in 2007 and for the

Gulf Coast League Mets The Florida Complex League Mets are a Rookie-level affiliate for the New York Mets, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Mets. The team plays its home games ...

in 2008. He became a coach for the

Savannah Sand Gnats The Savannah Sand Gnats were a minor league baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. They were a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. The Sand Gnats were an affiliate of the New York Mets in their final nine seasons. The team relocated ...

in 2010 but transferred back to manage the Gulf Coast League Mets in 2011. On his return to Savannah from 2012 through 2014, Rojas won the 2013

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

championship and was named Manager of the Year the following season. Afterwards, Rojas became the manager for the St. Lucie Mets and led them to the top of their division. Rojas managed in the

Dominican Professional Baseball League Dominican may refer to: * Someone or something from or related to the Dominican Republic ( , stress on the "mi"), on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles, in the Caribbean ** People of the Dominican Republic ** Demographics of the Domi ...

team

Leones del Escogido Leones del Escogido (English: ''Chosen One Lions'' or ''Lions of Chosen One'' or ''Picked Lions'') is a professional baseball team in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Established in , Leones are the third most successful team in the Dominican Wi ...

. He led the team to a league championship in the following 2015–16 season. Rojas managed the

Binghamton Rumble Ponies The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mirab ...

in 2017 and 2018. The Mets named him to their major league coaching staff as the quality control coach for the 2019 season. It was a newly created position to keep him from leaping to another team.

New York Mets manager

Rojas was promoted to manager by Mets general manager

Brodie Van Wagenen Brodie Van Wagenen (born March 9, 1974) is an American sports agent and former executive. He was formerly the general manager for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously worked at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and served a ...

on January 22, 2020, after the Mets mutually parted ways with

Carlos Beltrán Carlos Iván Beltrán (; born April 24, 1977) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1998 to 2017 for the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, New York Mets, San Fran ...

due to his involvement in the

Houston Astros sign stealing scandal The Houston Astros sign stealing scandal resulted from a series of rule violations by members of the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB), who used technology to steal signs of opposing teams during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. For yea ...

. In his first year as manager, the Mets finished the regular season 26–34, tied for last place in their division. Van Wagenen lost his job at the end of the

Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

-shortened season and was replaced by

Sandy Alderson Richard Lynn "Sandy" Alderson (born November 22, 1947) is an American baseball executive. He is currently the president of the New York Mets. He previously served as the general manager of the New York Mets from 2011 to 2018, an executive in the O ...

, who had a long relationship with Rojas and kept him on. On April 20, 2021, Rojas was

ejected Ejection or Eject may refer to: * Ejection (sports), the act of officially removing someone from a game * Eject (''Transformers''), a fictional character from ''The Transformers'' television series * "Eject" (song), 1993 rap rock single by Sense ...

from a game for the first time in his Major League career after arguing balls and strikes with home plate

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

John Libka John Libka (born June 13, 1987) is a Major League Baseball umpire. Biography Libka was born on June 13, 1987, in Saginaw, Michigan, to Gary and Lori Libka. He grew up in Mayville, Michigan, and attended high school at the Juniata Christian School ...

. On July 18, Rojas was ejected and subsequently suspended for two games by Major League Baseball for "excessive arguing" over a fair-foul call in the first inning of a game at

PNC Park PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 MLB season, after the controlled implosion of the Pira ...

. It was the first time in his career that he had been suspended at any level of baseball. The Mets declined the option on Rojas's contract on October 4, 2021, after concluding the season with a record of 77–85. The Mets were the first team in major league history to sit atop a division for more than 100 days in a season and finish with a losing record.

New York Yankees

On November 15, 2021, the

hired Rojas as their third base coach.

Managerial record

Personal life

Rojas is the son of former professional baseball player and manager Felipe Rojas Alou, as well as the half-brother of former

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

Moisés Alou Moisés Rojas-Alou Beltré (; ; born July 3, 1966) is a Dominican-American former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for 17 seasons in the National League. In 1,942 career games, Alou had a batting average of .303 with 2,134 hits, ...

. Rojas is the ninth of 11 children Alou had via four marriages. Rojas' mother is Elsa Brens, Alou's third wife, a secretary for owners of the Dominican summer league. When Rojas was 3, his parents divorced. In June 2021, he said: “Oh man, my father's been my university of life, not only of baseball. He's taught me a lot of things about baseball and life. He taught me how to be a good son. He taught me how to be a good father. He taught me how to be a good baseball man." The reason Luis and Felipe have different surnames is that when the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

' scout registered Felipe Rojas Alou's name, he used Felipe's mother's name, Rojas, instead of his father's, Alou. Rojas and his wife, Laura, have one son, Luis Felipe. He has been described as a "deeply religious, workout-obsessed, wine-sipping, dominoes-playing, baseball lifer."

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rojas, Luis 1981 births Living people Alou family Sportspeople from Santo Domingo Baseball first basemen Baseball outfielders Baseball third basemen Dominican Republic baseball coaches Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Republic national baseball team managers Gulf Coast Expos players Minor league baseball coaches Minor league baseball managers Major League Baseball third base coaches New York Mets managers New York Mets coaches New York Yankees coaches