Minnie Mendoza
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Cristobal Rigoberto Mendoza Carreras (December 3, 1934 – September 9, 2024), better known as Minnie Mendoza, was a Cuban-American
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
infielder and coach who played for the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
during the 1970 MLB season.


Biography

Minnie Mendoza was born on December 3, 1934, in Ceiba del Agua,
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
.


Playing career

Mendoza played 10 years for minor league
Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...
. Mendoza played 16 games for the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
during the 1970 MLB season as a 36-year-old rookie. In 16 at-bats, Mendoza compiled 3 hits and 2 runs, while recording a .188
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
.


The Mendoza Line

Mendoza is featured in the controversy surrounding the naming of the
Mendoza Line The Mendoza Line is baseball jargon for a .200 batting average, the supposed threshold for offensive futility in Major League Baseball. It derives from light-hitting shortstop Mario Mendoza, who failed to reach .200 five times in his nine big l ...
, meaning a .200 batting average. While most believe that the "Mendoza Line" first referred to by
George Brett George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hit ( ...
is named after 9-year veteran
Mario Mendoza Mario Mendoza Aizpuru (born 26 December 1950) is a Mexican former professional baseball infielder who is currently the manager of Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League. Mendoza, a lifetime .215 hitter, is best known for being the source ...
(who had a .215 career batting average and hit .198 in his biggest season), there is some controversy as to whether Brett was actually referring to Minnie Mendoza when he coined the famous phrase. However, Minnie did not play during the time of George Brett.


Coaching career

After retiring as a player, Mendoza was a coach for the Charlotte O's. Mendoza was also a first base coach for the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) 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 America ...
during the 1988 season. After the 1988 season, he became a roving minor league instructor in the Orioles organization. Mendoza was a coach for the Burlington Indians in the
Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden ...
and was manager for the team in 1992. As of 2008, Mendoza was the Latin America field coordinator in the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
organization.


Death

Mendoza died in
Murrells Inlet, South Carolina Murrells Inlet is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Georgetown County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,547 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is about 13 miles south of Myrtle Beach, South Ca ...
, on September 9, 2024, at the age of 89.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendoza, Minnie 1934 births 2024 deaths Baltimore Orioles coaches Baltimore Orioles scouts Cuban emigrants to the United States Major League Baseball hitting coaches Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball players from Cuba 20th-century Cuban sportsmen Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Minnesota Twins players Colorado Springs Sky Sox managers Baseball players from Artemisa Province Portsmouth Merrimacs players