Gilberto Reyes | |
---|---|
Catcher | |
Born: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | December 10, 1963|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
June 11, 1983, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
Last MLB appearance | |
October 6, 1991, for the Montreal Expos | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .202 |
Home runs | 0 |
Runs batted in | 14 |
CPBL statistics | |
Batting average | .238 |
Home runs | 0 |
Runs batted in | 1 |
Teams | |
Gilberto Rolando Reyes Polanco (born December 10,1963) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball.
Reyes was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers on January 15,1980,and spent four seasons in the Dodgers farm system before making his major league debut in 1983. He alternated between AAA and the Majors for most of the next five seasons before the Dodgers traded him to the Montreal Expos in March 1989. After two seasons with the Expos,he bounced around the minor leagues for several more seasons before retiring after the 1999 season. His nickname as a player was "Onionhead."
The Dodgers signed Reyes as an undrafted free agent in 1980. At the age of 16,Reyes made his pro debut for the Lethbridge Dodgers of the Pioneer league,appearing in six games. In 1980,he split time between Lethbridge and the Vero Beach Dodgers of the Florida State League. Vero Beach had no shortage of future major league talent. On the team was outfielder R.J. Reynolds,pitcher John Franco,First baseman Sid Bream,and shortstop Dave Anderson. During his time with Vero Beach,Reyes saw action at both first base and catcher. [1] At this point,Reyes still had just a handful games of experience and was still struggling to get his batting average over the Mendoza Line. In order to get him more playing experience,for the 1982 season,the Dodgers farmed Reyes to the Lodi Dodgers of the California League. Three years into his career,Reyes had struggled to break past the single A level. However,with Lodi,he appeared in 127 games,more games than he'd played in the previous seasons combined. Reyes showed that his bat had some power,as he hit a career high 15 home runs and batted .281. [2] He was the unquestioned starter at catcher. Reyes had a banner year in 1982,and big things were in store for him in 1983.
In 1983,Reyes began the season with the San Antonio Dodgers of the Texas League. San Antonio was the Dodgers double-A affiliate,meaning that finally Reyes had broken through the single A and rookie league levels. With San Antonio,he played alongside Dodgers prospects like first baseman Franklin Stubbs and pitchers Sid Fernandez and Ken Howell. Reyes journey didn't stop there. He soon was promoted to the Triple-A Albuquerque Dukes. There he played behind highly touted catching prospect Jack Fimple. At the age of 19,Reyes was one step away from the major league level. With Albuquerque,Reyes played 19 games at catcher and had a.938 fielding percentage and even took part in a double play. [3]
On June 11,1983,Gilberto Reyes made his debut in a Saturday Night game versus the Cincinnati Reds. [4] The game was played in Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati,and Reyes made a little history. Filling in for the veteran Steve Yeager,Reyes went hitless in two at-bats. Reyes was later lifted for pinch hitter Ron Roenicke and Yeager replaced Reyes behind the plate. But history was made. At the age of 19,Reyes was the youngest player ever to play catcher for the Dodgers. [5] Reyes played in 19 games before being re-assigned to the minors.
Over the course of the next few seasons,Reyes would bounce back between the majors and the minors. Playing for San Antonio in 1984,Reyes batted .303,the only time in his career he hit above the .300 mark. He appeared in a handful of games for the Dodgers in 1984 and 85,but spent the majority of his time playing for Albuquerque. In 1987,he split time in Albuquerque with Orlando Mercado,another young catching prospect who made his MLB debut at a young age. Reyes was 19 when he debuted for the Dodgers in 83,and Mercado was 20 when he debuted for the Seattle Mariners in 1984. However,the most bizarre part of Reyes career happened during the 1988 playoffs.
Reyes was part of the Dodgers post-season roster,but he was injured. As the Dodgers were facing the Oakland A's in the final game of the 1988 world series,Gilberto Reyes was flying in from his home in the Dominican Republic. He was walking in the stadium just as the champagne bottles were being uncorked. Though he did not appear in a single post season game,Reyes still received a world series ring. [6]
Before spring training in 1989,the Dodgers traded Reyes to the Montreal Expos in exchange for pitcher Jeff Fischer. [7] Reyes played briefly for Montreal in 1989,serving as a back-up to catchers Nelson Santovenia and Marty Pevey. During his time with Montreal's triple-A team in Indianapolis,he worked with Expos pitching prospects like Randy Johnson (Who'd go on to enjoy a hall of fame career) and Brian Barnes. [8] Reyes would appear in 83 games for Montreal in 1991,splitting time with seasoned veteran Ron Hassey. However,at the end of the season,the Expos released Reyes. Reyes spent all of 1992 out of baseball,but signed a minor league deal to play for the Colorado Rockies Triple-A team,the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. When the season was over,the Rockies did not renew his contract,making Reyes a free agent. Reyes spent the next few season playing for Campeche in the Mexican League before making one last return to states. The Expos brought back Reyes to work with their young pitchers with the Ottawa Lynx. However,after a handful of games,Reyes was released in order to make room for younger catchers.
The main reason Reyes did not play any baseball is because while he was a member of the Montreal Expos in 1991,Reyes failed a drug test and was suspended for 60 games. However,this was Reyes first offense but an arbitrator ruled that Reyes should never have been suspended because this was his first offense. [9]
Reyes spent the 1996 and 1997 seasons playing in Mexico,but returned to the states in 1998 to play for the Madison Black Wolf,an independent team playing in the Northern League. Teams in the Northern League were not affiliated with any of the teams in the majors. Like most teams in the league with was filled with cast offs,and ex stars trying to find their way back to the big leagues. Reyes was the starter for Madison,but he was also 34 years old and struggling at the plate. [10] Reyes spent the 1999 season between playing in Mexico and for the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League,yet another independent league. The team was managed by former Cy Young winner Sparky Lyle featured ex-Cubs star Jerome Walton,who,like Reyes,was trying to find his way back to the big leagues. After the 1999 season was over,Reyes finally hung up his cleats for good and retired.
Angel Sandy Martínez Martínez is a Dominican former professional baseball player,and current Manager for the DSL Nationals. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays (1995-1997),Chicago Cubs (1998-1999),Florida Marlins (2000),Montreal Expos (2001),Cleveland Indians (2004),and Boston Red Sox (2004). He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.
Gerónimo Gil is a Mexican former professional baseball catcher and manager who is currently the manager of the Dorados de Chihuahua of the Mexican League. He batted and threw right-handed.
Darrin Glen Fletcher is an American former professional baseball catcher and sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1989 to 2002 for the Los Angeles Dodgers,Philadelphia Phillies,Montreal Expos,and Toronto Blue Jays.
Timothy Charles Wallach,nicknamed "Eli",is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman,most notably for the Montreal Expos from 1980 to 1992. A five-time All-Star,Wallach excelled as an offensive and as a defensive player,winning 2 Silver Slugger Awards and 3 Gold Glove Awards. In addition to the Expos,he also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels and coached for the Dodgers and Miami Marlins.
Casey Todd Candaele is an American former utility player and professional baseball coach. His mother,Helen Callaghan St. Aubin and her sister,Marge Callaghan,played for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League,which was depicted in the movie A League of Their Own. Candaele and his mother represent the only mother/son combination to have both played professional baseball.
Luis Bienvenido Pujols Toribio is a Dominican former professional baseball player coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher from 1977 to 1985,most prominently as a member of the Houston Astros where he helped the franchise win its first-ever National League Western Division title and postseason berth in 1980. He also played for the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers. Although Pujols didn't produce impressive offensive statistics,he excelled defensively which enabled him to sustain a nine-year career as a back-up catcher.
Damon Scott Berryhill is an American former professional baseball catcher and former manager of the AAA Gwinnett Stripers. He played ten seasons for the Chicago Cubs,the Atlanta Braves,the Boston Red Sox,the Cincinnati Reds,and the San Francisco Giants of the Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1987 to 1997. He threw right and was a switch hitter.
Franklin Lee Stubbs is an American former professional baseball player who was in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1984 to 1995. Stubbs played on four MLB teams in that time. His best season came in 1990 with the Houston Astros. Stubbs entered coaching after retiring as a player.
Brian Lee Traxler was a first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers during their 1990 season. Listed at 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) and 200 pounds (91 kg),Traxler batted and threw left-handed. Throughout his career,he was one of the most popular players on his baseball teams.
Claudio Vargas Almonte is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He has previously played for the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals,Arizona Diamondbacks,Milwaukee Brewers,New York Mets,and Los Angeles Dodgers. He has both started games and also pitched in both middle and long relief during his career.
John Joseph Fimple is an American former professional baseball catcher.
Wayne Leonard Kirby is an American former professional baseball right fielder and former coach. He was the outfield/base-running coordinator for the Texas Rangers from 2006 through 2010. From 2011 through 2018,Kirby was the Baltimore Orioles first base and outfield coach. His younger brother is former NFL running back Terry Kirby.
Valentino Martin Pascucci is an American former professional baseball player. He played parts of two major league seasons with the Montreal Expos and New York Mets. He batted and threw right-handed. In 2014,he transitioned to the role of hitting coach for the Mets Single A affiliate,the Savannah Sand Gnats. In 2016,he was named the hitting coach for the St. Lucie Mets.
Germán Rivera Díaz is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball third baseman. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the 1980s.
The 1993 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 104th for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball,and their 36th season in Los Angeles,California.
William Raymond Brennan is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball. Brennan spent his high school years in Nashville,Tennessee and played for Bellevue and Hillwood High Schools.
Howard Dean Reed was an American professional baseball player,a right-handed pitcher who appeared in 229 Major League games over ten seasons for the Kansas City Athletics,Los Angeles Dodgers,California Angels,Houston Astros and Montreal Expos. Listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and 195 pounds (88 kg),Reed was born in Dallas,Texas,and attended Woodrow Wilson High School and the University of Texas at Austin.
Homer Elliot "Dixie" Howell was an American professional baseball catcher. He appeared in eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1947 and 1956 for the Pittsburgh Pirates,Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers.
The 1991 Montreal Expos season was the 23rd season in franchise history. After several winning seasons,the Expos faltered in 1991,winning only 20 of its first 49 games. Manager Buck Rodgers was replaced as manager by Tom Runnells. The team ultimately finished 71–90. The highlight of the season was Dennis Martinez pitching a perfect game at Dodger Stadium on July 28,1991.
Charles Frederick "Boots" Day is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals,Chicago Cubs,and Montreal Expos. Until recently,Day was bench coach for the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League.