Alvaro Espinoza
| Álvaro Espinoza | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shortstop | |||
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Born: February 19, 1962 Valencia, Carabobo State, Venezuela |
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| MLB debut | |||
| September 14, 1984, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| July 12, 1997, for the Seattle Mariners | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .254 | ||
| Home runs | 22 | ||
| Runs batted in | 201 | ||
| Teams | |||
Álvaro Alberto Espinoza Ramírez [es-pe-noh'-zah] (born February 19, 1962) is a former Venezuelan shortstop in Major League Baseball. He batted and threw right-handed.
Born in Valencia, Carabobo, he graduated from Pedro Gual High School where he played baseball, soccer and basketball.
As a young prospect, Espinoza was let go by the Houston Astros system. But he went on to have twelve decent seasons with the Minnesota Twins (1984–1986), New York Yankees (1988–1991), Cleveland Indians (1993–1996), New York Mets (1996) and Seattle Mariners (1997).
Although a free swinger, Espinoza was a good bat handler and contact hitter. His game was to simply put the ball in play and not try to hit for power. As a baserunner, he had average speed.
Probably, he was not among the most gifted athletes ever to play shortstop, but he positioned himself extremely well and got to many balls that might have eluded some flashier shortstops. A sure-handed fielder, he had a strong throwing arm and found many ways to turn a double play, as well as his concentration and knowledge of the game were his main assets.
In a 12-season career, Espinoza hit a .254 average with 22 home runs and 201 RBI in 942 games, including 252 runs, 105 doubles, nine triples, and 13 stolen bases.
Espinoza's was one of New York Yankees public address announcer Bob Sheppard's favorite names to announce.
He was also noted for his bubble gum hat antics, as well as other practical jokes he and teammate Wayne Kirby used to play on the 1995 Cleveland Indians.
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