José Rodríguez | |||
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Second Baseman | |||
Born: Havana, Cuba |
February 23, 1894|||
Died: January 21, 1953 Havana, Cuba |
(aged 58)|||
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MLB debut | |||
October 5, 1916, for the New York Giants | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
September 2, 1918, for the New York Giants | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .166 | ||
Home runs | 0 | ||
Runs batted in | 17 | ||
Teams | |||
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Career highlights and awards | |||
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José Rodríguez (February 23, 1894 – January 21, 1953), nicknamed "Joseíto" or "El Hombre Goma" in Spanish and "Joe" in English, was a Cuban infielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1918 and in the Cuban League from 1914 to 1939. In the majors, he played for the New York Giants and was primarily a second baseman, while in the Cuban League and the U.S. minor leagues he mostly played first base. A defensive specialist, according to Roberto González Echevarría, Rodríguez "was considered the best defensive first baseman in Cuba" of his time. He was also a long-time manager in the Cuban League and managed for one season in the minors. He was inducted into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1951.
Rodríguez was born in Havana in 1894. His younger brother Oscar also became a baseball player and manager in the Cuban League and the minor leagues and joined José as a member of the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1960.
José Rodríguez toured the United States with a Cuban team, the Habana Reds, in 1915 and was recruited by the New York Giants. He joined the Giants in spring training in 1916. News reports from spring training suggested that Rodriguez "may develop into a high class player like Palmero, the young Cuban pitcher," and that manager John McGraw expected him "to develop into a star first baseman." After spring training he was assigned to the New London Planters in the Eastern League, where he hit .263.
Rodríguez debuted with the Giants on October 5, 1916, when he appeared as a pinch runner. In 1917 he was assigned to the Rochester Hustlers in the International League, where he hit .252. When he was again called up by the Giants, he played in seven major league games and hit .200 in 20 at bats.