Alvaro Espinoza
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Alvaro Alberto Espinoza [es-pe-NO-zah] (born February 19, 1962 in Valencia, Carabobo State, Venezuela) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and right-handed batter who played with the Minnesota Twins (1984-86), New York Yankees (1988-91), Cleveland Indians (1993-96), New York Mets (1996) and Seattle Mariners (1997).
Espinoza was a good bat-handler and contact hitter. A notoriously free-swinger, he tried only to put the ball in play, not to hit for power. He had an average speed, meaning he was slow for a shortstop.
Concentration and knowledge were Espinoza's main assets in the field. He wasn't among the most gifted athletes playing shortstop, but he positioned himself extremely well and got too many balls that would elude some of the flashiest shortstops. He was a sure-handed and good at completing double plays.
As a young prospect, Espinoza was let go by the Astros and Twins. After four decent seasons with the Yankees, he played for the Indians, Mets and Mariners.
In 15-year career, Espinoza batted .254 (630-for-2478) with 22 home runs, 201 RBI, 252 runs, 105 doubles, 9 triples, and 13 stolen bases in 942 games.
After his playing career was over, Espinoza turned to coaching. He is currently infield coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Milestone
- Alvaro Espinoza joins Ruppert Jones, Ricky Lee Nelson, Dave Kingman, Jose Canseco and Kevin Millar as the only players in MLB history to hit a fair ball that got stuck in a stadium obstruction. Resource: Baseball Library (http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/E/Espinoza_Alvaro.stm)
See also
External links
- Alvaro Espinoza at:
- Baseball Reference (career stats and analysis) (http://www.baseball-reference.com/e/espinal01.shtml)