In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Espinoza and the second or maternal family name is Ramírez.
Álvaro Alberto Espinoza Ramírez [es-pe-noh'-zah] (born February 19, 1962) is a Venezuelan former shortstop in Major League Baseball. He batted and threw right-handed.
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.
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.
Coaching career
Following his playing career after the 1997 season, Espinoza turned to coaching. In 1998, he worked with the Montreal Expos as their minor league infield coordinator.
Hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, Espinoza made his managerial debut in 1999 and guided Class-A Vero Beach to a 48–85 record in the Florida State League. He spent 2000 and 2001 as the Dodgers Minor League Roving Infield Coordinator.
In 2002, Espinoza was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates and then named their infield Instructor in 2004.
Milestone
Espinoza, Ruppert Jones‚ Dave Kingman‚ Ricky Nelson, Kevin Millar, and José Canseco are the only players to hit a fair ball that got stuck in a stadium obstruction. Jones and Nelson both had hits get caught in the overhead speakers at the old Kingdome. The balls hit by Kingman and Espinoza were at the Minneapolis Metrodome, with Kingman's getting stuck in a drainage valve and Espinoza's lodging in an overhead speaker.[2]
^Curry, Jack (April 13, 2000). "Yankees Notebook – An Especially Warm Reception for the Low-Profile Stottlemyre". New York Times. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
^. www.baseballlibrary.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012.
External links
Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
Retrosheet
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
MLB page
The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia – Gary Gillette, Peter Gammons, Pete Palmer. Publisher: Sterling Publishing, 2005. Format: Paperback, 1824pp. Language: English. ISBN1-4027-4771-3
January 30, 2023
Álvaro, espinoza, this, spanish, name, first, paternal, surname, espinoza, second, maternal, family, name, ramírez, Álvaro, alberto, espinoza, ramírez, born, february, 1962, venezuelan, former, shortstop, major, league, baseball, batted, threw, right, handed, . In this Spanish name the first or paternal surname is Espinoza and the second or maternal family name is Ramirez Alvaro Alberto Espinoza Ramirez es pe noh zah born February 19 1962 is a Venezuelan former shortstop in Major League Baseball He batted and threw right handed Alvaro EspinozaEspinoza at Progressive Field in 2015ShortstopBorn 1962 02 19 February 19 1962 age 60 Valencia Carabobo State VenezuelaBatted RightThrew RightMLB debutSeptember 14 1984 for the Minnesota TwinsLast MLB appearanceJuly 12 1997 for the Seattle MarinersMLB statisticsBatting average 254Home runs22Runs batted in201TeamsMinnesota Twins 1984 1986 New York Yankees 1988 1991 Cleveland Indians 1993 1996 New York Mets 1996 Seattle Mariners 1997 Member of the CaribbeanBaseball Hall of FameInduction2014 Contents 1 Early life 2 Playing career 3 Coaching career 4 Milestone 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksEarly life EditBorn in Valencia Carabobo he graduated from Pedro Gual High School where he played baseball soccer and basketball Playing career EditAs 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 1 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 Coaching career EditFollowing his playing career after the 1997 season Espinoza turned to coaching In 1998 he worked with the Montreal Expos as their minor league infield coordinator Hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers organization Espinoza made his managerial debut in 1999 and guided Class A Vero Beach to a 48 85 record in the Florida State League He spent 2000 and 2001 as the Dodgers Minor League Roving Infield Coordinator In 2002 Espinoza was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates and then named their infield Instructor in 2004 Milestone EditEspinoza Ruppert Jones Dave Kingman Ricky Nelson Kevin Millar and Jose Canseco are the only players to hit a fair ball that got stuck in a stadium obstruction Jones and Nelson both had hits get caught in the overhead speakers at the old Kingdome The balls hit by Kingman and Espinoza were at the Minneapolis Metrodome with Kingman s getting stuck in a drainage valve and Espinoza s lodging in an overhead speaker 2 See also EditList of Major League Baseball players from VenezuelaReferences Edit Curry Jack April 13 2000 Yankees Notebook An Especially Warm Reception for the Low Profile Stottlemyre New York Times Retrieved June 22 2018 The Ballplayers Alvaro Espinoza BaseballLibrary com www baseballlibrary com Archived from the original on October 19 2012 External links EditCareer statistics and player information from Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or Baseball Reference Minors Retrosheet Venezuelan Professional Baseball League MLB page The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia Gary Gillette Peter Gammons Pete Palmer Publisher Sterling Publishing 2005 Format Paperback 1824pp Language English ISBN 1 4027 4771 3 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alvaro Espinoza amp oldid 1120654077, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
