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Leo Cárdenas
Leonardo Lazaro Cárdenas Alfonso (born December 17, 1938) is a Cuban former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from 1960 to 1975, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, where he was the starting shortstop for seven seasons.
A five-time All-Star, Cárdenas was one of the top defensive shortstops of his era. Nicknamed "Mr. Automatic" because his defensive play was so reliable; he won a Gold Glove Award for his defensive prowess in 1965. His 20 home runs in 1966 set a Reds team record for home runs by a shortstop that stood for 30 years. He also played for the Minnesota Twins, California Angels, Cleveland Indians, and Texas Rangers. Cárdenas was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1981.
Cárdenas was born in Matanzas, Cuba, one of 15 children of Rafael and Roberta Cardenas. He came to the U.S. in 1956 at age 16 (although he claimed to be 17, the minimum age to be signed by a major league team) and received a $500 signing bonus. He was among the last of the Cuban players to make it out of Cuba before the borders were sealed. He batted .316 for the Arizona–Mexico League's Tucson Cowboys in 1956, and signed with the Cincinnati Reds the following season. While playing for the Havana Sugar Kings in the International League in 1959, Cárdenas was inadvertently shot by raucous Fidel Castro supporters firing off rifles in the grandstand in celebration of the 26th of July Movement. The Havana team was moved to Jersey City, New Jersey the following July and renamed the Jerseys.
Cárdenas was called up to the Reds in 1960 to fill in for an injured Roy McMillan. Cárdenas made his Major League debut on July 25, 1960, starting and batting eighth and playing shortstop in a 6–5 Reds win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. After grounding into a double play and later lining out, he notched his first career hit with a seventh-inning run-scoring single off Cubs pitcher Bob Anderson. For the season, he batted .232 with one home run and 12 runs batted in (RBI). After the season, McMillan was dealt to the Milwaukee Braves for pitchers Joey Jay and Juan Pizarro.
Reds Manager Fred Hutchinson's original plan heading into the 1961 season was to platoon Cárdenas and utility infielder Eddie Kasko at short, with Cárdenas being the better fielder and Kasko being the better hitter. Cárdenas, however, surprised his boss with a .308 batting average. He also clubbed five home runs to Kasko's two in 271 fewer at bats.
Cárdenas was awarded the full-time starting shortstop job in 1962, and responded with a .294 average, 10 home runs and 60 RBI. He remained the Reds' starting shortstop for seven seasons, earning All-Star nods in 1964, 1965, and 1968, and being elected to start in 1966. Cárdenas had eight RBI and belted four home runs in a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs, on June 5, 1966, on his way to setting a club record for home runs by a shortstop with 20 (later broken by Barry Larkin). Following the 1968 season, Cárdenas was traded to the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Jim Merritt.
The Twins had something of a revolving door at short in 1968 with Jackie Hernández, Rick Renick, Ron Clark and César Tovar all manning the position at one point or another. Bringing in Cárdenas for 1969 solidified the Twins at their weakest position, and helped turn around the team's fortune. They went from 79 to 83 and seventh place in the American League (AL) to 97–65 and winning the American League West the first year of divisional play. For his part, Cárdenas batted .280 with 10 home runs and 70 RBI at the bottom of the Twins' batting order. He tied an AL record for assists by a shortstop, with 570.
Cárdenas was batting .285 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI at the 1971 All-Star break to be named to his only AL All-Star team; however, Cárdenas did not appear in the game. He ended the season with 18 home runs and 75 RBI and a stellar .985 fielding percentage to receive the Calvin R. Griffith Award given each season to the Twins' Most Valuable Player. Cárdenas‘ 1971 fielding percentage was the highest recorded in the American League since records began in 1901.
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Leo Cárdenas
Leonardo Lazaro Cárdenas Alfonso (born December 17, 1938) is a Cuban former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from 1960 to 1975, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, where he was the starting shortstop for seven seasons.
A five-time All-Star, Cárdenas was one of the top defensive shortstops of his era. Nicknamed "Mr. Automatic" because his defensive play was so reliable; he won a Gold Glove Award for his defensive prowess in 1965. His 20 home runs in 1966 set a Reds team record for home runs by a shortstop that stood for 30 years. He also played for the Minnesota Twins, California Angels, Cleveland Indians, and Texas Rangers. Cárdenas was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1981.
Cárdenas was born in Matanzas, Cuba, one of 15 children of Rafael and Roberta Cardenas. He came to the U.S. in 1956 at age 16 (although he claimed to be 17, the minimum age to be signed by a major league team) and received a $500 signing bonus. He was among the last of the Cuban players to make it out of Cuba before the borders were sealed. He batted .316 for the Arizona–Mexico League's Tucson Cowboys in 1956, and signed with the Cincinnati Reds the following season. While playing for the Havana Sugar Kings in the International League in 1959, Cárdenas was inadvertently shot by raucous Fidel Castro supporters firing off rifles in the grandstand in celebration of the 26th of July Movement. The Havana team was moved to Jersey City, New Jersey the following July and renamed the Jerseys.
Cárdenas was called up to the Reds in 1960 to fill in for an injured Roy McMillan. Cárdenas made his Major League debut on July 25, 1960, starting and batting eighth and playing shortstop in a 6–5 Reds win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. After grounding into a double play and later lining out, he notched his first career hit with a seventh-inning run-scoring single off Cubs pitcher Bob Anderson. For the season, he batted .232 with one home run and 12 runs batted in (RBI). After the season, McMillan was dealt to the Milwaukee Braves for pitchers Joey Jay and Juan Pizarro.
Reds Manager Fred Hutchinson's original plan heading into the 1961 season was to platoon Cárdenas and utility infielder Eddie Kasko at short, with Cárdenas being the better fielder and Kasko being the better hitter. Cárdenas, however, surprised his boss with a .308 batting average. He also clubbed five home runs to Kasko's two in 271 fewer at bats.
Cárdenas was awarded the full-time starting shortstop job in 1962, and responded with a .294 average, 10 home runs and 60 RBI. He remained the Reds' starting shortstop for seven seasons, earning All-Star nods in 1964, 1965, and 1968, and being elected to start in 1966. Cárdenas had eight RBI and belted four home runs in a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs, on June 5, 1966, on his way to setting a club record for home runs by a shortstop with 20 (later broken by Barry Larkin). Following the 1968 season, Cárdenas was traded to the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Jim Merritt.
The Twins had something of a revolving door at short in 1968 with Jackie Hernández, Rick Renick, Ron Clark and César Tovar all manning the position at one point or another. Bringing in Cárdenas for 1969 solidified the Twins at their weakest position, and helped turn around the team's fortune. They went from 79 to 83 and seventh place in the American League (AL) to 97–65 and winning the American League West the first year of divisional play. For his part, Cárdenas batted .280 with 10 home runs and 70 RBI at the bottom of the Twins' batting order. He tied an AL record for assists by a shortstop, with 570.
Cárdenas was batting .285 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI at the 1971 All-Star break to be named to his only AL All-Star team; however, Cárdenas did not appear in the game. He ended the season with 18 home runs and 75 RBI and a stellar .985 fielding percentage to receive the Calvin R. Griffith Award given each season to the Twins' Most Valuable Player. Cárdenas‘ 1971 fielding percentage was the highest recorded in the American League since records began in 1901.
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