Benny Valenzuela
| Benny Valenzuela | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Third baseman | |
| Born: June 2, 1933 Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico | |
| Died: October 24, 2018 (aged 85) Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 27, 1958, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 24, 1958, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .214 |
| Hits | 3 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Member of the Mexican | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1986 |
Benjamin Beltrán Valenzuela (June 2, 1933 – October 24, 2018)[1] was a Mexican professional baseball player, a third baseman who appeared in ten Major League Baseball games for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1958 season. Nicknamed "Papelero" in his native Mexico, he threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg).
Biography[]
His abbreviated MLB service notwithstanding, Valenzuela played 20 years in professional baseball (1952–71), with the last decade spent exclusively in the Double-A Mexican League and lower-classification Mexican minor leagues. He began his pro career with the Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings, an unaffiliated team in the Class C Arizona–Texas League, then was drafted into the Cardinal organization in 1955. After hitting .314 and .286 in consecutive seasons with the Double-A Houston Buffaloes in 1956–57, he received early- and late-season auditions with the 1958 Redbirds, spending the bulk of that year with Triple-A Omaha. He singled in his first MLB at bat off Johnny Podres of the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 27,[2] but overall collected only three hits in 14 at bats with a base on balls during his lone big-league campaign. At the close of the 1958 season, Valenzuela was traded to the San Francisco Giants in a five-player transaction that netted the Cardinals right-handed pitcher Ernie Broglio.
After his playing retirement, he became manager of the Alijadores de Tampico in the Mexican League.
References[]
- ^ "FALLECE BENJAMÍN "PAPELERO" VALENZUELA". www.purobeisbol.mx. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
- ^ Retrosheet box score: 1958-04-27
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
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- 1933 births
- 2018 deaths
- Baseball players from Sinaloa
- Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings players
- Fresno Cardinals players
- Houston Buffaloes players
- Major League Baseball players from Mexico
- Major League Baseball third basemen
- Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
- Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States
- Mexican League baseball managers
- Omaha Cardinals players
- Petroleros de Poza Rica players
- Phoenix Giants players
- Rio Grande Valley Giants players
- St. Louis Cardinals players
- Sultanes de Monterrey players
- Tacoma Giants players
- Venados de Yucatán (minor league) players
- Victoria Giants players
- Mexican baseball biography stubs
- Baseball third baseman stubs