1994 Rookie of the Year Countdown – Raul Mondesi

Continuing our Tuesday look at the countdown to the Rookies of the Year in 1994, today we examine former Dodgers and others outfielder Raul Mondesi.

Mondesi was signed as an amateur free agent in 1988 by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of Liceo Manual Maria Valencia High School in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.  He is the only major leaguer that LMMVHS has ever produced.  Which actually makes me question whether it exists at all.  But that’s for a different blog to examine!

After his signing, he must have stayed behind in the Dominican Republic to finish his studies at “LMMVHS”, because he didn’t make an appearance in the minors for another two years.  In 1990, at rookie ball Great Falls, he hit .303 with 10 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 31 RBIs and 30 stolen bases, with 11 walks and 30 strikeouts.  This was in only 44 games.  He also only made on error in the outfield, good for a .986 fielding percentage.  Teaming up with Pedro Martinez and a host of other people you’ve never heard of, Great Falls finished the season with the best record in the Pioneer League at 48-20.

His numbers there led to a top 20 prospect ranking before the 1991 season, sitting at number 14.  Mondesi shot through the Dodgers’ system that year.  He started in A+ ball Bakersfield, where in 28 games, he hit .283 with seven doubles, two triples, three home runs, 13 RBIs and nine stolen bases, with five walks and 21 strikeouts.  This earned him a promotion to AA San Antonio, where in 53 games, he would hit .272 with 11 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 26 RBIs and eight stolen bases, with eight walks and 47 strikeouts.

On base percentage be damned (.307), he was then promoted to AAA Albuquerque for two games, where he went 3-9 with a triple, stolen base and a strikeout.  Over the course of the season, he made eight errors, equaling a .951 fielding percentage.  This included one error in his only chance at Albuquerque.  His fielding percentage there was .000.  That’s one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen.

Entering the 1992 season, he fell only slightly to the 21^st highest ranked prospect in the game, but it appears he was hurt for the greater part of the season.  He debuted that year back down at AA San Antonio, where in 18 games, he hit .265 with two doubles, two triples, two home runs, 14 RBIs and three stolen bases, with one walk and 24 strikeouts.  His on base percentage dropped all the way to .264.  I’m assuming that he was playing injured, and then came back later in the season back at AAA Albuquerque.  There in 35 games, he hit .312 with four doubles, seven triples, four home runs, 15 RBIs and two stolen bases, with nine walks and 35 strikeouts.  He again made eight errors that season, which equaled a .944 fielding percentage.

Going into 1993, he fell all the way to the 82^nd ranked prospect.  Mondesi would start 1993 again in Albuquerque, still a full four years younger than league average.  For the season, he would hit .280 with 22 doubles, seven triples, 12 home runs, 65 RBIs and 13 stolen bases, with 18 walks and 85 strikeouts.  In the outfield, he made 10 errors, and his fielding percentage sat at .957.

The face of excitement.

In late July, Dodgers third baseman Tim Wallach went on the disabled list which opened up an opportunity for Mondesi.  How’s that?  SUPER UTILITY MAN Cory Snyder, who manned mostly right field for the Dodgers that season, was deployed at third, making room for Mondesi.  He would make his Major League debut on July 19^th, in 7-5 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.  Entering the game in the bottom of the seventh as a pinch hitter for Henry Rodriguez, he would single in his first career at bat off of David West.  Brett Butler then walked, then Jose Offerman bunted both of them over.  Snyder then popped out to center field.  Eric Karros walked, and then Mike Piazza, having tripled and homered earlier in the game, flew out to right field to end the threat.

Through Wallach’s DL stay, which lasted until August 6^th, Mondesi was used sparingly.  Up to then, he hit .172 with one home run, two RBIs and five strikeouts.  The home run, the first of his career, was in a 7-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on July 31^st.  Putting the finishing touches on a five run inning allowed by the Cubs’ Bob Scanlan, Pedro Martinez entered in the bottom of the 13^th to finish the job.

Natal always wore his shin
guards, ALWAYS.  And
he still does to this day.

When Mondesi came back up on September 1^st, he showed flashes of the player he was to become.  He hit his first career triple the next day, and two days later, he had his first game with two stolen bases, victimizing Robb Nen and Rob Natal by stealing both second and third base in the ninth inning of a 9-4 victory over the Florida Marlins.  In total after September 1^st, he hit .351 with three doubles, a triple, three home runs, eight RBIs and three stolen bases, with four walks and 11 strikeouts.  Combined with his earlier stats, this equaled a .291 batting average with three doubles, a triple, four home runs, 10 RBIs and four stolen bases, with four walks and 16 strikeouts.  In 40 games in the outfield, he made three errors for a .951 fielding percentage.

Prior to the 1994 season, Mondesi jumped up to the 51^st ranked prospect in all of baseball, but he would soon lose the prospect status as the would play the entire 1994 season in the majors.  In his first four games that April, he would be hitless, but in the remaining 18 games, he hit .342.  This included three three-hit games, and one four hit performance on April 17^th, a game in which he would fall a double short of the cycle.   Overall for the month, he hit .292 with five doubles, two triples, two home runs, 14 RBIs and two stolen bases, with ONE walk and 13 strikeouts.  His refusal to walk led to an on base percentage of .297.

Mondesi’s average would continue to climb in May.  He hit safely in 24 of 28 games, including a 14 game hitting streak where he hit .434.  Overall for the month, he hit .336 with 11 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 18 RBIs and five stolen bases, with four walks (one intentional) and 24 strikeouts.  His home run on May 11^th proved to be the only run of the game, as Pedro Astacio outdueled 11^th place Rookie of the Year finisher Shane Reynolds that day.

Mondesi finished the month of May with a six game hit streak, which eventually reached 14 games by the time it ended on June 10^th.  For the first six games of June, he hit a ridiculous .480 – 12 for 25.  He hit safely in 21 of 26 games that June, including 10 multi-hit games.  His average hit a season high .336 on June 8^th.  Overall for the month, he hit .330 with three doubles, six home runs, 11 RBIs and two stolen bases, with two walks (one intentional) and 20 strikeouts.

In July, Mondesi started to show a little more patience at the plate.  That did not work out well for him.  Overall for the month, he hit .255 with six doubles, two home runs, nine RBIs and one stolen base, with six walks (one intentional) and 17 strikeouts.  He did hit a walkoff home run off in the 10^th inning off of John Wetteland in a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Expos on July 5^th, but that was about all in the highlight department for that month.

As the season drew to an end, Mondesi picked it back up a little.  In 10 August games, he hit .324 with two doubles, three triples, one home run, four RBIs and one stolen base, with three walks (two intentional) and four strikeouts.  Two of those triples came exactly 20 years ago today in a 5-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

On his way to the NL Rookie of the Year honors for 1994, Mondesi hit .306 with 27 doubles, eight triples, 16 home runs, 56 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, with 16 walks (five intentional) and 78 strikeouts.  His eight triples were good for third in the NL, one behind Darren Lewis and teammate Brett Butler.  In 112 games, he made eight errors in the outfield, good for a .965 fielding percentage.  He also had 16 assists, which was good for best in the national league across all three outfield positions.  Mondesi was the middle of five straight Rookies of the Year for the Dodgers, with Eric Karros winning in ’92, Mike Piazza winning in ’93, Hideo Nomo winning in ’95, and Todd Hollandsworth winning in ’96.

Karros, Piazza, Mondesi, Nomo and Hollandsworth

Mondesi’s numbers would dip slightly in 1995, but he would make the All Star team and win a Gold Glove award.  Overall, he hit .285 with 23 doubles, six triples, 26 home runs, 88 RBIs and 27 stolen bases, with 33 walks and 96 strikeouts.  After posting similar numbers the following season, in 1997, he would hit .310 with 42 doubles, five triples, 30 home runs, 87 RBIs and 32 stolen bases, with 44 walks and 105 strikeouts.  This would lead to a 15^th place finish in the NL MVP voting, and he would also win his second and final Gold Glove Award.

Over his final two seasons in Los Angeles, Mondesi would hit a combined .266 with 55 doubles, 10 triples, 63 home runs, 189 RBIs and 52 stolen bases, with 101 walks and 246 strikeouts.  After the 1999 season, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays with Pedro Borbon for Jorge Nunez and Shawn Green.  The Dodgers would get five seasons from Green of 150+ games, with 162 home runs and 509 RBIs.  The Blue Jays would get two and a half seasons from Mondesi, where he would hit .251 with 64 doubles, seven triples, 66 home runs, 196 RBIs and 61 stolen bases, with 136 walks and 258 strikeouts.

You know, just in
case that Posada
fellow didn't work out.

On July 1^st, 2002, Mondesi was traded from the Blue Jays to the New York Yankees for Scott Wiggins.  In two half-seasons for the Yankees, Mondesi hit .250 with 41 doubles, three triples, 27 home runs, 92 RBIs and 23 stolen bases, with 66 walks and 112 strikeouts.  On July 29^th, 2003, he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Jon-Mark Sprowl, David Dellucci and Bret Prinz.  In two months with the Diamondbacks, he hit .302 with eight doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 22 RBIs and five stolen bases, with 18 walks and 31 strikeouts.

Just a little late there boss.

He would sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 2004 season.  There, in 26 games, he hit .283 with eight doubles, two home runs and 14 RBIs, with 11 walks and 27 strikeouts.  He left the team in mid-May for personal reasons involving a legal dispute in the Dominican Republic (possibly involving his “high school diploma”?).  After being released on May 21^st, he signed with the Anaheim Angels nine days later.  With the Angels, in just eight games, he hit .118 with a double, a home run and an RBI, with two walks and four strikeouts.  He was released on August 4^th after not showing up for rehab therapy after a stint on the DL with a torn quadriceps.

For 2005, he signed with the Atlanta Braves.  There, in 41 games, he hit .211 with seven doubles, one triple, four home runs and 17 RBIs, with 12 walks and 35 strikeouts.  His last career hit was on May 24^th, off of Tom Glavine in a 4-0 win over the New York Mets.  Seven days later, he was released by the Braves, ending his professional career.

For his career, Mondesi hit .273 with 319 doubles, 49 triples, 271 home runs, 860 RBIs and 229 stolen bases, with 475 walks (50 intentional) and 1130 strikeouts.  His career on base percentage was .331, which was pretty respectable since he only walked once every 13 ½ at bats or so.  He went to the post season three times, but his teams only won one game in 10 tries in three division series.  In 1502 career outfield games, he had 76 errors with a .976 fielding percentage.  He added 112 outfield assists, even acquiring one in his brief stay with Anaheim.

I don't speak Spanish, but I'm pretty sure it says,
"Raul Mondesi - Mayor - Definitely a high school graduate!"

Mondesi is currently living back in the Domincan Republic, where he has entered a life in politics.  In 2010, he was elected mayor of San Cristobal, and is currently serving a six year term.  Rumor is that he is going to build a high school.

Well, that wraps up our look back at the Rookie of the Year voting for 1994!  I hope you all learned something about some players that time has forgotten, and maybe even something about players you remember quite well.  Be on the lookout for a new series starting next week, probably each Wednesday.  Now I just have to figure out what it’s going to be.