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| Raúl Mondesí | |
|---|---|
 Mondesí signing autographs at Spring Training in 1998 | |
| Right fielder | |
| Born: (1971-03-12)March 12, 1971 (age 54) San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 19, 1993, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 27, 2005, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .273 |
| Home runs | 271 |
| Runs batted in | 860 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Raúl Ramón Mondesí Avelino (born March 12, 1971) is a Dominican former politician andbaseball player. Mondesí played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for 13 seasons, primarily for theLos Angeles Dodgers, and made his MLB debut with them in 1993. He was theNational League (NL)Rookie of the Year in 1994, anMLB All-Star, and a two-timeRawlings Gold Glove Award winner. Known for his combination ofpower and speed, Mondesí twice achieved the30–30 club. He led MLB right fielders inassists in three separate seasons over the course of his career.
After baseball, Mondesí began a career in politics, gaining election to the DominicanChamber of Deputies in 2006. In 2010, he became mayor ofSan Cristóbal in theDominican Republic, serving a six-year term. In 2017, Mondesí was sentenced to eight years in prison on corruption charges arising from his mayoral tenure.[1]
Mondesí was originally signed by theLos Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1988 out of theDominican Republic. With theGreat Falls Dodgers in 1990, he hit .303 with 30 stolen bases and was selected to thePioneer League All-Star team. In 1991, he played in 21 games with theBakersfield Dodgers, 53 games with theSan Antonio Missions, and 2 with theAlbuquerque Dukes hitting .277 with 8 home runs and 18 stolen bases. In 1992, he played 18 games with San Antonio and 35 with Albuquerque, hitting .296. He spent all of 1993 with the Dukes, hitting .280 with 12 homers and 13 steals.
He made his MLB debut for the Dodgers on July 19, 1993, against thePhiladelphia Phillies, hitting a single to center field as a pinch hitter in seventh inning againstDavid West for his first major league hit.[2] He hit his first home run, a two-run shot offBob Scanlan in the 13th inning of a game against theChicago Cubs on July 31.[3] He returned to the minors after the August 6 games, but was back with the Dodgers for good in September. He appeared in 42 games that season for the Dodgers, hitting .291 with four home runs.
Mondesí made the Dodgers opening day roster in 1994 and played in 112 games, hitting .306 with 16 homers, 56 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. He was selected as theNational League Rookie of the Year.
In 1995, he was twice selected asNational League Player of the Week (April 30 and July 5), he won theRawlings Gold Glove Award and was selected to the1995 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He flew out to right field in his one at-bat in the All-Star game. He also competed in theHome Run Derby. Overall, he hit .285 with 26 home runs, 88 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. He had two hits in nine at-bats for the Dodgers in the1995 National League Division Series loss to theCincinnati Reds. He was two for twelve in the1996 National League Division Series against theAtlanta Braves, with two doubles.
In 1997, he hit .310 with 30 homers, 88 RBI, and 32 steals becoming the first Dodger player in history to join the30–30 club. He also won his secondRawlings Gold Glove Award and finished 15th in voting for theNational League Most Valuable Player Award. In 1999, he again joined the 30–30 club with 33 homers and 36 steals, though his average had dipped to .253.
On November 8, 1999, Mondesí was traded by the Dodgers (along withPedro Borbón Jr.) to theToronto Blue Jays forShawn Green and minor league player Jorge Nunez. He only played in 96 games during his first season in Toronto after he tore ligaments in his right elbow during a game on July 21, which required season-ending surgery. He played two and a half seasons with the Blue Jays, playing in 320 games and hitting 66 home runs. He won theAmerican League Player of the Week Award for the week of May 6, 2001.
Mondesí was traded by the Blue Jays to theNew York Yankees on July 1, 2002, forScott Wiggins. He played in 71 games for the Yankees that season and another 98 in 2003, hitting .250 with 27 home runs and 92 RBI. He had 3 hits in 12 at-bats for the Yankees in the2002 American League Division Series against theAnaheim Angels.
The Yankees traded Mondesí on July 29, 2003, to theArizona Diamondbacks forDavid Dellucci,Bret Prinz and minor leaguer John Prowl. In 45 games with the Diamondbacks, he hit .302 with eight home runs.
Mondesí signed as a free agent with thePittsburgh Pirates on February 24, 2004. By May he was talking of leaving the team for personal reasons, involving a legal dispute, in the Dominican Republic. He left the team on May 11, 2004, and his contract was terminated a week later.[citation needed]
TheAnaheim Angels signed Mondesí on May 30, 2004. The deal was investigated byMajor League Baseball, but the Angels were cleared of any wrongdoing.[4] Shortly after Mondesí signed with the Angels, he tore his quadriceps and was placed on the disabled list. He was released by the Angels in July for not showing up for his rehab therapy.
TheAtlanta Braves signed Mondesí in 2005; he appeared in 41 games with the team before the Braves released him on May 31.
In 1525 games over 13 seasons, Mondesí recorded a .273batting average (1589-for-5814) with 909runs, 319doubles, 49triples, 271home runs, 860RBI, 229stolen bases, 475walks, .331on-base percentage, and .485slugging percentage. Defensively, although primarily a right fielder, he posted a .976fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions.[5]
In May 2006, running on the ballot of theDominican Liberation Party, Mondesi was elected to a seat in the Dominican Republic'sChamber of Deputies, representing his home provinceSan Cristóbal.[6] In November 2007, he switched sides, aligning himself with theDominican Revolutionary Party after discrepancies with the government over humanitarian aid to be given to his province afterTropical Storm Noel.[citation needed] He was elected mayor of his hometown on May 16, 2010, for a six-year term.[citation needed]
In September 2017, Mondesi was sentenced to eight years in prison and ordered to pay a $1.3 million fine forcorruption and mishandling of public funds during his term as mayor of San Cristóbal.[7] In 2024, Mondesi was re-sentenced to a term of six years and nine months imprisonment. As he had been under house arrest, the sentence was considered served.[8]
Mondesí's sonAdalberto Mondesí (formerly known as Raul Mondesí Jr.) is also a professional baseball player. He made his MLB debut for theKansas City Royals in the2015 World Series.
· Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by none | Players Choice NL Most Outstanding Rookie 1994 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by ? | Deputy of the Dominican Congress for San Cristobal 2006–2010 | Succeeded by Josefina Tamárez |
| Preceded by José Montás | Mayor for San Cristobal 2010 – 2016 | Succeeded by |