| Leo Cárdenas | |
|---|---|
 Cárdenas in 1974 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born: (1938-12-17)December 17, 1938 (age 87) Matanzas, Cuba | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 25, 1960, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 26, 1975, for the Texas Rangers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .257 |
| Home runs | 118 |
| Runs batted in | 689 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Leonardo Lazaro Cárdenas Alfonso (born December 17, 1938) is aCuban former professionalbaseball player. He played inMajor League Baseball as ashortstop from 1960 to 1975, most prominently as a member of theCincinnati Reds, where he was the starting shortstop for seven seasons.
A five-timeAll-Star, Cárdenas was one of the top defensive shortstops of his era. Nicknamed "Mr. Automatic" because his defensive play was so reliable; he won aGold 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 theMinnesota Twins,California Angels,Cleveland Indians, andTexas Rangers. Cárdenas was inducted into theCincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1981.[1]
Cárdenas was born inMatanzas, Cuba, one of 15 children of Rafael and Roberta Cardenas.[2] He came to the U.S. in1956 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.[2] He was among the last of the Cuban players to make it out of Cuba before the borders were sealed. He batted .316 for theArizona–Mexico League'sTucson Cowboys in 1956, and signed with the Cincinnati Reds the following season. While playing for theHavana Sugar Kings in theInternational League in1959, Cárdenas was inadvertently shot by raucousFidel Castro supporters firing off rifles in the grandstand in celebration of the26th of July Movement.[3] The Havana team was moved toJersey City, New Jersey the following July and renamed theJerseys.
Cárdenas was called up to the Reds in1960 to fill in for an injuredRoy McMillan. Cárdenas made his Major League debut on July 25, 1960,[4] starting and batting eighth and playing shortstop in a 6–5 Reds win over theChicago Cubs atWrigley Field. After grounding into adouble play and later lining out, he notched his first careerhit with a seventh-inning run-scoringsingle off Cubs pitcherBob Anderson.[5] For the season, he batted .232 with onehome run and 12runs batted in (RBI). After the season, McMillan was dealt to theMilwaukee Braves forpitchersJoey Jay andJuan Pizarro.[6]
Reds ManagerFred Hutchinson's original plan heading into the1961 season was toplatoon Cárdenas andutilityinfielderEddie Kasko at short, with Cárdenas being the better fielder and Kasko being the better hitter.[7] Cárdenas, however, surprised his boss with a .308batting average. He also clubbed five home runs to Kasko's two in 271 fewerat bats.
Cárdenas was awarded the full-time starting shortstop job in1962, and responded with a .294 average, 10 home runs and 60 RBI. He remained the Reds' starting shortstop for seven seasons, earningAll-Star nods in1964,1965, and1968, and being elected to start in1966.[8] Cárdenas had eight RBI and belted four home runs in adoubleheader against the Chicago Cubs, on June 5,1966,[9] on his way to setting a club record for home runs by a shortstop with 20 (later broken byBarry Larkin).[10] Following the1968 season, Cárdenas was traded to the Minnesota Twins for pitcherJim Merritt.[11]
The Twins had something of a revolving door at short in 1968 withJackie Hernández,Rick Renick,Ron Clark andCésar Tovar all manning the position at one point or another. Bringing in Cárdenas for1969 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 theAmerican League (AL) to 97–65 and winning theAmerican 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 forassists by a shortstop, with 570.
Cárdenas was batting .285 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI at the1971 All-Star break to be named to his only AL All-Star team; however, Cárdenas did not appear in the game.[12] He ended the season with 18 home runs and 75 RBI and a stellar .985fielding 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 in1901.
At the 1971Winter meetings, the California Angels acquired Cárdenas forrelief pitcherDave LaRoche. The acquisition marked former All-Star shortstopJim Fregosi as trade bait;[13] he would go to theNew York Mets forNolan Ryan a week later.
At 33 years old, Cárdenas was clearly on the decline, by the time he joined the Angels. He batted only .143 in the month of June, and ended the season with a .223 average, six home runs and 42 RBI. DuringSpring training1973, Cárdenas was traded to the Cleveland Indians forTommy McCraw and minor leaguer Bob Marcano to make room forBobby Valentine at short, whom they had recently acquired from theLos Angeles Dodgers.[14]
With the Indians, Cárdenas found himself in more of a back-up role, for the first time in his career. He made his first big league appearance atthird, on August 16, and committed anerror.[15]
Following Cárdenas‘ only season in Cleveland, he was dealt to the Texas Rangers in a controversial deal forcatcherKen Suarez, who had just filed for arbitration a week before the February 12,1974 trade. He filed a formal grievance against the Rangers claiming that he was traded in retaliation.[16] Suarez never appeared in a game with the Indians, retiring instead.
Cárdenas, meanwhile, appeared in 34 games for the Rangers, 21 of which were at third base. He spent one more season with the Rangers as athird baseman, before retiring.
| Seasons | Games | PA | AB | Runs | Hits | TB | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | Avg. | OBP | Slg. | Fld% |
| 16 | 1941 | 7402 | 6707 | 662 | 1725 | 2462 | 285 | 49 | 118 | 689 | 522 | 1135 | 39 | .257 | .311 | .367 | .970 |
Cárdenas led NL shortstops infielding percentage in1963 (.972) and 1966 (.980), and the AL in 1971 (.985). He won his onlyGold Glove award in1965. The five-time All Star also appeared in back-to-back AL Championship Series with the Minnesota Twins, in1969 and1970, and the1961 World Series against theNew York Yankees. During his career, he hit six home runs off of Hall of Fame pitcherJuan Marichal. Cárdenas led the NL inintentional walks in 1965 and 1966 (25 and 18, respectively). He was voted into theCincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, in 1981.[1]
Despite coming to the United States in 1956 and twice being married to American women, Cárdenas never sought American citizenship. He has eight children.[2] In 1998, Cárdenas was sentenced to three months in jail forassault, after breaking out the windows of a car that his wife and a male co-worker were sitting in, and breaking the man's arm with a bat.[17]
Cárdenas lives inCincinnati and makes regular appearances at the Reds Hall of Fame,Great American Ball Park and every December at Reds Fest.[18]