| Luis Alicea | |
|---|---|
 Alicea withFlorida State in 1986 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born: (1965-07-29)July 29, 1965 (age 60) Santurce, Puerto Rico | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 23, 1988, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 25, 2002, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .260 |
| Home runs | 47 |
| Runs batted in | 422 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
As player
As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Luis René Alicea de Jesús (born July 29, 1965) is a Puerto Rican formerMajor League Baseballsecond baseman and coach.
Alicea played for theKansas City Royals,Texas Rangers,Anaheim Angels,St. Louis Cardinals andBoston Red Sox. He played college baseball for theFlorida State University Seminoles with his brother Edwin under head coachMike Martin.
Alicea played 13 seasons, during which he played in 1,341 games. He was a career .260 hitter, with 47 home runs and 422 runs batted in. He had a lifetime .346on-base percentage, and a .369slugging percentage. He ranked in the top 5 intriples three times in his career (1992, 1997, 2000).
In 12 career postseason games, Alicea batted .267, with a .371 on-base percentage.
He was drafted by theSt. Louis Cardinals in the first round (23rd pick) of the 1986 amateur draft. He made hismajor league debut in a 12–9 Cardinals loss to theNew York Mets on April 23, 1988. Starting at second base and batting eighth, Alicea went 1-for-4 with a triple, a walk and a run scored in his debut. He hit .212 with one home run and 24 RBI in 93 games with the Cardinals that season.
Alicea spent the next few seasons in the minor leagues before returning to the big leagues with St. Louis in1991, hitting .191 without a single RBI in 56 games. Despite his struggles, the Cardinals brought him back to the big leagues in1992 and he hit .245 with a pair of homers and 32 RBI in 85 games. He continued to improve as, in1993, Alicea hit .279 with three home runs and 46 RBI, stealing 11 bases in 12 attempts, over 115 games. Despite a drop in playing time in1994, Alicea set a then-career high in home runs with five while hitting .278 with 29 RBI in 88 games.
On December 7, 1994, he was traded to theBoston Red Sox forJeff McNeely andNate Minchey. He played one season with the Red Sox, batting .270 with six homers and 44 RBI. Alicea was one of a few Boston players to perform well in the1995American League Division Series against theCleveland Indians. He hit .600 (6-for-10) with a double and home run as the Red Sox were swept in three games.
Alicea was waived by theRed Sox, returning to theCardinals on a one-year, $500,000 contract on March 19, 1996.[1] He hit .258 with five home runs and 42 RBI in 129 games for St. Louis.
In January1997, Alicea signed a one-year deal with theAnaheim Angels, taking over at second base forRandy Velarde.[2] In 128 games with the Angels, Alicea hit .253 with five home runs and 37 RBI, stealing a career-high 22 bases.
In December 1997, Alicea signed a two-year, $1.5 million deal with theTexas Rangers.[3] In his first season inTexas, Alicea hit .274 with six home runs and 33 RBI in 101 games. In1999, he hit .201 with three homers and 17 RBI in 68 games with the Rangers.
It was in2000 that he had his best season establishing career highs with a .294 average, 85 runs, 159 hits, and 63 RBI.
He played his last two seasons with theKansas City Royals before retiring following the2002 season. In2001, Alicea hit .274 with four home runs and 32 RBI in 113 games. In his final big league campaign, he hit .228 with a homer and 23 RBI in 94 games.
After his playing days ended, he managed theLowell Spinners in2004 and2005 and was skipper of theGreenville Drive in2006.
On November 29, 2006, Alicea was named by the Red Sox as their first base coach, taking over forBill Haselman. He served in this position through the2007 and2008 seasons. On October 22,2008, Alicea was told by managerTerry Francona that he was not going to be offered a contract for2009.[4]
Alicea was then hired by theNew York Mets to be their first base coach for the2009 season.[5] On October 5, 2009, after the Mets' dismal 70–92 season, they announced that Alicea would not return to the Mets coaching staff in the 2010 season.[6]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lowell Spinnersmanager 2004–2005 | Succeeded by Bruce Crabbe |
| Preceded by | Boston Red Soxfirst base coach 2007–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New York Metsfirst base coach 2009 | Succeeded by |