Jesús Díaz (baseball)

Jesús Díaz
Díaz in 1952
Outfielder / Manager
Born: (1925-01-18)18 January 1925
Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
Died: 30 March 1988(1988-03-30) (aged 63)
Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Career highlights and awards
Member of the Mexican Professional
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction1979

Jesús "Chanquilón" Díaz (18 January 1925 – 30 March 1988) was a Mexican professional baseball outfielder and manager. He played 16 seasons in the Mexican League, most of them as center fielder. He was enshrined into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.[1]

Career

Chanquilón Díaz was born on 18 January 1925 in Torreón, Coahuila. He made his professional debut in the Mexican League in 1942 with Unión Laguna de Torreón, winning the league championship and the Rookie of the Year Award.[2][3]

In 1944, he left Torreón and played for La Junta de Nuevo Laredo for two seasons. He returned to Torreón in 1946. In 1947 he played for Pericos de Puebla and Tuneros de San Luis Potosí. In 1948 he played again for Puebla and returned to Torreón in 1949. In 1950, Díaz and Unión Laguna won the Mexican League championship and he finished as the home runs leader with 10, tied with Ángel Castro.[4][5]

He played two seasons in the Cuban League for Habana and Marianao. In the 1946–47 season, Chanquilón finished with 16 runs, 35 hits, one home run, 15 RBIs and a batting average of .238 in 147 at bats with Habana and Marianao. In 1947–48, he played for Marianao, recording 35 runs, 57 hits, seven home runs and 15 RBIs and a .243 average; finishing as the leader in home runs.[6][7]

In 1952, Díaz was transferred to the Charros de Jalisco. In 1953 he played for the Laredo Apaches of the class B Gulf Coast League and for the Indios de Anáhuac, where he was player-manager; the team folded after 60 games and finished fourth.[8][9] In 1955, he joined the Diablos Rojos del México but was transferred to El Águila de Veracruz during the season, where he also played in 1956. In 1957 he played for Nuevo Laredo and Leones de Yucatán. He last played for Puebla in 1960.[5]

Díaz played 16 seasons in the Mexican League, totalling 4038 at bats, 1148 hits and a batting average of .284.[10]

Chanquilón Díaz was elected to the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 together with Basilio Rosell.[10]

He died on 30 March 1988 in Tijuana, Baja California, aged 63.[11]

Career statistics

Cuban League

Season Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA
1946–47 Habana / Marianao 147 16 34 4 2 1 15 3 .238
1947–48 Marianao 235 35 57 5 4 7 15 3 .243
Total (2 seasons) 382 51 92 9 6 8 30 6 .241

Source:[7]

Managerial statistics

Mexican League

Year Team Regular season Postseason
Games Won Lost Tied Pct. Finish Won Lost Pct. Notes
1953 Indios de Anáhuac 60 29 31 0 .483 4th – – – –
Total 60 29 31 0 .483

References

  1. ^ García Villa, Juan (29 March 2022). "El gran 'Chanquilón' Díaz". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Un 18 de enero pero de 1925 nace Jesús Chanquilón Díaz". Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Mexicano (in Spanish). 18 January 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  3. ^ Salcedo Cassio, Luis (30 March 2020). "Historia, tradición y beisbol desde hace 80 años con los Algodoneros Unión Laguna". Milenio (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  4. ^ Morales, Tomás (27 February 2015). "Unión Laguna y el título de 1950". MiLB.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Máscaras Mexicanas". primerbat.com (in Spanish). 6 May 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  6. ^ Rubio Salazar, Jesús Alberto. "Mexicanos en el béisbol cubano". dcubanos.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b Figueredo, Jorge S. (1 August 2015). Who's Who in Cuban Baseball, 1878-1961. McFarland & Company. p. 396. ISBN 978-0786482641.
  8. ^ Morales, Tomás (15 March 2015). "El primer título de Luque en la LMB". MiLB.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  9. ^ "El 30 de abril de 1953 se inauguraba la temporada de la LMB". MiLB.com (in Spanish). 30 April 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Inmortales 73-79". Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Mexicano (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Un 30 de marzo pero de 1988 muere Jesús Chanquilón Díaz". Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Mexicano (in Spanish). 30 March 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2024.