Cuban baseball player (1934?2022)
In this
Spanish name
, the first or paternal
surname
is
Posada
and the second or maternal family name is
Hernandez
.
Baseball player
Leo Posada
|
---|
Posada in 1961
|
Outfielder
|
Born:
(
1934-04-01
)
April 1, 1934
Havana
,
Cuba
|
Died:
June 23, 2022
(2022-06-23)
(aged 88)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
|
Batted:
Right
Threw:
Right
|
|
September 21, 1960, for the Kansas City Athletics
|
|
July 20, 1962, for the Kansas City Athletics
|
|
Batting average
| .256
|
---|
Home runs
| 8
|
---|
Runs batted in
| 58
|
---|
|
---|
|
|
Leopoldo Jesus Posada Hernandez
(April 1, 1934 ? June 23, 2022) was a Cuban baseball player. He played for the
Kansas City Athletics
of
Major League Baseball
from 1960 through 1962. After his retirement as a player, Posada served as a
manager
in
Minor League Baseball
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Posada was born on April 1, 1934, in
Havana
, Cuba. He was not, as is commonly believed,
Jorge Posada
's uncle. They were at most distant kin (Leo had just one sister; Jorge Posada Sr. was not his brother).
[1]
He attended high school in Havana, and played baseball and volleyball.
[2]
Posada was a
cyclist
before beginning his
professional baseball
career. He was a national champion and represented Cuba in
cycling at the 1951 Pan American Games
and the
1954 Central American and Caribbean Games
.
[2]
[3]
[4]
Career
[
edit
]
Playing career (1954?1967)
[
edit
]
Posada was signed as an amateur free agent by the
Milwaukee Braves
of
Major League Baseball
(MLB) in 1954.
[3]
He began the 1954 season with the
Odessa Oilers
of the
Class C
Longhorn League
[5]
and also played for the
Lake Charles Lakers
of the Class C
Evangeline League
. Posada played for the
Corpus Christi Clippers
of the
Class B
Big State League
in 1955 and 1956.
[2]
[6]
After the 1956 season, the
Columbia Gems
of the
Class A
South Atlantic League
selected Posada from Corpus Christi in the minor league phase of the
Rule 5 draft
.
[7]
Posada started the season with Columbia and promoted to the
Little Rock Travelers
of the
Class AA
Southern Association
,
[8]
and then sent down to the
Abilene Blue Sox
of the Big State League during the season.
[9]
He played for the
Rochester A's
of the Class B
Illinois?Indiana?Iowa League
in 1958
[10]
and the
Shreveport Sports
of the Southern Association in 1959. Posada attended
spring training
with the
Kansas City Athletics
of MLB before the 1960 season, but was sent back to Shreveport for the start of the season.
[11]
He batted .314 with 18
home runs
and 122
runs batted in
(RBIs) for Shreveport in 1960.
[12]
Posada made his MLB debut with the Athletics on September 21, 1960.
[3]
He played in 10 games for Kansas City in 1960, recording a .361
batting average
.
[13]
In 1961, Athletics
manager
Joe Gordon
chose to start Posada over
Hank Bauer
in the
Opening Day
starting lineup.
[14]
Posada struggled to begin the season, batting .190, before he was
optioned
to Shreveport; Athletics
general manager
Frank Lane
had intended to option
Norm Bass
to the minor leagues, but team owner
Charlie O. Finley
overruled Lane, who sent down Posada instead.
[15]
In 116 games for Kansas City in the 1961 season, Posada batted .253. He was returned to Shreveport for the 1962 season, but also played in 29 games for the Athletics, batting .196.
[13]
He played in his final MLB game on July 20, 1962. In MLB, Posada had a .256 batting average, eight home runs, and 58 RBIs in 426
plate appearances
, all for Kansas City.
[3]
On August 3, 1962, the Athletics traded Posada,
Dale Willis
, and
Bill Kunkel
along with cash considerations to the
Toronto Maple Leafs
of the
Class AAA
International League
for
Orlando Pena
.
[16]
Posada began the 1963 season with Toronto, but batted .235 for the Maple Leafs before he was optioned to the
Hawaii Islanders
of the
Pacific Coast League
(PCL) in May.
[17]
Posada played in 12 games for Hawaii, recording two hits in 14 at bats (.143), before the Islanders reassigned Posada to the
Seattle Rainiers
of the PCL.
[18]
He was released by Seattle
[19]
and finished the 1963 season with the
Sultanes de Monterrey
of the Class AA
Mexican League
.
[20]
He batted .267 for Monterrey. Before the 1964 season, Posada signed with the
Houston Colt .45s
(now the
Houston Astros
) of MLB, who assigned him to the
San Antonio Bullets
of the Class AA
Texas League
.
[21]
Posada batted .272 with 22 home runs for San Antonio.
[22]
Playing for the
Amarillo Sonics
of the Texas League in 1965, Posada was named to the league's
all-star game
[23]
and he won the
Texas League Player of the Year Award
.
[24]
Posada led the league with 26 home runs, 107 RBIs, and 266
total bases
.
[25]
He returned to Amarillo in 1966 and batted .317. Posada served as a
player-coach
for the
Oklahoma City 89ers
of the PCL in 1967.
[26]
[27]
Managing career (1968?1980s)
[
edit
]
In 1968, the Astros announced that
Tony Pacheco
would manage the
Cocoa Astros
of the Class A
Florida State League
(FSL) from April until June, at which point Pacheco would become the manager of the
Covington Astros
, in the short-season
Gulf Coast League
, and Posada would take over as Cocoa's manager. Posada was a
player-manager
for Cocoa.
[28]
[29]
He batted .284 in 148 at bats for Cocoa in 1968 and returned to manage Cocoa in 1969.
[30]
He played in nine games for Cocoa in the 1969 season, the final season in which he appeared as a player.
[13]
He then served as a
scout
for the Astros.
[31]
Posada became the manager of the
Cedar Rapids Astros
of the
Midwest League
for the 1973 season.
[13]
After the 1974 season, executives
Tal Smith
and
Pat Gillick
left the Astros for the
New York Yankees
organization. In
1975
, Posada served as manager of the
Fort Lauderdale Yankees
of the FSL.
[31]
He returned to the Astros organization as the manager of the
Columbus Astros
in 1976 and 1977 and the
Daytona Beach Astros
in 1978.
[32]
In 1979, he joined the
Los Angeles Dodgers
organization as their minor league hitting instructor.
[33]
Posada continued to work as a
hitting coach
for the Dodgers organization,
[34]
and he provided instruction to
Raul Mondesi
.
[35]
He also served as a manager for the
Aguilas del Zulia
and
Cardenales de Lara
of the
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
and for the
Tigres del Licey
of the
Dominican Professional Baseball League
.
[3]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Posada's father, mother, and sister left Cuba for the United States after the
Cuban Revolution
.
[36]
Posada settled in
Miami
,
Florida
, and he owned a bicycle store.
[31]
Posada died on June 23, 2022, in Miami, from
pancreatic cancer
.
[3]
[37]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Leo Posada"
.
SABR BioProject
. Retrieved
April 19,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Posada Once Bicycle Race Champ of Cuba"
.
Corpus Christi Times
. May 2, 1956
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Martinez, Marino (June 23, 2022).
"Fallece en Miami pelotero cubano que jugo en Grandes Ligas"
.
El Nuevo Herald
(in Spanish)
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
.
- ^
Hernandez, Lou (April 29, 2013).
Memories of Winter Ball: Interviews with Players in the Latin American Winter Leagues of the 1950s
. McFarland. p. 50.
ISBN
978-0-7864-7141-6
. Retrieved
September 16,
2021
.
- ^
"Oilers 'Mystery' Team In Longhorn League"
.
The Odessa American
. April 21, 1954. p. 19
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Clippers Get Leo Posada"
.
Corpus Christi Times
. April 18, 1956. p. 7-B
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Sally League Team Drafts Leo Posada"
.
Corpus Christi Times
. Associated Press. December 6, 1956. p. 12B
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
Herdien, Bob (April 25, 1957).
"Big State Grads Advance"
.
Times Record News
. p. 10B
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
Oliver, Don (July 15, 1957).
"Blue Sox Due Help From A's"
.
Abilene Reporter-News
. p. 8-A
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
White, Don (April 27, 1958).
"Three-I League Opens Its 51st Season Today"
.
Quad-City Times
. p. 2B
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
Fiser, Jack (March 30, 1960).
"Sports Pepper Lookouts, 11?5"
.
The Shreveport Times
. p. 14-A
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Former Sports Star Inks KC Contract"
.
The Town Talk
. Alexandria, Louisiana. United Press International. February 15, 1961. p. 14
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Posada Will Boss C.R. Club"
.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette
. November 22, 1972. p. 13
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Posada to Start For Kansas City"
.
Springfield Leader and Press
. Springfield, Missouri. Associated Press. April 7, 1961. p. 7
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Finley's Still Boss of K.C."
The Record
. Hackensack, New Jersey. Associated Press. May 11, 1961. p. 32
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Leafs Sell Pena to Kansas City"
.
The Sun Times
. Canadian Press. August 4, 1962. p. 18
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Islanders Acquire 2 Outfielders"
.
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
. May 17, 1963. p. 15
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Hawaii Drops Posada"
.
The Honolulu Advertiser
. June 9, 1963. p. C-6
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
Small, Ken (July 8, 1963).
"Time Plays Trick, Arias an 'Amateur'
"
.
The Miami Herald
. p. 4-D
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
McIntyre, Bill (August 2, 1963).
"From Here and There..."
.
The Shreveport Times
. p. C-1
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Bullets Get Leo Posada"
.
San Antonio Express and News
. February 29, 1964. p. 2-D
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
Salazar, Carlos (April 16, 1965).
"Tidal Wave of Changes in TL's 78th Season"
.
The Albuquerque Tribune
. pp. C-1, C-2
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
Van Fleet, Bill (July 15, 1965).
"Record Crowd May See Houston, Stars"
.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
. p. 1
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Posada, Nixon Honored by TL"
.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
. September 5, 1965. p. 2
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Tulsa's Pavlesic Grabs Texas League Bat Title"
.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
. September 12, 1965. p. 7
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
Godsoe, Frank A. (April 5, 1967).
"Sonics Get Colbet; Posada Sent to O-City"
.
The Amarillo Globe-Times
. p. 13
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
Meece, Volney (April 9, 1967).
"New Look 89ers Go Friday"
.
The Daily Oklahoman
. p. 1
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
Montague, John (January 10, 1968).
"Cocoa Taps Two Pilots"
.
Florida Today
. p. 1B
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Manager Leo Posada Shows Astros How"
.
The Evening Tribune
. Cocoa, Florida. April 29, 1969. p. 5A
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Posada Back With Cocoa As Manager"
.
Florida Today
. January 19, 1969. p. 1B
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
a
b
c
Boetel, Ray (January 19, 1975).
"Leo Posada: The FSL Yankees' New Spokesman"
.
Fort Lauderdale News
. p. 8D
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
Coble, Don (April 13, 1978).
"Coaching doesn't end as game does"
.
The Orlando Sentinel
. p. 18
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Dodgers Name New Instructors"
.
Albuquerque Journal
. February 4, 1979. p. E-9
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
Amore, Don (March 29, 2000).
"Ladies And Gentlemen...Jorge Posada"
.
Hartford Courant
. Archived from
the original
on June 29, 2022
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
.
- ^
Hermoso, Rafael (August 9, 2003).
"BASEBALL; Mondesi Is Happier, but He's Still Unforgiving"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
.
- ^
Dickerson, Jan (April 29, 1962).
"Cuban Jails Can't Silence the Posadas"
.
The Kansas City Star
. pp. 1A,
8A
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
"Leo Posada, obituary"
(in Spanish). Dignity Memorial
. Retrieved
June 29,
2022
.
External links
[
edit
]