Aurelio Rodríguez

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Aurelio Rodríguez Ituarte (Jr.)

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 5' 10", Weight 180 lb.

Debut September 1, 1967
Final Game October 1, 1983
Born December 28, 1947 in Cananea, Sonora Mexico
Died September 23, 2000 in Detroit, MI USA

BR page

1 Biographical Information
2 Trivia
3 Notable Achievements
4 Records Held
5 Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record
6 Sources
7 Related Sites

[edit] Biographical Information

Aurelio Rodríguez was known as an excellent defensive third baseman who never hit more than .254 in any of his 17 major league seasons. Clearly, his defensive skill was his calling card. Though only a one-time Gold Glove winner, his lightning-quick reflexes and sure hands resulted in great plays that most 3rd-sackers could only dream of. He began his professional baseball career at the age of 17, hitting .260 for the Jalisco Charros in 1965. He also hit .293 with 25 homers and 104 RBI for the Fresnillo Mineros in the Mexican Center League, tying for fourth in the league in homers. In '66 Rodríguez hit .292/~.313/.413 for Jalisco and led the Mexican League with 16 triples. That earned him a deal with the California Angels - over the next four seasons he split time between the Angels and their top farm teams.

In 1970 Rodríguez was having his best year in the majors with the Washington Senators (a 102 OPS+, 19 homers, 33 doubles, 15 steals, 83 RBI and 70 runs - all career highs) at the age of 22 while playing for Ted Williams but he was shipped to Detroit as part of a deal for Denny McLain. In 1976 he broke Brooks Robinson's run of 15 straight Gold Gloves at third base in the American League.

Aurelio bounced around the majors in the early 80s after a decade primarily with Detroit, then was released in 1983 after 2,017 games in the majors. He came back to the Mexican League after a 19-year absence and hit .318/~.439/.519 for the Mexico City Tigers in 1984. A year later he went to the Monterrey Sultans and batted .304/~.369/.479. Rodríguez sat out the explosive 1986 Liga campaign and returned in 1987 with the Saltillo Saraperos, batting .371/~.454/.608 in 68 games. Rodríguez would have tied for third in the league in average if he had gotten enough plate appearances to qualify. After a brief retirement, Aurelio returned the next year at age 40 but slipped to .182/.229/.182 the next year and called it quits for good.

Rodríguez also was a long-time fixture in the Mexican Pacific League. After retiring, he moved into the front office and managed Monterrey to the Mexican League title in 1991. In 1995 he was voted into the Salon de la Fama. That same year, he was managing the Reynosa Broncos but was suspended for the season after hitting umpire Alejandro Villalpando in arguing over a call. On September 23, 2000, Rodriguez was visiting Detroit from his home in Mexico. While he was walking on Detroit's southwest side at 2:00 in the afternoon with an unidentified woman, a car swerved and jumped the sidewalk and ran over Rodriguez before hitting a tree. The driver of the car had suffered a stroke. Rodriguez, who had to be pulled from under the car, was 52 at the time of his death. Rodriguez' funeral in Mexico was attended by thousands of people, including the president of that country.

Brother of Chico Rodríguez. Father of Aurelio Rodríguez Jr..

[edit] Trivia

Rodriguez' 1969 baseball card depicts not Rodriguez, but an Angels batboy.

[edit] Notable Achievements

AL Gold Glove Winner (1976)

[edit] Records Held

Fewest errors, third baseman, season, 4, 1978

[edit] Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1990	Niagara Falls Rapids	New York-Penn League	35-42	9th	Detroit Tigers
1991	Sultanes de Monterrey	Mexican League	82-38	1st	none	League Champs
1992	Sultanes de Monterrey	Mexican League		--	none		replaced by Carlos Paz
1993	Saraperos de Saltillo	Mexican League		--	none		replaced by Alfredo Rios
1994	Industriales de Monterrey	Mexican League	76-53	3rd	none	Lost in 1st round

1996	Broncos de Reynosa	Mexican League		--	none		replaced by Leo Clayton, Raul Montoya, & Antonio Pollorena

1998	Acereros de Monclova	Mexican League	75-46	3rd	none	Lost League Finals
1999	Acereros de Monclova	Mexican League	71-46	4th	none	Lost in 2nd round