Chico Fernandez (fernach01)

From BR Bullpen

Humberto Fernandez

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 0", Weight 170 lb.

Debut July 14, 1956
Final Game September 25, 1963
Born March 2, 1932 in Havana, Cuba

[edit] Biographical Information

Cuban born Chico Fernandez was the heir apparent to Pee Wee Reese at shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers for several years in the 1950s, but his stay in Brooklyn was limited to 34 games in 1956 in which he hit .227 and poked his first major league home run, a grand slam on August 4.

In 1955 he had hit .301 for the Montreal Royals and was called "the greatest fielding shortstop in league history" by International League president, Frank Shaughnessy.

Chico was traded away by the Dodgers to the Philadelphia Phillies after the 1956 season and became an everyday player for the Phillies, hitting what would be a career high .262 in 1957.

From 1960 until early in 1963, Fernandez was the Detroit Tigers Shortstop and in 1962 he would hit 20 home runs which is one more than he had in his previous six years. But his newfound power was short-lived and on May 8, 1963, he had the distinction of being traded twice in the same day. He was dealt by Detroit to the Braves who then swapped him to the New York Mets where he concluded his major league stay that year with a .240 average.

Chico had been signed as an amateur free agent in 1951 by the Dodgers at the age of 19 and in his first six years in the minors (1951-56) he built his hitting up to a .275 average. His last five years in the game were also spent in the minors and his batting average for that time period came to a .231 mark. All told Chico was in pro baseball for 17 active seasons (1951-1968) and he retired from the active list at the age of 36.

Although John Kennedy was the first black player for the Philadelphia Phillies, Kennedy only played in a handful of games. Chico Fernandez was the first black (Cuban) regular on the Phillies, debuting for the team soon after Kennedy following a trade with Brooklyn.

After active retirement Chico became an infield instructor in the Dodgers organization and later became the team's minor league coordinator. At last word Fernandez is retired in Sunrise, Florida.