Héctor Estrada
From BR Bullpen
Héctor Estrada Soto
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 10", Weight 195 lb.
- Born September 23, 1968 in Navojoa, Sonora Mexico
20 years younger than his more famous brother, Frank Estrada, Héctor Estrada was a Mexican League player for almost as long, 23 years to Frank's 26. Like Frank, he became a manager.
Estrada debuted with the 1986 Puebla Parrots, going 0 for 2. He hit .304/.360/.435 in a backup role in 1987 while still a teenager. Moving to the Jalisco Charros, he batted .298/.343/.450 in 60 games in 1988. He next went to the Mexico City Red Devils, hitting .279/.306/.406 in 1989 and .296/.309/.423 when he became a starter in 1990. Showing Shawon Dunston-esque numbers, he managed to draw only 8 walks in 110 games having more homers (10) than walks. While his walk rate would improve gradually over time, it would never be a strong point.
Héctor hit .356/.386/.517 for the 1991 Red Devils, his best year, at age 22. He still barely cracked the league's top 20 in average. In 1992, he hit .299/.329/.409. He split 1993 between Mexico City and the Puebla Parrots, with a composite line of .279/.308/.422 with 70 RBI. In 1994, the young backstop batted .242/.272/.367 for Puebla. He followed with a .313/.345/.447 season in '95.
Moving to the Quintana Roo Lobstermen in 1996, Estrada hit .264/.329/.350. He switched to the Monclova Steelers for '97 and batted .298/.345/.392, followed by .272/.342/.422 in 1998. During 1999, the veteran fell to .205/.304/.349. He next played for the Yucatan Lions, hitting .276/.343/.450 with a career-high 19 home runs and 83 RBI. He fell to .234/.314/.351 for the 2001 Lions.
In 2002, Estrada put up a .274/.348/.422 line for the Torreon Cotton Dealers. He split 2003 between the Laguna Cowboys and Cordoba Coffee Growers, hitting .253/.310/.390 in 75 games. The old-timer hit .233/.293/.384 for Laguna. In '05, he hit .241/.303/.348 and took over the managerial reigns late in the year. During 2006, he batted .227/.290/.333 for the Campeche Pirates. He became player-manager in 2007, batting .244/.330/.372 in his last year as a player. He guided Campeche for all of 2008 and 2009 and manged both Campeche and Laguna for part of 2010. He coached for the Red Devils in 2011.
