Luis Medina

From BR Bullpen

Luis Main Medina

Bats Right, Throws Left
Height 6' 4", Weight 200 lb.
School Cerritos College, Arizona State University
Debut September 2, 1988
Final Game June 13, 1991
Born March 26, 1963 in Santa Monica, CA USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Medina was born on March 26, 1963, in Santa Monica. His first professional ball playing experience came with the Alaska League^[1], quite far from his hometown. He made a big impact there, hitting .315 in 1983 and .384 in 1984, winning the league MVP in the latter year. This piqued the interest of big league scouts.

The Cleveland Indians drafted Medina in the ninth round of the 1985 amateur draft. He played well in the minors, earning both the MVP and Prospect of the Year awards with Waterloo of the Midwest League in 1986. He was considered a big prospect based on his minor league accomplishments, and would finally reach the majors with the Indians in 1988.

Medina made his debut as a September call up and went 2-for-3 in his first game. He finished the season with promising numbers, batting .255 with 6 homeruns in 51 at bats. Those numbers, along with his prodigious minor league stats, bade well for his future as a major leaguer. He started the 1989 season in the majors as the Indians’ DH against lefties, but struggled mightily. He was sent back down to the minors in June after batting a paltry .205 with 4 homers and a strikeout total – 35 in 83 at bats – that suggested he just wasn’t ready to face major league pitching.

Luis Medina would not return to the majors until 1991, and then only for a brief showing in June, during which he went 1-for-16 with 7 strikeouts. He was allowed to become a free agent at the end of the year. While he would later sign with the Kansas City Royals, Medina never played in another major league game. Right up until the end, though, he played very well at the minor league level.

Medina has since moved on to the front office, and now occupies a post of Special Assistant to the General Manager in Kansas City.