Félix Mantilla, a Long Life, and Fine Amateur and Professional Baseball Career

Félix “The Cat” Mantilla (July 29, 1934, to January 10, 2025) became Hank Aaron’s friend and teammate with the 1953 Jacksonville Braves, 1953-54 Caguas Criollos, and 1956-1961 Milwaukee Braves. He was an original member of the 1962 New York Mets, managed by Casey Stengel. Mantilla, from Isabela, Puerto Rico (PR), a municipality in the island’s northwest, helped Team PR win the 1951 Amateur World Series over Cuba. He played in two World Series with Milwaukee, winning the 1957 one, and four Caribbean Series events for Caguas, emerging as a champion in February 1954 under skipper Mickey Owen. A Milwaukee Little League carries his name in the city where he lived and passed. He was inducted into the PR Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. Details of Mantilla’s minor-league and big-league career are in his Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) bio by Rick Schabowski at https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/felix-mantilla/.

1951 Amateur World Series Champions

Mexico hosted the 11-team Amateur World Series, November 1-19, 1951. Cuba (9-1) and Venezuela (9-1) advanced to the four-team round-robin playoffs with PR and the Dominican Republic (DR) at 7-3. Cuba’s only loss was to PR in the preliminary phase. The others were: Nicaragua (6-4), Costa Rica (5-5), Panamá (5-5), Colombia (4-6), Mexico (2-8), Guatemala (1-9), and El Salvador (0-10). PR (3-0) won the round-robin winner over Venezuela (2-1), Cuba (1-2), and the DR (0-3). PR’s 7-6 win versus Cuba was key. Nicaragua’s Bert Bradford went 25-for-52, .481 BA (batting champ). Walter James (DR) slugged three HR, and Sotero Ortiz (PR) scored 21 runs and stole 10 to lead in those categories.

PR’s roster: José “Pepe” Seda-MGR, Ismael “The Bear” Guasp and Melquiades Silva Anderson-C, Cándido Jiménez-1B, Ramón “Wito” Conde and Miguel “Nano” Miro-2B, Félix “The Cat” Mantilla-3B, William “Papi” Figueroa-SS, outfielders Carlos Memelo López, Ramón “Monchito” Maldonado, Miguel “Marota” Pérez, and, Sotero Ortiz. Pitchers were Juan Antonio Hernández Massini, Angel Ortiz, Fernando Sevilla, Jaime “The Whip” Córdova, Eugenio Encarnación, Manuel Maldonado, and Héctor Rito Maldonado. Lilidiana Cruz Pazos interviewed some PR players, including Mantilla, found at https://conbasesllenas.com/los-heroes-del-51-campeones-de-la-serie-mundial-de-beisbol-aficionado/. Here is Mantilla’s feedback:

Incredibly, people are unaware of our 1951 (Amateur) World Title. We were a young team who couldn’t practice together in PR but did so in Mexico. They treated us well except for Team Venezuela. They yelled that we were U.S. slaves. I hit a long HR and fans alerted me that Tomás “Planchardón” Quiñónes had hit one in that vicinity for Puebla in 1945. Sotero Ortiz was our best hitter but Wito [Conde] was our best player. I’ll never forget returning to [San Juan’s] Sixto Escobar Stadium. We unveiled our PR flag to loud cheers.

1953 Jacksonville Braves

Hank Aaron, Horace Garner, and Félix Mantilla integrated the 1953 Jacksonville Braves, affiliated with Milwaukee: 1953-1960. Aaron (2B)/Mantilla (SS) were double-play partners for skipper Ben Geraghty. These 93-44 (.679) Braves won the pennant over the Columbia Reds (92-48), but the Reds prevailed in the finals. Team owner Samuel W. Wolfson, who was Jewish, “had been impressed by players in the Negro American League and integrated his team.” https://jaxexaminer.com/hank-aaron-played-for-the-jacksonville-braves-in-1953/ They were among the first integrated teams in the Sally League and Florida. Aaron and Mantilla lived a few blocks from Durkee Field (off 8^th Street and Durkee) and walked to the ballpark. Aaron was League MVP and All-Star 2B with a .362 BA, 22 HR, and 125 RBIs. Mantilla, All-Star SS, sported a .278 BA, six HR, and 48 RBIs. Mantilla was Jacksonville’s second SS from PR—in 1948, Jaime Almendro played 35 contests for the 1948 Jacksonville Tars.

1953 Jacksonville Braves. Félix Mantilla, 2^nd, L to R, and Horace Garner, 4^th, L to R, standing; Hank Aaron, far right, standing. Photo credit: www.pinterest.com.

Hank Aaron (L) and Ben Geraghty (R), 1953 Jacksonville Braves. Photo credit: www.imageevent.com.

Caguas Criollos: 1953-54 PRWL and Caribbean Series Champions

Aaron and Mantilla became 1953-54 Caguas Criollos teammates, with pitchers Bob Buhl (14-3) and Ray Crone (6-1), a 19-game winner for the 1953 Jacksonville Braves. He joined Caguas in December 1953. Mickey Owen changed the course of Aaron’s career, moving him from 2B to RF, enabling Owen to secure 2B Charlie Neal and use the Neal-Mantilla double-play combo. “I knew where I could get a better second baseman than Aaron, [but] he could sure hit,” remembered Owen. “So one day, I hit him a few flyballs, and he went to it and got them easy, and he threw good. I said, you’re not an infielder; you’re an outfielder.” Mantilla led the PRWL with nine triples. His stellar defense, alongside Neal, stabilized the Criollos’ middle, with Jim Rivera in CF and Güigüí Lucas and Owen catching. Caguas (46-34) bested Mayagüez in the finals to advance to the February 18-23, 1954 Caribbean Series. They finished 4-2, ahead of 3-3 Almendares (Cuba), 3-3 Carta Vieja Yankees (Panamá), and Venezuela’s 2-4 Pastora Milkers. It is worth mentioning that Mantilla’s achievement of hitting three home runs in a game on November 4, 1956, was a remarkable feat that showcased his exceptional batting skills and contributed significantly to his team’s victory, driving in six runs.

Milwaukee Braves: 1956-1961

Fred Haney, Milwaukee’s manager, said this about Mantilla: “At third, he’s as quick as a cat and has that arm. He can make the pivot on the double play at second.” Being on the field for Game Seven in Milwaukee’s 1957 World Series win over the Yankees was “the greatest feeling of all time.” He told his SABR biographer how much he enjoyed living in Milwaukee. “When I was in the house, I could hear at the back door someone leaving milk—a gallon every day for free. There was beer out there…got Wisco 99 gas and a car from Rank and Son (Milwaukee car dealer). The fans: if you lost a game, they didn’t boo you…with the fans behind you, you can’t lose.” In 1958, he started 27 games in CF; and played 2B, 3B, and SS. Two Mantilla teammates were LHP Juan Pizarro from Santurce, PR, and RHP Humberto Robinson from Panamá. The Yankees bested Milwaukee in a seven-game 1958 Fall Classic. On May 26, 1959, Mantilla broke Pittsburgh’s Harvey Haddix’s 12-inning perfect game by reaching first on Don Hoak’s error on a grounder to third. He later scored the winning run.

L to R: Terín Pizarro, Humberto Robinson, and Félix Mantilla, 1958 Milwaukee Braves. Robinson won the pitching Triple Crown for 1954 Jacksonville. Pizarro did likewise in 1956—personal collection of Luis Rodríguez Mayoral.

1962 New Mets, 1963-1965 Boston Red Sox, and 1965 All-Star Game

Mantilla was selected by the Mets in the October 10, 1961, NL Expansion Draft, as was Craig Anderson. Mantilla faced Anderson in the 1961-62 PRWL season when Caguas played Santurce. Anderson was the Crabbers’ third starter behind Juan Pizarro and Bob Gibson. Fast forward to the Polo Grounds, home of the 1962 Mets. Mantilla, who played 3B for Casey Stengel, was reunited with 2B Charlie Neal. The 40-120-1 Mets had a .240/.318/.361 slash line, and .679 OPS, scoring 617 runs—3.83/game. Mantilla’s .275 BA was second to teammate Richie Ashburn’s .306. He homered 11 times and drove in 59, similar to Neal’s 11 HR and 58 RBIs. Frank Thomas’ 34 HR and 94 RBIs led the Mets. He played for the 1951-52 San Juan Senators before Mantilla’s 1952-53 Caguas debut. Roger Craig (10-24) and Craig Anderson (3-17) were hard-luck Mets pitchers.

Fenway Park was a blessing—30 HR in 1964; then, 18 HR and 92 RBIs for 1965 Boston. He started for the AL at 2B in the July 13, 1965 All-Star Game in Minnesota, a 6-5 NL win. Mantilla hit sixth in front of Vic Davalillo (CF), Earl Battey (C), and Milt Pappas (P). Dick McAuliffe (SS), Brooks Robinson (3B), Harmon Killebrew (1B), Rocky Colavito (RF), and Willie Horton (LF) batted ahead of Mantilla, who went 0-for-2 and was replaced at 2B by Bobby Richardson, who also was 0-for-2. Sandy Koufax won; Sam McDowell took the loss; Bob Gibson saved it.

1964-65 San Juan Senators and 1966 Houston Astros

The author, age 10, saw Mantilla play SS for 1964-65 San Juan, managed by Cal Ermer and 30-year-old Roberto Clemente, who was 20 days younger than Mantilla. Don Buford played 2B, and José “Cocó” Laboy played 3B that winter. The fourth-place Senators (34-36) were eliminated by Santurce (41-28) in the semis. Mantilla retired after his 1966 Houston Astros season as a backup to Chuck Harrison (1B), Cooperstown Inductee Joe Morgan (2B), and Bob Aspromonte (3B). Table I includes his career-hitting stats. His 26 doubles led the 1956-57 PRWL, as did his 23 steals in 1959-60.

Table I: Félix Mantilla Stats, Minors (1952-1956), PRWL (1952-1965), Majors (1956-1966)

#Estimated totals for three seasons. Sources: Baseball-Reference and  https://beisbol101.com/jugador/felix-mantilla/

Thanks to Ray Crone, Mickey Owen, and Juan Pizarro. Jorge Colón Delgado did the editing and photo placements.

Tom Van Hyning

Tom Van Hyning se crió en Santurce, Puerto Rico. Su familia se mudó a esta preciosa Isla cuando tenía dos años. Tom es el autor de tres libros: “Puerto Rico’s Winter League”, “The Santurce Crabbers” y “The Caribbean Series: Latin America’s Annual Baseball Tournament 1949-2024, que fue publicado en 2025. Laboró como Economista de Turismo en el estado de Mississippi y es miembro de SABR, Capítulo Cool Papa Bell en Mississippi. Sus artículos han sido publicados por SABR en la revista National Pastime y Baseball Research Journal. Igualmente escribe para las páginas web negroleaguerspuertorico.com y safabpp.com.