Edmundo (Sandy) Amorós’s Stellar Professional Baseball Career (Part III)

Part II ended with Amorós’s 1954-58 Cuban Winter League summary. Part III continues with 1958-59 Montreal; 1959 and 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers, 1960 Detroit Tigers; 1958-1961 seasons with Almendares; 1961 Denver Bears and 1962 Mexico City Reds; plus post-baseball life in Cuba, the Bronx, and Florida.

Montreal and Los Angeles (briefly), 1958-1959

Charlie Neal’s emergence as the 1958 Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman, plus Junior Gilliam’s ability to play left field, spelled “doom” for Amorós. Gino Cimoli was the Dodgers’ fourth outfielder behind Gilliam—who played half of the team’s 154 games in left field—Duke Snider and Carl Furillo. Los Angeles finished seventh in 1958 (71-83). The Dodgers (86-68) rebounded in 1959 to win the NL pennant and 1959 World Series (WS). Amorós had five pinch-hit regular season at-bats for Los Angeles. Gilliam moved to third in 1959, allowing Wally Moon to be the regular left fielder. Snider mostly played right, since Don Demeter played center. Maury Wills took over shortstop duties from Don Zimmer in mid-season. Neal showed pop, with 19 homers after clubbing 22 in 1958. Alston used nine starters in 1959—ace Don Drysdale (17-13), Johnny Podres (14-9), Roger Craig (11-5), Sandy Koufax (8-6), Danny McDevitt (10-8), Stan Williams (5-5), and Larry Sherry (7-2). Carl Erskine and Gene Snyder started five games between them. Sherry replaced Clem Labine as the team’s de facto closer for the Fall Classic.

 Amorós played left for the 1958 and 1959 Montreal Royals, managed by Clay Bryant. The 1958 Royals (90-63) won the eight-team International League pennant and semi-finals over Columbus, four games to three, and the finals versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, four games to one. Amorós’s slash line was .260/.379/.442, with a .821 OPS. His 86 walks were tops on the team. Sparky Anderson, 1968-69 San Juan Senators skipper in the PRWL, played second for Montreal. Anderson also played for 1956-57 Escogido in the LIDOM. Eighteen-game winner Tommy Lasorda was Montreal’s ace and the league’s Pitcher of the Year. “I was Sandy’s teammate with 1958 and 1959 Montreal, and [1958-59] Almendares in Cuba,” said Lasorda. “He came to play and did the little things to help us win with Montreal and Almendares.”

The 1959 Royals (72-82) finished sixth but Amorós led them with a .301 BA; was second with 26 homers to teammate Bob Lennon’s 28; and, drove in 79, second to Clyde Parris. Preston Gómez’s Havana Sugar Kings emerged triumphant in the league playoffs. Cal Ermer, manager of second-place Columbus Jets, the Pittsburgh Pirates top Triple-A team, later managed Ponce, Mayagüez, and San Juan in the PRWL. Joe Gibbon led the 1959 International League with 152 strikeouts with Columbus. He was standing on third in a semi-final game versus Havana at Gran Stadium.  Ermer’s wife, in the stands, overheard Cuban soldiers saying: “If he [Gibbon] scores, I’m going to shoot him.” Gibbon later told the author: “I’m glad I didn’t know about this.” https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/joe-gibbon/

Tables I and II include some hitting and pitching stats for the 1958 Montreal Royals. Center fielder Solly Drake, Amorós’s 1958 Montreal teammate, starred for the 1956-59 Marianao Tigers in Cuba. Montreal right-fielder Bob Lennon played for the 1958-59 Santurce Crabbers versus Almendares in the 1959 CS.

Table I: Montreal Royals 1958 Hitting Stats for Selected Players

Player	Age	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Sandy Amorós	28	139	446	72	116	29	2	16	62	86	59	.260	.379	.442	.821
Sparky Anderson	24	155	580	78	156	35	5	2	56	47	50	.269	.330	.357	.687
Solly Drake	27	155	607	105	183	35	16	9	68	68	82	.302	.375	.456	.832
Jim Koranda	24	146	510	81	137	27	7	20	78	56	83	.269	.341	.467	.808
Bob Lennon	29	144	470	81	135	23	6	25	87	56	65	.287	.365	.521	.887
Clyde Parris	35	153	550	72	165	32	6	10	93	51	78	.300	.357	.435	.792
Total (AVG age)	27.6	155	4984	684	1303	259	58	104	629	528	725	.261	.334	.399	.733

Source: Baseball-Reference.

Table II: Montreal Royals 1958 Pitching Stats for Selected Hurlers

Pitcher#	Age	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	K	BB	ERA	WHIP
Babe Birrer	28	12-5	25	20	11	4	160	146	77	43	2.36	1.181
Bob Giallombardo	21	12-9	23	21	12	5	148	111	89	60	2.74	1.155
Bill Harris	27	14-10	37	27	9	4	195	171	108	71	3.09	1.241
Tommy Lasorda	30	18-6	34	31	16	5	230	191	126	76	2.50	1.161
Charlie Rabe	26	6-8	20	17	7	2	115	112	55	35	3.37	1.278
René Valdés	29	15-14	45	28	10	0	210	209	112	63	4.03	1.295
Total (AVG age)	27.6	90-63	155	155

#Complete pitching stats were only available for some pitchers. Source: Baseball-Reference.     

Almendares Scorpions—1958-59 Cuban Winter League Champions

Ed Bauta, a native of Florida, Cuba, made his Cuban Winter League debut for the 1958-59 Marianao Tigers, one game and two scoreless innings. His Tigers teammates included Minnie Miñoso, Solly Drake, José Tartabull, and Zoilo Versalles. A decade earlier, he avidly followed his beloved Almendares Scorpions via radio, since it took 10 hours to drive from Florida (Cuba) to Havana. “I was an Almendarista rabioso (rabid Almendares fan),” noted Bauta. “Roberto Ortiz, from the Senado area of our Camagüey Province, was my favorite Scorpion. I admired player-manager Fermín Guerra and followed the exploits of Monte Irvin, their star outfielder.” Bauta, by then, had dropped out of school to be a farm laborer, cutting sugar cane, and handling oxen.

In 1958-59, Almendares (46-26) outdistanced 38-34 Marianao by eight games, Cienfuegos (31-41), and Havana (29-43) to represent Cuba in the four-team 1959 CS. The Scorpions placed six players on the regular season League All-Star Team: catcher Dick Brown, second baseman Tony Taylor, shortstop Willie Miranda, outfielders Angel Scull and Willie Tasby, and hurler Orlando Peña. Table III has the position players’ hitting stats. Peña (15-5), Art Fowler (8-6), and Lasorda (8-3) comprised a solid Almendares pitching trio, per Table IV.

Table III: Almendares Scorpions 1958-59 Hitting Stats (non-pitchers)

Player	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BA	SLG
Bob Allison	198	22	42	6	4	3	16	7	.212	.328
Sandy Amorós	215	26	53	4	6	1	20	14	.247	.335
Jim Baxes	275	20	55	9	0	9	32	0	.200	.331
Dick Brown	276	26	64	13	0	8	30	0	.232	.366
Miguel de la Hoz	39	2	9	0	0	1	7	0	.231	.308
Willie Miranda	223	16	55	7	2	1	15	0	.247	.309
Rocky Nelson	253	37	62	10	2	5	22	3	.245	.360
Carlos Paula	195	24	52	4	1	8	29	0	.267	.421
Leo Posada	37	6	10	2	1	2	5	0	.270	.541
Angel Scull	288	36	70	9	5	1	15	18	.243	.319
Tony Taylor	290	36	88	10	5	4	33	7	.303	.414
Others (6)	48	0	6	0	0	0	2	0	.125	.125
Total	2337	251	566	74	26	43	226	49	.240	.351

Source: Jorge S. Figueredo, Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History, 1878-1961, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2003.

Table IV: Almendares 1958-59 Pitching Stats

Pitcher	G	CG	W-L	IP	H	K	BB	ERA	WHIP
Orlando Peña	26	15	15-5	177	133	96	39	1.58	0.972
Art Fowler	24	10	9-6	155.2	128	82	37	1.91	1.060
Tom Lasorda	17	5	8-3	92.2	72	31	48	1.89	1.295
Miguel Cuéllar	17	4	5-7	95.1	99	47	37	3.79	1.427
John Romonosky	22	2	5-3	71.2	61	36	35	2.63	1.339
Fern. Rodríguez	10	0	2-1	41.1	23	32	15	1.09	0.919
Gonzalo Naranjo	19	0	1-0	39.1	29	26	16	3.05	1.144
Others (3)	8	0	1-1	17.2	20	13	13	3.06	1.868
Total	72	36	46-26	689.2	565	363	240	2.18	1.167

Source: Jorge S. Figueredo.

Scorpions Win the 1959 CS

Almendares (5-1 W-L) topped Oriente (4-2) from Venezuela, Santurce (3-3), and Azucareros from Panamá (0-6), in Caracas. Amorós (.333 BA) was one of four Scorpions regulars who surpassed .300 BA, including second-sacker Taylor (.346), first baseman Nelson (.320), and shortstop Miranda (.316). Camilo Pascual (2-0), Peña (1-1), Fowler (1-0), and Cuéllar (1-0) were a combined 5-1. Lasorda pitched 3.1 innings in one relief outing. Santurce’s Jackie Brandt was voted center fielder on the CS All-Star Team. “Cuba was the best team,” recalled Brandt. “It was nice to chat with Sandy [Amorós], my former [1955-56] Havana teammate.” Oriente’s Norm Cash was CS MVP. The author’s 2024 CS book will cover the 1949-2024 CS history.

Amorós, 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers to 1962 Mexico City Red Devils

Los Angeles traded Amorós to Detroit, on May 7, 1960, for first baseman Gail Harris, who hit 20 homers for the 1958 Tigers and played for the 1955-57 New York Giants. (Harris’s path was blocked due to the emergence of Orlando Cepeda in 1958 and Willie McCovey in 1959.) Amorós finished his major-league career with Detroit. He posted a .400 OBP for the 1961 Denver Bears, Detroit’s Triple-A American Association affiliate. Bears’ hurlers Bob Bruce, Bob Dustal, and Gordon Seyfried pitched for Mayagüez in the PRWL, due to Detroit’s working agreement with them. Charlie Metro, Bears’ skipper, managed the 1965-66 San Juan Senators. Detroit sold Amorós to Mexico City on March 18, 1962. His Diablos Rojos (Red Devils) slash line was .305/.412/.484 slash line with a .896 OPS per Table V.

Table V: Sandy Amorós Hitting Statistics, DR, Minors, Majors, World Series (WS), Mexico

Team	Year	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
NYC-	1950										.338
EO#	1951	21	79	20	31	9	2	1	19	8	.392	.595	.500	1.100
STP&	1952	129	489	108	165	24	10	19	78	14	.337	.420	.544	.964
MTL^	1953	150	539	128	190	40	11	23	100	11	.353	.457	.596	1.053
MTL^	1954	68	236	51	83	5	4	14	50	7	.352	.447	.585	1.032
MTL^	1958	139	446	72	116	29	2	16	62	20	.260	.379	.442	.821
MTL^	1959	151	519	99	156	33	5	26	79	14	.301	.409	.534	.942
DEN>	1961	128	452	92	117	35	7	10	58	10	.259	.400	.434	.834
MEX<	1962	111	403	78	123	19	7	13	71	13	.305	.412	.484	.896
Minors	Seven	876	3084	628	950	185	46	121	498	89	.308	.416	.516	.932
BLK*	1952	20	44	10	11	3	1	0	3	1	.250	.327	.364	.690
BLK*	1954	79	263	44	72	18	6	9	34	1	.274	.353	.491	.843
BLK*	1955	119	388	59	96	16	7	10	51	10	.247	.347	.402	.749
BLK*	1956	114	292	53	76	11	8	16	58	3	.260	.385	.517	.902
BLK*	1957	106	238	40	66	7	1	7	26	3	.277	.399	.403	.803
LAD+	1959	5	5	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	.200	.200	.200	.400
LAD+	1960	9	14	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	.143	.294	.143	.437
DET~	1960	65	67	7	10	0	0	1	7	0	.149	.275	.194	.469
Majors	Seven	517	1311	215	334	55	23	43	180	18	.255	.361	.430	.791
BLK*	1955!	5	12	3	4	0	0	1	3	0	.333	.529	.583	1.113
BLK*	1956!	6	19	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	.053	.143	.053	.195
Totals	WS(2)	11	31	4	5	0	0	1	4	0	.161	.297	.258	.555

-New York Cubans; #Estrellas Orientales; &St. Paul Saints; ^Montreal Royals; >Denver Bears; <Mexico

City Red Devils; *Brooklyn Dodgers; +Los Angeles Dodgers; ~Detroit Tigers. !1955 and 1956 World Series.

Sources: Winterball data and Baseball-Reference.

Two More Winters in Cuba, 1959-1961

Cuba’s Winter League was dissolved after 1960-61 when the country’s emphasis transitioned to a National Series. Amorós played first and the outfield in 1959-60, and primarily first base in 1960-61. Stateside imports were disallowed in 1960-61, and player salaries were cut to “help the Revolution.” Almendares (25-47), last in 1959-60, improved to 34-32, second-place, in 1960-61, one game behind 35-31 Cienfuegos. Table VI has Amoros’s Winter League and CS hitting stats.

Table VI: Sandy Amorós, Cuban Winter League, 1950-1961, and Four CS

Team	Season	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BA	SLG
HAV	1950-51	42	13	12	4	1	1	8	1	.286	.500
HAV	1951-52	165	23	55	10	4	3	27	4	.333	.497
HAV	1952-53	220	38	82	16	2	2	38	5	.373	.491
HAV	1953-54	283	39	91	11	4	9	39	9	.322	.484
HAV	1954-55	241	53	74	8	3	5	37	9	.307	.427
HAV	1955-56	248	44	65	9	4	8	34	3	.262	.427
ALM	1956-57	201	22	39	7	0	4	24	NA	.194	.289
ALM	1957-58	243	44	60	11	4	7	29	5	.247	.412
ALM	1958-59	215	26	53	4	6	1	20	14	.247	.335
ALM	1959-60	221	27	52	7	3	6	24	4	.235	.376
ALM	1960-61	226	30	65	7	1	3	32	5	.288	.367
Totals	11 years	2305	359	648	94	32	49	312	59	.281	.413
HAV	1951 CS	15	3	5	0	1	0	5	0	.333	.467
HAV	1952 CS	20	6	9	4	0	0	6	0	.450	.650
HAV	1953 CS	24	4	6	0	1	0	5	1	.250	.429
ALM	1959 CS	21	4	7	0	1	0	3	0	.333	.429
Totals	CS (4)	80	17	27	4	3	0	19	1	.338	.463

ALM: Almendares. HAV: Havana; CS: Caribbean Series. Source: Jorge S. Figueredo.

End of the Line

Fidel Castro confiscated Amorós’s ranch, auto, all assets, and cash, per Rory Costello’s SABR bio. Tension emerged between Amorós and Castro when the latter asked him to manage a new (1962) summer league team. “I told Castro I didn’t know how to manage,” said Amorós. “I could play, why would I want to manage?” https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/sandy-amoros Amorós left Cuba for the States in 1967.  Dodgers GM Buzzie Bavasi found out he lacked one week for his big-league pension; owner Walter O’Malley approved Amorós spending a week with Los Angeles, delivering the line-up card, among other tasks.

Amorós then lived in the Bronx for 10 years, until 1977, not too far from Yankee Stadium. He befriended Bronx Congressman Herman Badillo, who served in Congress, from 1971-1977. Amorós spent most of his remaining years in Tampa before moving to Miami, Florida. He suffered from diabetes and had one leg removed. His $495 monthly big-league pension was supplemented by $400 monthly thanks to the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT). Amorós passed away in Miami on June 27, 1992, at age 62.

Thanks to Al Campanis, Ed Bauta, Jackie Brandt, Rory Costello, Jorge S. Figueredo, Joe Gibbon, Tommy Lasorda, Tony Taylor, and Stew Thornley. Jorge Colón Delgado did the editing and photo placements.