Past Stories: Braves Untold - Latin Americans

More Braves Untold Series

With a history of players that spans from the organization's inception in Boston to the current, the Braves have had a rich history of Latino players that have contributed to the organization's success. Having names like Alou, Alomar, Cepeda, Carty, A. Jones, and Inciarte, as members of the organization, the Braves have had some of the Latin America's greatest players grace its fields.

The Atlanta Braves uncover the stories of these Latino greats and their influence on the game of baseball through Braves Untold - Los Bravos edition.

Julio Franco (Dominican Republic)

Julio Franco defied age and reason to have a productive five-year run for the Braves from 2001-05. The Braves signed him as a 42-year old to fill in at first base in 2001 where he hit .300 in 25 games down the stretch. The next season he continued to hit powerfully, finishing at .284 in 125 games. He hit .294 as a 44-year-old, .309 at 45, and .275 at 46. He hardly ever pulled the ball, waiting for outside pitches where he could keep his hands inside the ball and drop that giant barrel to spray line drives to the opposite field gap. After two years with the Mets he returned in 2007 at 48 and hit .250 in 40 at bats, still as fit as ever.

Julio Franco defied baseball age standards to have an impressive five-year run with the Braves.
The Braves signed the first baseman as a 42-year-old. He immediately drew the attention of fans as he hit .300 in 25 games!
He continued to keep up the momentum and at 43 years-old finished the season at .284 in 125 games.

Felix Millan (Puerto Rico)

Felix Millan was as good of a defender at second base as anyone in team history. The Puerto Rican native won Gold Gloves in 1969 and 1972, and led the NL in fielding and assists among second basemen in 1969. That year he became the first Brave ever to play all 162 games in a season. Felix the Cat made the All-Star team each year from 1969-71 and played regularly through 1972. In 1971, he was the hardest player in the National League to strikeout, fanning only once every 26.2 at bats.

Andres Galarraga (Venezuela)

Andres Galarraga was a big, power-hitting first baseman who was also surprisingly nimble around the bag and had wonderfully soft hands that handled throws in the dirt with ease. The Venezuelan hero answered to “El Gato Grande” and maintained his quickness into his 40s. The Big Cat was a legend in his home country of Venezuela, idolized by teammates and opponents from his homeland. He was a gentle giant, always sporting a giant smile outside the lines. After a monster 1998 season with the Braves, Galarraga developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in his back. He missed the entire 1999 season while he underwent chemotherapy. The team wore his number 14 on their hats in his honor. He overcame the disease and worked his way back for the 2000 season. In the first game of the season he hit a towering home run to left field to complete his comeback and ultimately made the All-Star Game in his home park. He was an inspirational team leader and community pillar.

Rafael Belliard (Dominican Republic)

Bobby Cox referred to Rafael Belliard as Pacman, saying he gobbled up everything hit his way. He was part of the strategy of backing up the Braves talented young pitchers with reliable defenders and he served that purpose brilliantly, boasting the surest hands in the business. Belliard, despite his tiny 5’6 and 160-pound frame, carved out a 17-year career in the majors and even popped two career home runs, going a record 1,869 at bats between them. He was a member of the 1995 World Series Championship team.

Vinny Castilla (Mexico)

Vinny Castilla made his Major League debut as a Brave in 1991, then was selected in the expansion draft by the Colorado Rockies in 1992. After hitting 40 or more home runs three straight years there, Vinny returned to the Braves in 2002 and was the every-day third baseman for two seasons where he led the league in fielding percentage. Castilla hit 34 home runs between 2002-03 and helped produce the best offensive Braves team of their 14-consecutive division title run. Vinny is the all-time leading home run hitter for Mexican born players with 320 for his career. He managed the Mexican team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, and was inducted into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020.

Braves Clubhouse

Felipe Aloú - Dominican Republic

Part of the first wave of Dominicans, Aloú made his MLB debut with the San Francisco Giants on June 8, 1958. His 1962 selection along with Juan Marichal made the pair the first Dominicans to appear in the All-Star Game. Traded to the Braves in December 1963, Aloú became a vital contributor, hitting .295 and earning two All-Star selections from 1964 to 1969, while playing in an outfield that included Rico Carty and Hank Aaron.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: In November 1963, Aloú authored "Latin-American Ballplayers Need a Bill of Rights" for Sport magazine, outlining concerns about treatment of Latino players. Additionally, in 1992, Aloú became the first Dominican manager in Major League Baseball as manager for the Expos.

Francisco Cabrera - Dominican Republic

Cabrera was 22 years old starting his career with the Blue Jays, just after three games into the season he was traded to the Braves where he played from 1989 - 1993.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: Cabrera is best known for his two-out game-winning pinch hit in the 9th inning of the 7th and deciding game of the 1992 National League Championship Series that put the Braves into the World Series.

Rico Carty - Dominican Republic

Nicknamed "Beeg Boy," Carty emerged as one of the first Dominican hitting stars in the Majors, averaging .299 with 204 homeruns during a 15-year career. The Dominican native made his debut on September 15, 1963, and through 1972 hit .317/.388/.496 for the Braves. Sidelined during the 1968 season because of tuberculosis, he capped his comeback in 1970 by earning his lone All-Star selection as a write-in and winning his sole batting title, hitting .366 - the Braves' highest single-season average since Rogers Hornsby's .387 in 1928.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: Carty was inducted into the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame in the Dominican Republic in 2011.

Paulino "Paul" Casanova - Cuba

A strong-armed catcher from Cuba, Casanova was the Braves backup catcher from 1972 through 1974 following a seven-year stint with the Washington Senators. Known for his defensive skills, Casanova threw out 40% of base stealers during his career. He caught knuckleballer Phil Niekro's lone no-hitter in 1973, a game the Hall of Famer called one of his career highlights. An important clubhouse presence as a veteran black player, Casanova mentored Dusty Baker and Ralph Garr during their early years with Atlanta.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: Serving as a connector to many Latino and African-American players during his era, Casanova was instrumental in mentoring Dusty Baker and Ralph Garr during their early years with Atlanta.

Orlando "Cha Cha" Cepeda - Puerto Rico

The Braves acquired Cepeda by trading Joe Torre to the Cardinals in March 1969. Cepeda slugged 74 HR for the Braves over the next 3½ seasons, helping Atlanta win the division title in 1969. A seven-time All-Star, the Puerto Rican slugger hit 379 career home runs and batted .297 lifetime while winning numerous accolades. He was the 1958 unanimous NL ROY and 1967 NL MVP.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: In 1999, Cepeda became the second Puerto Rican inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Rafael Furcal - Dominican Republic

A dominant shortstop, Frucal debuted in 2000 hitting .295 with 40 stolen bases for the Braves leading to his success as the National League Rookie of the year.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: In 2003 became the 12th player in Major League History to turn an unassisted triple play.

Mike González - Cuba

Cuban born, González was the first Latin player to play for the Braves. He was a right-handed-hitting catcher, made his National League debut with the 1912 Boston Braves, playing only one game. During that time he played "Negro baseball" with integrated teams from Cuba, the Cuban Stars in 1911, 1912 and 1914.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: Cuban catcher, coach and interim manager in American Major League Baseball during the first half of the 20th century.

Andruw Jones - Curacao

Born in Curacao, Jones was a premier centerfielder and a five-time All-Star. Jones hit more than 30 home runs seven times and set the Braves single-season record with 51 in 2005. A key run producer, he scored more than 100 runs four times and surpassed 100 RBI five times. In the 1996 World Series, he became the youngest player to hit a home run and second to ever homer in his first two World Series at-bats.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: Jones, known for his outstanding fielding and prolific hitting earned 10 Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger Award while playing for the Braves from 1996 to 2007. Andruw was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2016.

Javier "Javy" López - Puerto Rico

A three-time All-Star from Puerto Rico, López from 1992 through 2003, hit .287 for the Braves and won 11 division titles and the 1995 World Series. He was the star of the 1996 NLCS over St. Louis, earning the MVP while leading the Braves back to the Fall Classic. López caught Kent Mercker's no-no on April 8, 1994, one of 14 no-hitters in Braves history.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: López is the all-time home run leader among Braves catchers and owner of the MLB's single-season mark for backstops with 42 dingers in 2003. López is a 2014 inductee into the Braves Hall of Fame.

Adolfo "Dolf" Luque - Cuba

Luque's May 20, 1914 debut with the Boston Braves made him the first Latin American pitcher in MLB history. Luque led the National League with 27 wins in 1923 and in ERA in 1923 and 1925. He won the World Series twice, including with the 1933 New York Giants. His 194 wins rank sixth all-time among Latinos hurlers.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: The first Cuban MLB star, Luque was nicknamed the "The Pride of Havana." Become the first Latino to play in the World Series.

Félix Mantilla - Puerto Rico

In his 11-year career, Mantilla played for the Milwaukee Braves from 1956-61 as an infielder and outfielder.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: Mantilla and two other black players joined the Jacksonville Braves of the Class-A South Atlantic League in 1953. This was one of the first two integrated baseball teams in the Southern United States. During this time Mantilla was the roommate of Hank Aaron. Mantilla and Aaron were both called up to the major leagues, playing for the Milwaukee Braves. Both were on the team when they won the World Series title in 1957.

Dennis Martínez - Nicaragua

Nicknamed "El Presidente", Martínez was the first Nicaraguan to play in the majors. He spent his final season with the Braves in 1998. During his 23-year career, Martínez compiled 245 wins, 2,149 strikeouts, and a 3.70 ERA.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: Martínez retired having the most wins by a Latin American pitcher, holding that record until Bartolo Colón surpassed him in 2018.

Felix Millán - Puerto Rico

Millán, nicknamed "El Gatito" or 'The Kitten' the Puerto Rican born second-baseman made his major league debut on June 2, 1966 with the Braves, and played for Atlanta until 1973. He played in three All-Star Games, the first in 1969 and the last in 1971.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: First Braves infielder to win multiple Gold Gloves.

Eddie Pérez - Venezuela

Pérez has been a part of the Braves organization for over 10 years serving as a player, coach and advisor. After being signed he spent eight seasons in the Braves' minor league system. 1995 World series champion, Pérez known for his outstanding defensive skills, and later became an offensive standout. Pérez had one of his best years in 1998 when he posted a .336 batting average along with a .404 on-base percentage in 61 games helping the Braves claim the National League East Division.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: Known for being pitcher Greg Maddux's personal catcher, Pérez was named the Most Valuable Player of the Venezuelan Winter League in 1994 and in the 1999 National League Championship Series.

Humberto Robinson - Panama

Primarily a reliever, Robinson finished 3-1 with three saves in 13 appearances during his rookie campaign. Played parts of three seasons with the Braves in 1955, '56 and '58 before being traded to Cleveland Indians for first baseman Mickey Vernon in April of 1959. Traded a month later to the Phillies, Robinson played for Philadelphia through 1960. His five-year big league stint was most notable for being part of the pioneering generation of black players in MLB.

Braves Untold Moment of Confidence: Born in Colon, Panama, the righty's relief appearance for the Milwaukee Braves on April 20, 1955 made Robinson the first Panamanian to appear in the Majors.