**COACHING CAREER**
In 1st season as the Red Sox first base coach...Marks 2nd stint on Boston's Major League staff after spending the 2009 campaign as the club's staff assistant in his professional coaching debut ... Served as hitting coach for Boston's High-A Salem affiliate in 2011...His batters led the Carolina League in OBP (.328) and finished 3rd in AVG (.254) and SLG (.387) ... Was a special assistant in the Red Sox Baseball Operations department in 2010 ...
**PLAYING CAREER**
Signed with the Orioles as a third-round pick in the 1991 draft...An outfielder, spent 8 seasons in the Majors
with the Mets (1995-97), Twins (1998), Brewers (1999, 2002), Reds (2000-01), Rockies (2001) and Angels
(2002)...Played under Bobby Valentine for parts of 2 seasons with the Mets in 1996-97 ... Hit .279 with 131 doubles, 19 triples, 46 home runs, 261 RBI, 320 runs, 203 walks and 56 stolen bases over 807 career games...Tallied 51 assists in just 663 games in the outfield from 1996-2002 ... Acquired by the Angels from the Brewers at the 2002 trade deadline and won a World Series title with Anaheim that year ... Played in the Japanese Central League for parts of 6 seasons from 2003-08...Combined to bat .289 with 97 home runs and 416 RBI in 765 total games with the Chunichi Dragons (2003-06) and Hiroshima Carp (2007-08) ... Was a non-roster invitee to Boston's Major League Spring Training camp in 2007 and began that season with Triple-A Pawtucket, appearing in 24 games for the PawSox before returning to Japan ...
**PERSONAL**
Graduated from Hialeah-Miami Lakes (FL) High School...Earned 3 varsity letters in baseball and was team
captain during his junior and senior seasons...Won a pair of MVP awards and was an All-Miami selection...Hit .375 as a junior and .410 as a senior ... His parents emigrated from Cuba in 1971.
2006
SUMMARY: In his fourth and final season with Chunichi, batted .273 with 30 doubles, 15 homers, 77 RBIs and 57 runs in 138 games...his 30 doubles were the most of his 4-year stay in Japan...ranked
second on the Dragons in doubles and third in home runs...hit .340 with runners in scoring position...committed just two errors in 201 total chances in the outfield (.990 fielding percentage).
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Began the season by hitting safely in his first seven games (11-26, .423), 12
of his first 13 (19-50, .380) and 18 of his first 21 contests (28-81, .346) through the end of April...had a season-best 10-game hitting streak from May 6-17, batting .395 (17-43) with five RBIs...over a 14-game stretch from July 29-Aug. 16, hit .390 (23-59) with 16 RBIs...featured his best game of
the season on Aug. 13 against Hanshin, when he went 4-for-4 with six RBIs...overall on the season,
had 10 games of three or more hits.
2005
Ranked 3rd on the Dragons with 18 home runs and 78 RBI...batted .269 in 137 games, the
lowest average of his time in Japan...legged out 24 doubles for the 2nd straight season...made 3
errors in 137 games in the outfield.
2004
Had perhaps his best season in Japan, batting .294 with 21 home runs and a career-high
89 RBI in 138 games for the Dragons...led the club in RBI and ranked 2nd in home runs...his .369
on-base percentage was the highest of his career in Japan.
2003
Signed a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on Feburary 1 before signing
to play in Japan for the Chunichi Dragons on February 17...in his first season in Japan, cracked 21
homers and scored a career-high 83 runs while batting .294 in 137 games...ranked among the top
15 players for the Central League batting title...collected 28 doubles and 65 RBI.
2002
Began the season with Milwaukee before his July 31 trade to the eventual World Champion
Angels...had 3 homers in his first 4 games for the Brewers and put together a 7-game hitting
streak from July 19-27...made his Angels debut on August 2 vs. the Yankees...batted .310 with 4
homers on the road for the Angels...appeared in 12 post-season games, going 0-for-5 with 2 runs
scored...all 12 of his playoff games came as a rightfielder.
2001
Split the season between the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies...hit a combined .276
with 30 doubles, 7 triples, 8 homers and 52 RBI between the 2 clubs...set personal bests in games
(148), doubles, runs (73), triples and stolen bases (17)...had a career-best 12 outfield assists, tied
for 5th in the National League and for 10th in the majors..tied for 6th in the N.L. with 24 infield
hits...collected career hit No. 500 on August 5 vs. Pittsburgh.
2000
Had perhaps his finest major league season,
setting career bests with a .316 batting average, 13
home runs and 58 RBI for the Reds...led the club with
a .358 average with runners in scoring position...hit
.355 in September/October, including a career-best 9-
game hitting streak from September 10-18...earned
N.L. Player of the Week honors for September 11-17...
batted .319 in his final 85 games after returning from
an emergency appendectomy in June...his grand slam
on August 22 vs. Philadelphia off Bruce Chen was the
first of his career and the 142nd gland slam in the
majors in 2000, a new record...his bat was sent to the
National Baseball Hall of Fame...did not commit his
first error until August 1, snapping a streak of 52 consecutive
errorless games to begin the season.
1999
Led all Brewer pinch hitters with a .270 batting
average and 10 pinch hits, the 8th-highest single-season
total in club history...split time in left field with
Geoff Jenkins and took over in right field in July and
August while Jeromy Burnitz was on the D.L.
1998
In his first full season in the American League,
led the Twins in pinch hits (5) and pinch-hit at-bats
(19)...tied for the club lead in pinch-hit RBI (3)...had 8
outfield assists, 2nd-most among Twins outfielders.
1997
Had a .982 fielding percentage and 7 assists for
the Mets...recorded his first 2 career pinch-hit home
runs on July 13 at Atlanta off Mike Bielecki and September
22 at Florida off Dennis Cook...following the
season, played for Santurce of the Puerto Rican Winter League.
1996
Split the season between the Mets and Triple-A Norfolk...began the season with Norfolk
before his June 22 promotion to New York...hit .355 with 3 homers and 17 RBI in his first 16 starts
for the Mets...on July 3 at Philadelphia, became the 21st Met to hit for the cycle...came in his 22nd
major league game, 3rd-fastest in history...after the season, played for Licey in the Dominican
Winter Legue.
1995
Was a Triple-A International League All-Star after combining to hit .283 with 10 homers,
61 RBI and 24 steals for Rochester and Norfolk...ranked 3rd in the league in stolen bases...led all
league outfielders in games, total chances and putouts...had a 13-game hitting streak from May
5-19...was traded to the Mets on July 28 and sent to Triple-A...was recalled on September 15 and
made his major league debut on September 18 at Atlanta...collected his first hit in the game, a
single off Steve Avery.
1994
Ranked among International League leaders in hits (tied for 3rd with 156) and batting
average (7th at .301)...led all league outfielders with 22 assists and tied for the league lead with
5 double plays...on June 5 at Harrisburg, combined with Brent Miller to become the first pair of
teammates in 47 years to both hit 2 home runs in the same inning...was named Baltimore's Minor
League Player of the Month for June after batting .383 with 24 RBI...was a teammate of Michael
Jordan at Scottsdale of the Arizona Fall League.
1993
Earned Carolina League All-Star honors after ranking among league leaders in nearly every
offensive category...earned the Brooks Robinson Award as the top hitter in the Orioles minor
league system.
1992
Was named to the Midwest League All-Star team after ranking among league leaders in
batting average (7th at .295), hits (4th with 147) and triples (tied for 3rd with 7)...led the league
with 17 outfield assists...was named Orioles Minor League Player of the Month for May.
1991
After his first pro season, was rated the No. 7 prospect in the Gulf Coast League by
Baseball
America...had a 13-game hitting streak from July 23-August 10.
