Chico Garcia
Encyclopedia
Vinicio "Chico" García Uzcanga (December 24, 1924 - August 17. 2007) was a second baseman
in Major League Baseball
. He played for the Baltimore Orioles
in the 1954
season. Listed at 5' 8", 170 lb., García batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Veracruz, Veracruz
, Mexico
. Outside of MLB, García enjoyed a distinguished baseball career that spanned five different decades as a player (1946-1970) and manager
(1966-1984).
A solid infielder and contact hitter, García played nine Triple-A seasons in the Arizona-Texas and American Association leagues and one season in Cuban baseball, before serving as a backup infielder for the Orioles in the American League. He won four minor league batting titles in the Arizona-Texas League (1949), Mexican Gulf League (1950, 1951) and Mexican League (1963).
Following his playing career, García managed in Mexico from 1966 through 1984, winning four championship titles for Culiacán (1966-67, 1969-70), Guasave (1971-72) and Mochis (1983-84). He also managed the Monterrey, Veracruz, Sabinas, Jalisco, Monclova and Nuevo Laredo clubs. In 1981, he gained Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame honors.
Vinicio (Chico) Garcia was married to Carolyn Foshee (who died in 1995) and has two sons, Jerry Vinicio & David and also has two daughters, Becky & Carolyn Lee.
García died on 08/16/2007 in Monterrey, Nuevo León
, Mexico at age 82.
were supposed to form the double play
combination for San Luis Potosí in the outlaw Mexican League, but Stephens reneged on his contract and returned to the majors.
On 11/30/1963 he was signed by the Baltimore Orioles from Shreveport in the Rule 5 Major League draft.
On 10/08/1954 Season he was traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Brooklyn Dodgers for Ray Moore.
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. He played for the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in the 1954
1954 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:* World Series: New York Giants over Cleveland Indians * All-Star Game, July 13 at Municipal Stadium: American League, 11-9-Other champions:* Caribbean World Series: Caguas Creoles [Criollos de Caguas]...
season. Listed at 5' 8", 170 lb., García batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Outside of MLB, García enjoyed a distinguished baseball career that spanned five different decades as a player (1946-1970) and manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
(1966-1984).
A solid infielder and contact hitter, García played nine Triple-A seasons in the Arizona-Texas and American Association leagues and one season in Cuban baseball, before serving as a backup infielder for the Orioles in the American League. He won four minor league batting titles in the Arizona-Texas League (1949), Mexican Gulf League (1950, 1951) and Mexican League (1963).
Following his playing career, García managed in Mexico from 1966 through 1984, winning four championship titles for Culiacán (1966-67, 1969-70), Guasave (1971-72) and Mochis (1983-84). He also managed the Monterrey, Veracruz, Sabinas, Jalisco, Monclova and Nuevo Laredo clubs. In 1981, he gained Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame honors.
Vinicio (Chico) Garcia was married to Carolyn Foshee (who died in 1995) and has two sons, Jerry Vinicio & David and also has two daughters, Becky & Carolyn Lee.
García died on 08/16/2007 in Monterrey, Nuevo León
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
, Mexico at age 82.
Highlights
- 1949 - Led Arizona-Texas League in runs, hits, triples and batting averageBatting averageBatting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
(.377). - 1963 - At 38 age, won his second batting title in the Mexican League (.368) and hit a career-high 21 home runs.
- His minor league career totals show a .306 average over 2,803 games.
- As a second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles he played 39 games and his batting stats are: 62 AB, 6 R, 7 H, 2 3B, 5 RBI, 8 BB, 3 SO, 1 SF, 0.113 Avg., 0.211 OBP, 0.177 SLG.
- Fielding stats: 245 G, 105 TC, 4.4 TC/G, 101 CH, 57 PO, 44 A, 4 E, 15 DP, 0.962 FLD %.
- He coached the Mexican League team Sultanes de Monterrey for 260 games, reaching a winning percentage of .430 in three seasons.
- The number he used with the Sultanes de Monterrey team from 1965-1965 & 1970 was retired on 06/11/1999.
- He is the Sultanes player with most All-Star games played with this team (14).
- He is the title second baseman in the All-Time players team of the Sultanes de Monterrey.
- With the Sultanes de Monterrey 4 times was top scorer and 2B batter, three times leader in batting, two times in games played and hits batted and one time lead the team in times at bat and home runs.
- Was inducted in the Mexico Hall of Fame of Baseball in 1981, the 14th Sultanes player in the Mexican HOF.
Fact
In 1946, García and Vern StephensVern Stephens
Vernon Decatur Stephens was an American shortstop in professional baseball who played 15 seasons in the American League for four different teams. A native of McAlister, New Mexico, Stephens batted and threw right-handed...
were supposed to form the double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
combination for San Luis Potosí in the outlaw Mexican League, but Stephens reneged on his contract and returned to the majors.
On 11/30/1963 he was signed by the Baltimore Orioles from Shreveport in the Rule 5 Major League draft.
On 10/08/1954 Season he was traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Brooklyn Dodgers for Ray Moore.