Moisés Camacho
Encyclopedia
Roberto Francisco Ávila González (April 2, 1924 – October 26, 2004) was a Major League Baseball
second baseman
and right-handed batter who played for the Cleveland Indians
(1949–58), Baltimore Orioles
(1959), Boston Red Sox
(1959), Milwaukee Braves
(1959) and Tigres del México
(1960). Born in Veracruz
, Veracruz
, México
, he had a medium frame
at 5' 10" and 175 lb. He was better known in his homeland and other Latin American countries as "Beto" and in the majors as "Bobby".
farm system in 1953. In '54, he hit 16 home runs for the Fresno Cardinals
of the California League
, pretty good for an 18-year old second baseman. He kept bouncing around the system the next year, playing ball in leagues classified C, B and A (two different A leagues). Not finding room for the young slugging infielder, the Cards let him go to his native Mexico to join the Mexican League. In 1956 he played for the New Laredo Owls but was unimpressive - .231/~.319/.331. In '57, he split the year between the South Atlantic League
and the Mexican League, hitting .305 in his short time in the Liga. He would never get a chance again in the U.S.
In 1958 Camacho began to emerge as a star in Mexico. Still just 22, he cranked out 20 homers and drove in 80, slugging .479. He fell to .229 the next season but hit another 23 long balls, sixth in the Liga.
In 1960 Camacho moved to first base upon joining the new Puebla Parrots (New Laredo ceased play after '59 - the team may have transferred - I'm unclear on this point). His homer total fell to 10 but he hit .290 and drew 72 walks. After playing for Veracruz and Mexico City in '61, he returned to Puebla for the rest of the '60s, where he formed a two-Camacho homer duo with Moises Camacho
.
1962 was Camacho's first big year, as he led the Liga in homers (25). He hit .290/~.407/.529 that year, the first season he topped a .500 slugging - he would reach the level in 4 of the next 5 seasons. In '63, Camacho repeated as a home run king (39) and also led in runs (108) and RBI (108) in his greatest power-hitting season. He hit .289/~.407/.584. That year Puebla won their only title, thanks in large part due to Camacho's bat. In '64, he slipped to .278 with an OBP around .391 and a slugging of .536. He hit another 35 homers and drove in 114 runners, third in both stats behind Hector Espino
and Bobby Prescott
. In 1965 Camacho drew 103 walks to lead the league (none intentionally - he usually averaged about 10 IBB at this time) and hit 25 homers - .264/~.394/.471.
In '66, Camacho kept up his fine hitting. The 30-year old hit his 230th career home run, breaking Angel Castro's Liga record. He had his first .300 season (.314, a career high), posted a .455 OBP (third behind Espino and Ellie Hendricks, a .589 slugging (third behind Espino and Prescott), scored a career-high and league-best 109 runs, drove in 114 (8 behind Prescott), hit 30 homers (third) and walked a career-high 120 times (tops in the league). It was probably his best all-around season. In '67, he slipped to .289/~.417/.501 with 20 HR and 96 walks. In '68, his power vanished as he only hit 9 homers, though he still drew 94 walks. In 1969 he had his last great season. In his final year for Puebla, he batted .303/~.419/.493 with 24 HR, a career-high 116 RBI and 98 walks. He led the league in RBI for the second time that year, giving him two run titles, two RBI titles, two walk titles and two RBI titles for the '60s.
Camacho slipped to .241 with 15 HR and 73 BB for the Yucatan Lions in 1970 then played for three teams in the next five years, never hitting more than 5 homers as he faded away.
In the Mexican League, Camacho had hit .272/~.396/.460 with 317 HR and 1,273 RBI. Through 2000 and despite spending his first few years in the US, Camacho ranked 11th in the Liga in career games (2,204), 8th in runs (1,190), 7th in RBI (1,273), 5th in homers (317, at that point behind only Espino, Nelson Barrera
, Andres Mora
and Alejandro Ortiz), 1st in walks (1,411, a record he still holds) and 8th with 3,227 total bases.
Camacho managed 6 Mexican League teams in the '70s and also was the skipper of two Mexican Pacific League pennant-winners ('66-'67 and '73-'74). He won one batting title in the LMP and hit .259 with 139 homers there.
In 1983 Camacho was elected into the Salon de la Fama
.
Salon de la Fama site page for Camacho
Sources: "The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics" by Pedro Treto Cisneros, Viva Beisbol! newsletter by Bruce Baskin, Jamie Marshall
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...
second baseman
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...
and right-handed batter who played for the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
(1949–58), 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...
(1959), Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
(1959), Milwaukee Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
(1959) and Tigres del México
Tigres de Quintana Roo
The Quintana Roo Tigers also known as Mexico Tigers is a Triple-A baseball team located in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division of the Mexican Baseball League...
(1960). Born in 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...
, Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, México
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...
, he had a medium frame
Human body
The human body is the entire structure of a human organism, and consists of a head, neck, torso, two arms and two legs.By the time the human reaches adulthood, the body consists of close to 100 trillion cells, the basic unit of life...
at 5' 10" and 175 lb. He was better known in his homeland and other Latin American countries as "Beto" and in the majors as "Bobby".
Biographical Information
Ronnie Camacho broke into pro baseball with the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
farm system in 1953. In '54, he hit 16 home runs for the Fresno Cardinals
Fresno Cardinals
The Fresno Cardinals were a minor league baseball team that played in the California League from 1941-1956. The team was owned by the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League and was based in Fresno, California....
of the California League
California League
The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
, pretty good for an 18-year old second baseman. He kept bouncing around the system the next year, playing ball in leagues classified C, B and A (two different A leagues). Not finding room for the young slugging infielder, the Cards let him go to his native Mexico to join the Mexican League. In 1956 he played for the New Laredo Owls but was unimpressive - .231/~.319/.331. In '57, he split the year between the South Atlantic League
South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States...
and the Mexican League, hitting .305 in his short time in the Liga. He would never get a chance again in the U.S.
In 1958 Camacho began to emerge as a star in Mexico. Still just 22, he cranked out 20 homers and drove in 80, slugging .479. He fell to .229 the next season but hit another 23 long balls, sixth in the Liga.
In 1960 Camacho moved to first base upon joining the new Puebla Parrots (New Laredo ceased play after '59 - the team may have transferred - I'm unclear on this point). His homer total fell to 10 but he hit .290 and drew 72 walks. After playing for Veracruz and Mexico City in '61, he returned to Puebla for the rest of the '60s, where he formed a two-Camacho homer duo with Moises Camacho
Moisés Camacho
Roberto Francisco Ávila González was a Major League Baseball second baseman and right-handed batter who played for the Cleveland Indians , Baltimore Orioles , Boston Red Sox , Milwaukee Braves and Tigres del México . Born in Veracruz, Veracruz, México, he had a medium frame at 5' 10" and...
.
1962 was Camacho's first big year, as he led the Liga in homers (25). He hit .290/~.407/.529 that year, the first season he topped a .500 slugging - he would reach the level in 4 of the next 5 seasons. In '63, Camacho repeated as a home run king (39) and also led in runs (108) and RBI (108) in his greatest power-hitting season. He hit .289/~.407/.584. That year Puebla won their only title, thanks in large part due to Camacho's bat. In '64, he slipped to .278 with an OBP around .391 and a slugging of .536. He hit another 35 homers and drove in 114 runners, third in both stats behind Hector Espino
Héctor Espino
Hector Espino was a Mexican professional outfielder, first baseman and manager.Born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Espino has being considered the greatest player in Mexican League history...
and Bobby Prescott
Bobby Prescott
George Bertrand "Bobby" Prescott is a former professional baseball player, an outfielder, first baseman and third baseman who had a 19-year career, from 1952–1970, in North American minor league baseball and a brief trial with the Kansas City Athletics of the Major Leagues...
. In 1965 Camacho drew 103 walks to lead the league (none intentionally - he usually averaged about 10 IBB at this time) and hit 25 homers - .264/~.394/.471.
In '66, Camacho kept up his fine hitting. The 30-year old hit his 230th career home run, breaking Angel Castro's Liga record. He had his first .300 season (.314, a career high), posted a .455 OBP (third behind Espino and Ellie Hendricks, a .589 slugging (third behind Espino and Prescott), scored a career-high and league-best 109 runs, drove in 114 (8 behind Prescott), hit 30 homers (third) and walked a career-high 120 times (tops in the league). It was probably his best all-around season. In '67, he slipped to .289/~.417/.501 with 20 HR and 96 walks. In '68, his power vanished as he only hit 9 homers, though he still drew 94 walks. In 1969 he had his last great season. In his final year for Puebla, he batted .303/~.419/.493 with 24 HR, a career-high 116 RBI and 98 walks. He led the league in RBI for the second time that year, giving him two run titles, two RBI titles, two walk titles and two RBI titles for the '60s.
Camacho slipped to .241 with 15 HR and 73 BB for the Yucatan Lions in 1970 then played for three teams in the next five years, never hitting more than 5 homers as he faded away.
In the Mexican League, Camacho had hit .272/~.396/.460 with 317 HR and 1,273 RBI. Through 2000 and despite spending his first few years in the US, Camacho ranked 11th in the Liga in career games (2,204), 8th in runs (1,190), 7th in RBI (1,273), 5th in homers (317, at that point behind only Espino, Nelson Barrera
Nelson Barrera
Nelson Barrera Romellón was a Mexican League baseball player, who at the time of his death in 2002 led the league in career home runs and RBIs .A right-hander and a native of the Mexican state of Campeche, Barrera entered...
, Andres Mora
Andrés Mora
Andrés Mora Ibarra , is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder. He played all or part of four seasons in the majors, between and , for the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians. He continued to play professionally in Mexico until , and ranks 3rd all time in home runs in Mexican League history...
and Alejandro Ortiz), 1st in walks (1,411, a record he still holds) and 8th with 3,227 total bases.
Camacho managed 6 Mexican League teams in the '70s and also was the skipper of two Mexican Pacific League pennant-winners ('66-'67 and '73-'74). He won one batting title in the LMP and hit .259 with 139 homers there.
In 1983 Camacho was elected into the Salon de la Fama
Salón de La Fama
Salón de La Fama is Nicky Jam's third studio album. This is an album of his greatest hits and a couple new ones.- Track listing :# Intro# La Vamos A Montar# Buscarte # Si Tú Guayas Salón de La Fama is Nicky Jam's third studio album. This is an album of his greatest hits and a couple new ones.-...
.
Salon de la Fama site page for Camacho
Sources: "The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics" by Pedro Treto Cisneros, Viva Beisbol! newsletter by Bruce Baskin, Jamie Marshall
Year-by-Year Managerial Record
| Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Playoffs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Broncos de Reynosa Broncos de Reynosa The Reynosa Broncos are a Mexican team that play in the Adolfo Lopez Mateos stadium in the city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas.The Broncos de Reynosa play in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol and it's part of the Zona Norte division.... |
Mexican League | 47-100 | 12th | ||
| 1972 | Broncos de Reynosa Broncos de Reynosa The Reynosa Broncos are a Mexican team that play in the Adolfo Lopez Mateos stadium in the city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas.The Broncos de Reynosa play in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol and it's part of the Zona Norte division.... |
Mexican League | -- | -- | replaced by Jorge Fitch Jorge Fitch Jorge Fitch is a former Mexican Major League Baseball who played from Mexican clubs Tigres, Pericos de Puebla and Broncos de Reynosa in a 10 years spam where he played 1,670 games with 1676 hit with an .272 batting lifetime average .He also played in the Mexican Pacific league with clubs... |
|
| 1973 | Rojos del Aguila de Veracruz Rojos del Aguila de Veracruz The Rojos del Águila de Veracruz are a AAA-level baseball team playing in the Mexican League.They play at the Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila in Veracruz, Veracruz.... |
Mexican League | 7th | Lost in 2nd round | replaced Mario Ariosa | |
| 1974 | Tigres de México | Mexican League | 15th | replaced Jose Luis Garcia José Luis García José Luis García is an Argentine football midfielder. He currently plays for Almirante Brown.-External links:*... |
||
| 1975 | Rieleros de Aguascalientes | Mexican League | 51-85 | 16th | ||
| 1976 | Alijadores de Tampico Alijadores de Tampico The Alijadores de Tampico were a professional baseball team from Tampico, Tamaulipas that played in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol . In the 1940s, they were an excellent team and won titles in 1945 and 1946. However, the team was not very profitable and from 1949 through 1970, the team was not a... |
Mexican League | 8th | replaced Benny Valenzuela Benny Valenzuela Benjamin Beltrán Valenzuela is a former Major League Baseball third baseman who played for one season. He played in games for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1958 St. Louis Cardinals season. After retirement, he became a manager of the Alijadores de Tampico in the Mexican League.-External links:... |
||
| 1977 | Tigres de México | Mexican League | 11th | replaced Jose Luis Garcia José Luis García José Luis García is an Argentine football midfielder. He currently plays for Almirante Brown.-External links:*... |
||
| 1978 | Dorados de Chihuahua Dorados de Chihuahua Dorados de Chihuahua were a baseball team from the city of Chihuahua. Recently Tuneros de San Luis moved to Chihuahua and took the Dorados namesake, which also brought the LMB Mexican Baseball League to Chihuahua for the first time since 1982. The Dorados played their home games at Estadio... |
Mexican League | 60-89 | 15th | ||
| 1979 | Rojos del Aguila de Veracruz Rojos del Aguila de Veracruz The Rojos del Águila de Veracruz are a AAA-level baseball team playing in the Mexican League.They play at the Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila in Veracruz, Veracruz.... |
Mexican League | -- | -- | replaced by Miguel Sotelo Miguel Sotelo Miguel Sotelo is a former Mexican Major League Baseball who played from Mexican club in 1953.The followng year he was under the orders of George Genovese in a minor league team in Hutchinson, Kansas Pittsburgh Pirates lower divistion club.In 1955 he transfer to the Mexican- Arizona league were he... |
|