Dodgers Nation Wishes Raul Mondesi A Happy Birthday
In 1988 the Los Angeles Dodgers signed a 17-yea- old outfielder out of the Dominican Republic named Raul Mondesi.
Five years later in July of 1993, Mondesi made his Major League debut for the Dodgers with a pinch-hit single against the Philadelphia Phillies. The next season, Mondesi made the Dodgers Opening Day roster and played in 112 games, hitting .306 with 16 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases.
Mondesi was selected as the National League Rookie of the Year that season, becoming the third in a string of five-straight Dodgers to win the award (Eric Karros-1992, Mike Piazza-1993, Hideo Nomo-1995, Todd Hollandsworth-1996).
Mondesi’s only All-star campaign came in 1995 when he also won his first of two Gold Glove awards. He batted .285 that season with 26 homers and 88 RBIs. From 1995-2002 he hit at least 24 home runs each season.
In 1997, Mondesi hit .310 with 30 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 32 steals — becoming the first Dodger player in history to join the 30-30 club. He also won his second Gold Glove Award and finished 15th in voting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award.
In 1999, Mondesi again joined the 30-30 club with 33 home runs and 36 stolen bases, though his average dropped to .253. That same year, the Dodgers traded Mondesi to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Shawn Green. Mondesi went on to play with five more teams before retiring in 2005.
Mondesi is currently out of baseball and living in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. He has two sons in professional baseball, Raúl Adalberto Mondesí, who plays in the Kansas City Royals organization and Raúl Mondesí, Jr. played in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Dodgers Nation would like to congratulate Mondesi for all he has done and thank him for being impressive as a Dodger. We wish him a happy 44th birthday!
[divide]Dodgers Relief Pitcher Paco Rodriguez Working On Mechanics
