Richard Hidalgo

Richard José Hidalgo [ee-DAHL-go] (born June 28, 1975 in Caracas, Venezuela) was a Major League Baseball right fielder. He played with the Houston Astros (1997-2004, 2007), New York Mets (2004), and the Texas Rangers (2005). Hidalgo signed with the Baltimore Orioles on February 26, 2006, but was released on March 7, 2006 without playing a single game. [1] He batted and threw right-handed. Hidalgo was a powerful hitter, with good instincts in the outfield and a strong throwing arm. He was supposed to be an all around player in all areas, but a congenital knee defect changed those plans. After hitting .306 and .303 in his first two seasons, Hidalgo had a disappointing 1999 campaign with a .227 average, although he showed some power with 15 home runs in 383 at-bats. He required season-ending kneecap surgery. Hidalgo blossomed in 2000, when he hit .314 with 44 home runs and 122 RBI, but his numbers slowed in 2001 (.275, 19, 80) and 2002 (.235, 15, 48). In 2003, he returned to good form both at the plate and in the field. He posted numbers of .309, 28, 88, collected three homers in a game, and led the majors outfielders in assists with 22, while committing only four errors. Hidalgo split the 2004 season between the Astros and the Mets, hitting .239 with 25 homers and 82 RBI. A highlight of the 2004 was a Met record of home runs in 5 consecutive games (only Met), 3 of them in interleague games against the Yankees. In 2006 he signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles but left the team when his wife became ill. Hidalgo requested to be released from his contract, allowing to him to go to Japan where he would have a starting role. In the 2006 off season, the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs have reportedly shown interest in signing Hidalgo. In January 2007, the Houston Astros signed him again, this time to a minor-league contract. This second tenure was short lived, as Hidalgo was released by the Astros on March 25, 2007 after refusing a minor league assignment. [2] Hidalgo was a .273 lifetime hitter with 155 home runs and 517 RBI in 899 games. On November 22, 2002, Hidalgo was shot in the left forearm during a carjacking in Venezuela. [3] On April 10, 2007, Hidalgo joined the Long Island Ducks. [4] Before spring training, however, he announced his retirement from professional baseball. [5]

See also

• Players from Venezuela in MLB
• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

External links

• Baseball Reference (career stats)
• ESPN (profile and daily update)