Minnie Minoso Stats

Minnie Minoso was born on Thursday, November 29, 1923, in Perico, Cuba. Minoso was 25 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 19, 1949, with the Cleveland Indians. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Minnie Minoso baseball stats page.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"It's been many years (twelve) since I face pitching like this (Frank Tanana on September 11, 1976). I hope they (the fans) forgive me." - Minnie Minoso (After being un-retired and going in as a DH)

Minnie Minoso

Minnie Minoso Autograph on a 1960 Topps Baseball Card (#365 | <a href='../baseball_cards/baseball_cards_oneset.php?s=1960top01' title='1960 Topps Baseball Card Checklist'>Checklist</a>)

Minnie Minoso Autograph on a 1960 Topps Baseball Card (#365 | Checklist)

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Birth Name:   Saturnino Orestes Armas Miñoso
Nickname:   Minnie or The Cuban Comet or Mr. White Sox
Born On:   11-29-1923  (Sagittarius)
Place of Birth Data Born In:   Perico, Cuba
Year of Death Data Died On:   03-01-2015 (1,000 Oldest Living)
Place of Death Data Died In:   Chicago, Illinois
Cemetery:   Cremated
High School:   None Attended
College:   None Attended
Batting Stances Chart Bats:   Right   Throwing Arms Chart Throws:   Right
Player Height Chart Height:   5-10   Player Weight Chart Weight:   175
First Game:   04-19-1949 (Age 25)
Last Game:   10-05-1980
Draft:   Not Applicable

Minnie Minoso

Minnie Minoso Pitching Stats

- - Did Not Pitch - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Minnie Minoso

Minnie Minoso Hitting Stats

1949 26 Indians 9 16 2 3 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 2 0 - 2 2 .188 .350 .375
1951 28 Indians 8 14 3 6 2 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 - 2 0 .429 .529 .571
1951 28 White Sox 138 516 109 167 32 14 10 0 74 71 0 41 4 - 14 12 .324 .419 .498
1952 29 White Sox 147 569 96 160 24 9 13 0 61 71 5 46 14 - 14 15 .281 .375 .424
1953 30 White Sox 151 556 104 174 24 8 15 0 104 74 7 43 8 - 17 23 .313 .410 .466
1954 31 White Sox 153 568 119 182 29 18 19 1 116 77 7 46 6 8 16 20 .320 .411 .535
1955 32 White Sox 139 517 79 149 26 7 10 0 70 76 3 43 8 4 10 18 .288 .387 .424
1956 33 White Sox 151 545 106 172 29 11 21 0 88 86 4 40 4 7 23 10 .316 .425 .525
1957 34 White Sox 153 568 96 176 36 5 12 1 103 79 5 54 1 9 21 19 .310 .408 .454
1958 35 Indians 149 556 94 168 25 2 24 0 80 59 3 53 6 2 15 13 .302 .383 .484
1959 36 Indians 148 570 92 172 32 0 21 2 92 54 2 46 6 3 17 11 .302 .377 .468
1960 37 White Sox 154 591 89 184 32 4 20 1 105 52 2 63 5 9 13 16 .311 .374 .481
1961 38 White Sox 152 540 91 151 28 3 14 0 82 67 2 46 0 12 16 11 .280 .369 .420
1962 39 Cardinals 39 97 14 19 5 0 1 0 10 7 0 17 1 0 3 1 .196 .271 .278
1963 40 Senators 109 315 38 72 12 2 4 1 30 33 1 38 4 3 8 14 .229 .315 .317
1964 41 White Sox 30 31 4 7 0 0 1 0 5 5 1 3 1 0 1 0 .226 .351 .323
1976 53 White Sox 3 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 .125 .125 .125
1980 57 White Sox 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
17 Years 1,835 6,579 1,136 1,963 336 83 186 6 1,023 814 43 584 68 57 192 185 .298 .389 .459

Minnie Minoso

Minnie Minoso Fielding Stats

1949 Indians RF 7 6 144 11 1.6 11 11 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.06
1951 Indians 1B 7 2 102 42 6.0 40 37 3 2 1 n/a n/a n/a .952 10.59
1951 White Sox CF 2 2 48 6 3.0 6 6 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 3.38
1951 White Sox LF 42 33 897 92 2.2 87 86 1 5 0 n/a n/a n/a .946 2.62
1951 White Sox RF 43 38 1,001 61 1.4 60 58 2 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .984 1.62
1951 White Sox 3B 68 64 1,662 218 3.2 204 82 122 14 10 n/a n/a n/a .936 3.31
1951 White Sox SS 1 0 3 1 1.0 1 0 1 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 9.00
1952 White Sox 3B 9 6 144 12 1.3 12 1 11 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.25
1952 White Sox CF 70 67 1,746 163 2.3 160 156 4 3 1 n/a n/a n/a .982 2.47
1952 White Sox LF 71 61 1,716 162 2.3 158 151 7 4 2 n/a n/a n/a .975 2.49
1952 White Sox RF 15 13 355 18 1.2 18 18 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.37
1952 White Sox SS 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
1953 White Sox 3B 10 3 135 19 1.9 17 3 14 2 0 n/a n/a n/a .895 3.40
1953 White Sox CF 1 0 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
1953 White Sox LF 143 135 3,618 295 2.1 285 270 15 10 3 n/a n/a n/a .966 2.13
1953 White Sox RF 11 10 198 13 1.2 13 13 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.77
1954 White Sox 3B 9 6 162 19 2.1 18 7 11 1 1 n/a n/a n/a .947 3.00
1954 White Sox CF 13 11 312 30 2.3 29 28 1 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .967 2.51
1954 White Sox LF 123 120 3,212 305 2.5 298 285 13 7 3 n/a n/a n/a .977 2.50
1954 White Sox RF 14 14 336 28 2.0 28 28 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.25
1955 White Sox 3B 2 1 21 4 2.0 4 2 2 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 5.14
1955 White Sox CF 2 0 9 1 0.5 1 1 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 3.00
1955 White Sox LF 134 128 3,366 294 2.2 285 267 18 9 3 n/a n/a n/a .969 2.29
1955 White Sox RF 9 8 177 14 1.6 14 14 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.14
1956 White Sox 1B 1 0 3 1 1.0 1 1 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 9.00
1956 White Sox 3B 8 1 54 10 1.3 8 2 6 2 0 n/a n/a n/a .800 4.00
1956 White Sox LF 148 147 3,789 300 2.0 292 282 10 8 1 n/a n/a n/a .973 2.08
1956 White Sox RF 1 0 0 1 1.0 1 1 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 0.00
1957 White Sox 3B 1 0 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
1957 White Sox LF 152 152 4,043 309 2.0 304 295 9 5 2 n/a n/a n/a .984 2.03
1958 Indians 3B 1 0 12 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
1958 Indians LF 147 145 3,885 315 2.1 307 294 13 8 1 n/a n/a n/a .975 2.13
1959 Indians LF 148 148 3,966 336 2.3 331 317 14 5 1 n/a n/a n/a .985 2.25
1960 White Sox LF 152 150 3,893 297 2.0 291 277 14 6 3 n/a n/a n/a .980 2.02
1960 White Sox RF 5 4 99 5 1.0 5 5 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 1.36
1961 White Sox LF 147 147 3,865 290 2.0 277 267 10 13 2 n/a n/a n/a .955 1.94
1962 Cardinals LF 27 26 609 37 1.4 36 34 2 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .973 1.60
1963 Senators 3B 8 7 174 27 3.4 27 5 22 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 4.19
1963 Senators LF 74 70 1,813 112 1.5 107 104 3 5 0 n/a n/a n/a .955 1.59
1963 Senators RF 1 0 3 1 1.0 1 0 1 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 9.00
1964 White Sox LF 4 2 66 8 2.0 8 8 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 3.27
1964 White Sox RF 1 0 12 1 1.0 1 1 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.25
LF Totals 1,512 1,464 38,738 3,152 2.1 3,066 2,937 129 86 21 n/a n/a n/a .973 2.14
3B Totals 116 88 2,367 309 2.7 290 102 188 19 13 n/a n/a n/a .939 3.31
RF Totals 107 93 2,325 153 1.4 152 149 3 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .993 1.77
CF Totals 88 80 2,118 200 2.3 196 191 5 4 1 n/a n/a n/a .980 2.50
1B Totals 8 2 105 43 5.4 41 38 3 2 1 n/a n/a n/a .953 10.54
SS Totals 2 0 3 1 0.5 1 0 1 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 9.00
15 Years 1,833 1,727 45,656 3,858 2.1 3,746 3,417 329 112 36 n/a n/a n/a .971 2.22

Minnie Minoso

Minnie Minoso Miscellaneous Stats

1949 Indians 0 1 .000 2 1 n/a 16.0 8.0 16.0 - - -
1951 Indians 0 0 .000 1 3 n/a 0.0 14.0 7.0 - - -
1951 White Sox 31 10 .756 1 0 n/a 51.6 12.6 7.0 - - -
1952 White Sox 22 16 .579 0 0 n/a 43.8 12.4 9.3 - - -
1953 White Sox 25 16 .610 1 1 n/a 37.1 12.9 5.3 - - -
1954 White Sox 18 11 .621 0 2 n/a 29.9 12.3 4.9 - - -
1955 White Sox 19 8 .704 1 0 n/a 51.7 12.0 7.4 - - -
1956 White Sox 12 6 .667 3 0 n/a 26.0 13.6 6.2 - - -
1957 White Sox 18 15 .545 1 0 n/a 47.3 10.5 5.5 - - -
1958 Indians 14 14 .500 3 0 n/a 23.2 10.5 7.0 - - -
1959 Indians 8 10 .444 0 0 n/a 27.1 12.4 6.2 - - -
1960 White Sox 17 13 .567 0 0 n/a 29.6 9.4 5.6 - - -
1961 White Sox 9 4 .692 1 4 n/a 38.6 11.7 6.6 - - -
1962 Cardinals 4 0 1.000 7 5 n/a 97.0 5.7 9.7 - - -
1963 Senators 8 6 .571 29 1 n/a 78.8 8.3 10.5 - - -
1964 White Sox 0 0 .000 27 0 n/a 31.0 10.3 6.2 - - -
1976 White Sox 0 0 .000 0 0 3 0.0 4.0 0.0 - - -
1980 White Sox 0 0 .000 2 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 - - -
17 Years 205 130 .612 79 17 3 35.4 11.3 6.4 - - -

Minnie Minoso

Minnie Minoso Miscellaneous Items of Interest

1949 Cleveland Indians 18 Undetermined - -
1951 Cleveland Indians 6 Undetermined - -
1951 Chicago White Sox 9 Undetermined Stats -
1952 Chicago White Sox 9 Undetermined Stats -
1953 Chicago White Sox 9 Undetermined Stats -
1954 Chicago White Sox 9 Undetermined Stats -
1955 Chicago White Sox 9 $32,500.00 - -
1956 Chicago White Sox 9 $32,500.00 - -
1957 Chicago White Sox 9 $36,000.00 Stats -
1958 Cleveland Indians 9 $40,000.00 - -
1959 Cleveland Indians 9 Undetermined Stats -
1960 Chicago White Sox 9 Undetermined Stats -
1961 Chicago White Sox 9 $50,000.00 - -
1962 St. Louis Cardinals 9 Undetermined - -
1963 Washington Senators 9 $40,000.00 - -
1964 Chicago White Sox 9 $15,000.00 - -
1976 Chicago White Sox 9 Undetermined - -
1980 Chicago White Sox 9 Undetermined - -

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Saturnino Orestes Armas Miñoso was a Major League Baseball player with the Cleveland Indians (1949, 1951), Chicago White Sox (1951-1957), Cleveland Indians (1958-1959), Chicago White Sox (1960-1961), St. Louis Cardinals (1962), Washington Senators (1963), amd Chicago White Sox (1964, 1976, 1980). Minnie, his nickname, was named one of the 100 Greatest Cleveland Indians Players ever! As part of the club’s 100th Anniversary Celebration in 2001, a panel of veteran baseball writers, historians and executives selected a roster of the Top 100 Greatest Indians and Minoso was named one of the twenty-three outfielders.

MINNIE MINOSO ROOKIE CARD

Minnie Minoso Rookie Card | 1952 Topps Baseball Card (#195 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Collection

Minnie Minoso was found dead in the driver’s seat of his car early Sunday morning, March 1, 2015. Mr. White Sox was driving home from a birthday party when he pulled over in the Lakeview neighborhood, near a gas station in the 2800 block of North Ashland Avenue around 1 a.m. According to police reports, there were no signs of trauma and Minoso was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:09 a.m. Later that same day, the President of the United States, Barack Obama, released the following statement:

Statement by the President on the Passing of Minnie Minoso

For South Siders and Sox fans all across the country, including me, Minnie Minoso is and will always be “Mr. White Sox.”

The first black Major Leaguer in Chicago, Minnie came to the United States from Cuba even though he could have made more money elsewhere. He came up through the Negro Leagues, and didn’t speak much English at first. And as he helped to integrate baseball in the 1950s, he was a target of racial slurs from fans and opponents, sometimes forced to stay in different motels from his teammates. But his speed, his power – and his resilient optimism – earned him multiple All-Star appearances and Gold Gloves in left field, and he became one of the most dominant and dynamic players of the 1950s.

Minnie may have been passed over by the Baseball Hall of Fame during his lifetime, but for me and for generations of black and Latino young people, Minnie’s quintessentially American story embodies far more than a plaque ever could.

Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to his family and fans in Chicago, Cleveland, and around the world.

Source: White House Press Release. Office of the Press Secretary. 1 March 2015.

Did you know that Minnie Minoso is one of only fourteen former Major League Baseball player who had absence from the major leagues of eleven-or-more years with hits on each side of that absence?

Longest Hiatus Between Major League Hits

Absence Name Years
21 Years Charley O'Leary 1913 / 1934

15 Years Joe Cicero 1930 / 1945

13 Years Jack McFetridge 1890 / 1903

13 Years Rudy Sommers 1914 / 1927

13 Years Ralph Winegarner 1936 / 1949

12 Years Harry Smith 1877 / 1889

12 Years Roy Schalk 1932 / 1944

12 Years Bobby Schang 1915 / 1927

12 Years Jim Baumer 1949 / 1961

12 Years Minnie Minoso 1964 / 1976

11 Years John O'Connell 1891 / 1902

11 Years Jim O'Rourke 1893 / 1904

11 Years Clyde Sukeforth 1934 / 1945

Did you know that when Minnie Minoso won his first Gold Glove Award in 1957, it was given by Rawlings to just the three best outfielders in Major League Baseball, regardless of league played? When The Cuban Comet won his second Gold Glove Award in 1959, he became the first American League outfielder to receive the honor with two different teams, having won it first in Chicago, then in Cleveland. The very next year (1960), Minoso won his last-of-three Gold Gloves, but remains the first Indians outfielder to win the award, the first White Sox outfielder to win the award, their first with two, and their first with three!

Did you know that when the Chicago White Sox retired #9 for Minnie Minoso, on May 8, 1983, it was only the third number they had ever retired in franchise history? Those who preceded Mr. White Sox were Luke Appling (1975) and Nellie Fox (1976)!

Minnie Minoso, who is often remembered for playing in five different decades (along with Nick Altrock), actually played professionally in seven different decades! Here is an article from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Inside Pitch. 12 September 2006.:

What does matter is that the ageless superstar from Havana, Cuba had the intestinal fortitude to pioneer the major leagues as its first Black Latino player, and was young enough in body and soul to don a major league uniform—and get a hit—at age 53. Minoso emerged from the Cuban and Negro leagues to make the major leagues in 1949 at a reported age 27, when he played for the Cleveland Indians, beginning a stellar 17-year career, which ended in 1964.

A speedster on the base paths and a fan-favorite with his electrifying style of play, Minoso hit .298 lifetime, earned the (Sporting News) 1951 Rookie of the Year, was a seven-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner in left field. Minoso even had his jersey number nine retired by Bill Veeck and the White Sox in 1983.

Despite his storied career and pioneering ways, Minoso is best remembered as the man who played in seven—count 'em—even decades. Thirty years ago this week, after 12 years of retirement, Minoso was activated by Veeck and started as designated hitter, batting ninth, in the first game of a twin bill with the California Angels. In the second inning, with two outs and Chet Lemon on first base, he singled to left off Angels' starter Sid Monge. At age 53, Minoso had become the oldest player to notch a hit in a major league game [Note: Recent research revealed an older player with a hit, Jim O'Rourke, who had a hit at 54y 21d], and the second oldest to suit up, after Satchel Paige had played at age 59 for Veeck's Indians in 1965.

Minoso would play three games in 1976, getting one hit in eight at bats. He played again in 1980 for the White Sox. In 1993 (at age 71) and 2003 (at age 81), he put on a uniform for the independent Northern League's St. Paul Saints, becoming baseball's first octogenarian and only seven-decade player.

Minnie Minoso Plays in Five Decade

Minnie Minoso Plays in Five Decades | Souther Illinoisan | October 2, 1980 | Page 15