Al Pedrique

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=
bgcolor2=
textcolor1=
textcolor2=
name=Al Pedrique


position=Shortstop
birthdate =birth date and age|1960|8|11
deathdate =
bats=Right
throws=Right
debutdate=April 14
debutyear=1987
debutteam=New York Mets
finaldate=June 21
finalyear=1989
finalteam=Detroit Tigers
stat1label=AVG
stat1value=.247
stat2label=HR
stat2value=1
stat3label=RBI
stat3value=36
teams=
highlights=

Alfredo José Pedrique García (born August 11, 1960 in Aragua State, Venezuela), best know as "Al Pedrique" (pay-DREE-kay), is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and right-handed batter who played for the New York Mets (1987), Pittsburgh Pirates (1987, 88) and Detroit Tigers (1989).

Pedrique was signed by the Mets in 1978 and made his debut nine years later. After five games with the team, he hit .301 with the Pirates in his rookie season, but only managed a .188 cumulative batting average after that.

Pedrique was a career .247 hitter with one home run, 36 RBI, 32 runs, 18 doubles, one triple, and five stolen bases in 174 games.

Pedrique is perhaps most famous for his appearance in RBI Baseball (NES), where he plays shortstop for the National League All-Star team.

After retiring, Pedrique managed in the minors for the Diamondbacks, Astros and Royals organizations from 2000-02. He came back to the majors in 2003 as a third base coach for the Diamondbacks. In 2004 he was manager of the Tucson Sidewinders (Diamondbacks Triple A affiliate). He was hired as manager on an interim basis when Bob Brenly was fired in July. Jerry Colangelo, the Managing Partner of the Diamondbacks decided Bob Brenly did not fit in with the young players on the roster, so he changed almost all the coaches. Al Pedrique then brought with him his bench coach from the Diamondbacks Triple A baseball team in Lorenzo Bundy. Pedrique compiled a 22-61 record. He was replaced by Wally Backman, and then Bob Melvin, at the end of the season.

Ken Kendrick a partner in the ownership of the Arizona Diamondbacks started a growing dissentment with the other minority owners. As a group they decided to get rid of Jerry Colangelo as CEO of the ballclub. Ken Kendrick was disappointed in Colangelo's changes in the coaching staff without talking to the other owners as the main factor in requesting the team founder to force his resignation in favor of a player agent Jeff Moorad.

Pedrique created some controversy as manager in 2004 when he ordered the Diamondbacks pitching staff to intentionally walk Barry Bonds throughout an entire three-game series against the San Francisco Giants from September 10 to September 12, since Bonds was on the verge of hitting his 700th career home run, which Pedrique did not want to happen at Bank One Ballpark. This move contained no strategy, and many later viewed it as an example of professional cowardice.Fact|date=August 2008 Currently, he serves as a special assistant to the general manager for the Houston Astros.

See also

* Players from Venezuela in MLB

External links

*baseball-reference|id=p/pedrial01
* [http://www.dee-nee.com/wiki/index.php/Pedrique RBI Baseball wiki]