Jesús Alou

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=black
bgcolor2=#95322c
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Jesús Alou
position=Outfielder
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1942|3|24
debutdate=September 10
debutyear=1963
debutteam=San Francisco Giants
finaldate=September 29
finalyear=1979
finalteam=Houston Astros
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.280
stat2label=Hits
stat2value=1216
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=377
teams=
*San Francisco Giants (by|1963-by|1968)
*Houston Astros (by|1969-by|1973, by|1978-by|1979)
*Oakland Athletics (by|1973-by|1974)
*New York Mets (by|1975)
highlights=

Jesús María Rojas Alou (born March 24, 1942 in Bajos de Haina, Dominican Republic) is a former professional baseball player for the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, and New York Mets. He was the youngest of the trio of ballplaying brothers that included Felipe and Matty.

Alou was considered a better prospect than either of his brothers and received a $4,000 signing bonus. He tore up all the minor leagues he played in, never hitting below .324. He made his debut at the end of by|1963, and his first game on September 10 was notable in that all three Alou brothers batted in the same inning (they were retired in order). In his first full year of Major League action in by|1964, Alou failed to live up to expectations, hitting only .274 with little power, but he did have a great day on July 10 when he went 6-6 with five singles and a home run. Alou was selected by the Montreal Expos in the by|1968 expansion draft and then was dealt to Houston. He had his best season there in by|1970, hitting .306, but he never in his career lived up to his potential and was always overshadowed by his older brothers. He was traded to the Athletics midway through the by|1973 season, and served as a bench player on two World Series championship teams. Alou was released by the A's before the by|1975 season, failed to catch on with the Mets and Cordoba of the Mexican League in short stints, and did not return to the Majors until Houston took a chance on him in by|1978. He responded by hitting .324 in part-time action and became a player-coach the following year before retiring. Alou later served as a scout for the Expos.

ee also

* Players from Dominican Republic in MLB

External links