Chico Garcia

Vinicio Uzcanga García (December 24, 1924 - August 17. 2007) was a second baseman in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the Baltimore Orioles in the 1954 season. Listed at 5' 8", 170 lb., García batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico.

García enjoyed a distinguished baseball career that spanned five different decades as a player (1946-1970) and manager (1966-1984).

A solid infielder and contact hitter, García played nine Triple-A seasons in the Arizona-Texas and American Association leagues and one season in Cuban baseball, before serving as a backup infielder for the Orioles in the American League. He won four minor league batting titles in the Arizona-Texas League (1949), Mexican Gulf League (1950, 1951) and Mexican League (1963).

Following his playing career, García managed in Mexico from 1966 through 1984, winning four championship titles for Culiacán (1966-67, 1969-70), Guasave (1971-72) and Mochis (1983-84). He also managed the Monterrey, Veracruz, Sabinas, Jalisco, Monclova and Nuevo Laredo clubs. In 1981, he gained Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame honors.

García died in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico at age 82.

Highlights

*1949 - Led Arizona-Texas League in runs, hits, triples and batting average (.377).
*1963 - At 38 age, won his second batting title in the Mexican League (.368) and hit a career-high 21 home runs.
*His minor league career totals show a .306 average over 2,803 games.

Fact

In 1946, García and Vern Stephens were supossed to form the double play combination for the San Luis Potosí in the outlaw Mexican League, but Stephens reneged on his contract and returned to the majors.

External links

* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Chico_Garcia_1924 Baseball Library]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/g/garcich01.shtml Baseball Reference]
* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/G/Pgarcc101.htm Retrosheet]
* [http://www.salondelafama.com.mx/salondelafama/trono/alfasf.asp?x=45 Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame]