Jump to content

Mario Encarnación: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
(39 intermediate revisions by 16 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|Dominican baseball player (1975-2005)}}
⚫
{{Spanish name|González|Encarnación}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
⚫
{{family name hatnote|González|Encarnación|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Mario Encarnación
|name=Mario Encarnación
Line 9: Line 11:
|birth_place=[[Baní]], [[Dominican Republic]]
|birth_place=[[Baní]], [[Dominican Republic]]
|death_date={{death date and age|2005|10|3|1975|9|24}}
|death_date={{death date and age|2005|10|3|1975|9|24}}
|death_place=[[Tamsui, Taipei]]
|death_place=[[Tamsui District|Tamsui, Taiwan]]
|debutleague = MLB
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=August 26
|debutdate=August 26
|debutyear=2001
|debutyear=2001
|debutteam=[[Colorado Rockies]]
|debutteam=Colorado Rockies
|finalleague = MLB
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=April 14
|finaldate=April 14
|finalyear=2002
|finalyear=2002
|finalteam=[[Chicago Cubs]]
|finalteam=Chicago Cubs
|debut2league = CPBL
|debut2date=April 16
|debut2year=2005
|debut2team=Macoto Cobras
|final2league = CPBL
|final2date=September 30
|final2year=2005
|final2team=Macoto Cobras
|statleague = MLB
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average]]
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.203
|stat1value=.203
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=0
|stat2value=0
|stat3label=[[Hit (baseball)|hits]]
|stat3label=[[Hit (baseball)|Hits]]
|stat3value=3
|stat3value=14
|stat2league = KBO
|stat21label=Batting average
|stat21value=.283
|stat22label=Home runs
|stat22value=13
|stat23label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat23value=46
|stat3league = CPBL
|stat31label=Batting average
|stat31value=.307
|stat32label=Home runs
|stat32value=17
|stat33label=Runs batted in
|stat33value=45
|teams=
|teams=
*[[Colorado Rockies]] ({{mlby|2001}})
*[[Colorado Rockies]] ({{mlby|2001}})
Line 30: Line 54:
*[[Lotte Giants]] ({{by|2003}}–{{by|2004}})
*[[Lotte Giants]] ({{by|2003}}–{{by|2004}})
*[[Macoto Cobras]] ({{by|2005}})
*[[Macoto Cobras]] ({{by|2005}})
|highlights=
* [[CPBL All-Star Game|CPBL All-Star]] (2005)
}}
}}
'''Mario González Encarnación''' (September 24, 1975 – October 3, 2005) was a [[baseball]] outfielder born in [[Baní]], [[Dominican Republic]]. He played for the [[Colorado Rockies]] and [[Chicago Cubs]] for a brief duration—23 games in {{By|2001}} and {{By|2002}}.
'''Mario González Encarnación''' (September 24, 1975 – October 3, 2005) was a Dominican [[baseball]] [[outfielder]]. He played for the [[Colorado Rockies]] and [[Chicago Cubs]] for a brief duration—23 games in {{By|2001}} and {{By|2002}}.


==Early life==
He had begun playing for the [[Macoto Cobras]] of the [[Chinese Professional Baseball League]] in [[Taiwan]] since 2005. He set a CPBL record by hitting two home runs in his first two at-bats in the league. On October 3, he was found dead in his team dormitory room.
Encarnación grew up in Baní where he was friends with [[Miguel Tejada]].<ref name="lifeandtimes">{{cite book |last1=Bretón |first1=Marcos |last2=Villegas |first2=José Luis |title=Away Games: The Life and Times of a Latin Baseball Player |date=2000 |publisher=UNM Press |isbn=978-0-8263-2232-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P8EuDTw_80cC |access-date=7 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Encarnación dropped out of school at 15 years old to focus on baseball.<ref name="gedda" />{{rp|114}} In 1994, he signed a contract with the [[Oakland Athletics]] at the purported age of 16.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Knapp |first1=Gwen |title=Encarnacion impresses Howe |url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Encarnacion-impresses-Howe-3329495.php |access-date=7 August 2021 |work=[[SF Gate]] |date=3 March 1999}}</ref> Before traveling to the United States to play in Oakland's [[farm system]], Encarnación borrowed and read [[psychology]] textbooks so that he could learn "how to talk to [[gringo]]s". He also bought his mother her first [[telephone]].<ref name="lifeandtimes" />{{rp|167}}


==Professional career==
Earlier in the season, he was briefly suspended for testing positive for [[steroids]], leading to speculation regarding the role of drugs in his death.<ref>Chang, Richard. [http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/10/04/2003274373 Baseball player found dead in dormitory room]. Taipei Times, October 4, 2005.</ref> It had also been reported that he had been suffering from a bout of [[gastroenteritis]] for several weeks prior to his death. [[Autopsy]] reports later showed that he had died from a congenital medical condition.<ref>[http://asianbb.sabr.org/newsletters/asian%20newsletter%204.pdf SABR Asian Baseball Committee Newsletter] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202220537/http://asianbb.sabr.org/newsletters/asian%20newsletter%204.pdf |date=2007-02-02 }}, Vol. 3 No. 2. December 2005.</ref>
===Minor League Baseball===
Encarnación was assigned to the [[West Michigan Whitecaps]] of the [[Midwest League]] to begin his professional career in 1996.<ref name="minors">{{cite web |title=Mario Encarnacion Minor, Korean, Mexican & CPBL Leagues Statistics & History |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=encarn001mar |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=7 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> In 1999, he won the [[Triple-A_World_Series#1999_Las_Vegas_Triple-A_World_Series|Triple-A World Series]] with the [[Vancouver Canadians]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Pearlman |first1=Jeff |title=Something Old, Something New At the Triple A series, Vancouver's youth was too much for Charlotte's veterans |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1999/10/04/something-old-something-new-at-the-triple-a-series-vancouvers-youth-was-too-much-for-charlottes-veterans |access-date=8 August 2021 |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |date=October 4, 1999 |language=en-us}}</ref> By that December, he was described in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' as Oakland's "best [[position player|position-player]] prospect."<ref name="edmonds">{{cite news |last1=Digiovanna |first1=Mike |title=Edmonds Remains an Angel for Now |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-17-sp-44958-story.html |access-date=7 August 2021 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=17 December 1999}}</ref> He was so highly regarded by the Athletics that they declined a trade for [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] [[outfielder]] [[Jim Edmonds]] in December 1999 reportedly because it would have required them to part with Encarnación.<ref name="edmonds" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Schulman |first1=Henry |title=A's Still Dickering for Edmonds |url=https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/BASEBALL-NOTES-A-s-Still-Dickering-for-Edmonds-2890339.php |access-date=7 August 2021 |work=[[SF Gate]] |date=15 December 1999}}</ref> Prior to the 2000 season, ''[[Baseball America]]'' ranked him the 90th-best prospect in baseball and the best position player prospect in the Oakland system.<ref name="minors" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=J. J. |title=1983-2000 Top 10 Prospects Rankings Archive |url=https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/1983-2000-top-10-prospects-rankings-archive/ |access-date=8 August 2021 |work=[[Baseball America]] |date=January 22, 2019}}</ref> Shortly before the [[trade deadline]] in 2001, the Athletics traded Encarnación to the Colorado Rockies in a three-team deal that netted them [[Jermaine Dye]] from the [[Kansas City Royals]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mossman |first1=John |title=BASEBALL TRADE: A's deal for Dye in 3-team shuffle |url=https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2001/07-26/0037_baseball_trade__a_s_deal_for_dye_.html |access-date=8 August 2021 |work=[[Kitsap Sun]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=July 26, 2001}}</ref>

===Major League Baseball===
On August 26, 2001, the Rockies added Encarnación to their Major League roster for the first time following an injury to outfielder [[Mark Little (baseball)|Mark Little]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Transactions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/27/sports/transactions-891789.html |access-date=8 August 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=27 August 2001}}</ref> He made his debut that afternoon against the [[Milwaukee Brewers]] at [[Miller Park]].<ref name="majors">{{cite web |title=Mario Encarnacion Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/encarma01.shtml |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=8 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="debut">{{cite web |title=Colorado Rockies at Milwaukee Brewers Box Score, August 26, 2001 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIL/MIL200108260.shtml |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=8 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Though hitless in his debut, he [[base on balls|walked]] in his first [[plate appearance]] against [[Rubén Quevedo]] and later walked and [[stolen base|stole a base]] against [[Chad Fox]] and [[Henry Blanco]].<ref name="debut" /> He would be a regular in Colorado's outfield for the remainder of the season alongside [[Juan Pierre]] and future [[Baseball Hall of Fame]]r [[Larry Walker]].<ref>{{cite web |title=2001 Colorado Rockies Lineups and Defense |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/COL/2001-lineups.shtml |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=8 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

Encarnación entered [[spring training]] with the Rockies in 2002. During camp, amidst increased scrutiny from the [[Immigration and Naturalization Service]] following the [[September 11 attacks]], it was discovered that Encarnación was actually two years older than he had represented. His listed age increased from 24 to 26 years old.<ref>{{cite news |authorlink=Jayson Stark |last1=Stark |first1=Jayson |title=Age issues brought on by Sept. 11 |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/columns/stark_jayson/1339359.html |access-date=8 August 2021 |work=[[ESPN.com]] |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=February 23, 2002}}</ref>

On April 4, 2002, the Chicago Cubs claimed Encarnación off waivers from the Rockies and designated [[Julio Zuleta]] for assignment.<ref>{{cite news |title=SPORTS TRANSACTIONS FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 4 |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/2002/04/04/SPORTS-TRANSACTIONS-FOR-THURSDAY-APRIL-4/7401017896400/ |access-date=8 August 2021 |work=[[United Press International]] |date=April 4, 2002 |language=en}}</ref> The following day, they added him to their active roster when outfielder [[Moisés Alou]] was placed on the [[disabled list]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Alou on disabled list |url=https://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2002/04/05/Alou-on-disabled-list/80111018037715/ |access-date=8 August 2021 |work=[[United Press International]] |date=April 5, 2002 |language=en}}</ref> He would appear in only three games for the Cubs before, on April 15, Alou returned from the disabled list and Encarnación was [[designated for assignment]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Mario Encarnacion 2002 Batting Game Logs |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=encarma01&t=b&year=2002 |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=8 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kahrl |first1=Christina |title=Transaction Analysis: April 14-15, 2002 |url=https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/16580/transaction-analysis-april-14-15-2002/ |access-date=8 August 2021 |work=[[Baseball Prospectus]] |date=17 April 2002}}</ref> He would not return to the Major Leagues again in his career.<ref name="majors" /> He spent the remainder of the season in [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] with the [[Iowa Cubs]].<ref name="minors" />

In January 2003, Encarnación signed with the [[Montreal Expos]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sun |first1=Baltimore |title=Transactions |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2003-01-24-0301240033-story.html |access-date=8 August 2021 |work=[[Baltimore Sun]] |date=January 24, 2003}}</ref> In May 2003, the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] traded a [[player to be named later]] to the Montreal Expos for Encarnación and assigned him to the Triple-A [[Memphis Redbirds]].<ref>{{cite web |title=St. Louis Cardinals Transactions |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/transactions/?c_id=stl&year=2003&month=5 |website=[[MLB.com]] |publisher=[[Major League Baseball]] |access-date=8 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> They released him later that month.<ref name="majors" />

===KBO League===
Encarnación finished the 2003 season with the [[Lotte Giants]] of the [[KBO League]], beginning a career in Asian professional baseball. He was paired in the outfield with Venezuelan player [[Robert Pérez (baseball)|Robert Perez]] under KBO rules which only allowed two foreign players per team to play at any one time.<ref>{{cite news |authorlink=Jaffe Wins Above Replacement Score |last1=Jaffe |first1=Jay |title=Tyler White Heads to South Korea, Where He'll Buck a Trend |url=https://blogs.fangraphs.com/tyler-white-heads-to-south-korea-where-hell-buck-a-trend/ |access-date=8 August 2021 |work=[[FanGraphs]] |date=July 17, 2020}}</ref> Although the Giants would win 39 games and lose 91, he would lead them in both [[home run]]s and [[runs batted in]].<ref>{{cite web |title=2003 Lotte Giants Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=571ddf23#all_team_batting |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=8 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Encarnación returned to the Giants in 2004, albeit for only four games.<ref name="minors" />

===Chinese Professional Baseball League===
Encarnación traveled to Taiwan to play for the [[Macoto Cobras]] of the [[Chinese Professional Baseball League]] (CPBL) in the 2005 season. He was a [[CPBL All-Star Game|CPBL All-Star]] and helped lead the team to a first half title.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Huang |first1=Paul |title=All-Stars dazzle Kaohsiung |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2005/07/25/2003265057 |access-date=8 August 2021 |work=[[Taipei Times]] |date=25 July 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Huang |first1=Paul |title=Cobras take 1st-half crown |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2005/07/23/2003264750 |access-date=8 August 2021 |work=[[Taipei Times]] |date=23 July 2005}}</ref>

==Death==
On October 3, he was found dead in his team dormitory room by a team employee after he missed a practice.<ref name="gedda" />{{rp|112}} There were no signs of forced entry in his room.<ref name="gedda" />{{rp|113}} He was survived by his wife, Rosana, and son, Mario. He was the first former [[Major League Baseball]] player to have died in [[Taiwan]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Players by place of death: Taiwan Baseball Stats and Info |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/bio/Taiwan_died.shtml |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=6 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

Earlier in the season, he was briefly suspended for testing positive for [[steroids]], leading to speculation regarding the role of drugs in his death. It had also been reported that he had been suffering from a bout of [[gastroenteritis]] and had asked to be excused from that weekend's practices.<ref name="chang">{{cite news |last1=Chang |first1=Rich |title=Baseball player found dead in dormitory room |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/10/04/2003274373 |access-date=7 August 2021 |work=[[Taipei Times]] |date=4 October 2005}}</ref> [[Autopsy]] reports later showed that he had died from a congenital medical condition.<ref>[http://asianbb.sabr.org/newsletters/asian%20newsletter%204.pdf SABR Asian Baseball Committee Newsletter] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202220537/http://asianbb.sabr.org/newsletters/asian%20newsletter%204.pdf |date=2007-02-02 }}, Vol. 3 No. 2. December 2005.</ref> According to his father, however, the doctors at the [[Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo]] who conducted the autopsy variously told him that the body was too decomposed to determine a cause of death and that he had died of a [[heart attack]]. Speculation abounded in the Dominican Republic that his death may have been related to a [[match-fixing]] operation, something for which the [[Chinese_Professional_Baseball_League#Controversy|Chinese Professional Baseball League was known]]. His family called on the Dominican government to conduct an inquiry into his death but, according to his father, "they didn't do anything."<ref name="gedda">{{cite book |last1=Gedda |first1=George |title=Dominican Connection: Talent from the Tropics Changes Face of National Pastime |date=2009 |publisher=Strategic Book Publishing |isbn=978-1-60693-023-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HguFw66Z_y0C |access-date=7 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref>{{rp|113}}

Encarnacion's body was transported back to the Dominican Republic from Taiwan by his team, while Miguel Tejada paid for his [[headstone]] at a [[cemetery]] in Baní.<ref name="gedda" />{{rp|113}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zirin |first1=Dave |title=Say It Ain't So, Big Leagues |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/say-it-aint-so-big-leagues/ |access-date=7 August 2021 |work=[[The Nation]] |date=26 October 2005}}</ref>

===Legacy===
In 2006, the [[Sacramento River Cats]] and ''[[Sacramento Bee]]'' writer Marcos Breton established the Mario Encarnacion Humanitarian Award which is given annually to "athletes who inspire others through their story, lead by example, and are role models to others."<ref>{{cite news |title=Nominations open for 2016 Mario Encarnacion Award |url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-189557838 |access-date=8 August 2021 |work=[[MiLB.com]] |publisher=[[Minor League Baseball]] |date=July 13, 2016 |language=en}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 44: Line 98:


==External links==
==External links==
{{Baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br=e/encarma01 |fangraphs= |cube=868 |brm=encarn001mar}}
{{Baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br=e/encarma01 |fangraphs= |brm=encarn001mar}}


{{DominicanRepublic-baseball-outfielder-stub}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Encarnacion, Mario}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Encarnacion, Mario}}
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:Águilas Cibaeñas players]]
[[Category:Águilas Cibaeñas players]]
[[Category:Baseball players suspended for drug offenses]]
[[Category:Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada]]
[[Category:Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada]]
[[Category:Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in South Korea]]
[[Category:Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in South Korea]]
Line 66: Line 118:
[[Category:Major League Baseball left fielders]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball left fielders]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball players suspended for drug offenses]]
[[Category:Baseball players suspended for drug offenses]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Baní]]
[[Category:Vancouver Canadians players]]
[[Category:West Michigan Whitecaps players]]
[[Category:Modesto A's players]]
[[Category:Huntsville Stars players]]
[[Category:Midland RockHounds players]]
[[Category:Sacramento River Cats players]]
[[Category:Colorado Springs Sky Sox players]]
[[Category:Memphis Redbirds players]]
[[Category:Iowa Cubs players]]
[[Category:Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico]]
[[Category:Langosteros de Cancún players]]

Revision as of 03:41, 29 July 2024

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is González and the second or maternal family name is Encarnación.
Mario Encarnación
Outfielder
Born: (1975-09-24)September 24, 1975
Baní, Dominican Republic
Died: October 3, 2005(2005-10-03) (aged 30)
Tamsui, Taiwan
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Professional debut
MLB: August 26, 2001, for the Colorado Rockies
CPBL: April 16, 2005, for the Macoto Cobras
Last appearance
MLB: April 14, 2002, for the Chicago Cubs
CPBL: September 30, 2005, for the Macoto Cobras
MLB statistics
Batting average.203
Home runs0
Hits14
KBO statistics
Batting average.283
Home runs13
Runs batted in46
CPBL statistics
Batting average.307
Home runs17
Runs batted in45
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Mario González Encarnación (September 24, 1975 – October 3, 2005) was a Dominican baseball outfielder. He played for the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs for a brief duration—23 games in 2001 and 2002.

Early life

Encarnación grew up in Baní where he was friends with Miguel Tejada.[1] Encarnación dropped out of school at 15 years old to focus on baseball.[2]: 114  In 1994, he signed a contract with the Oakland Athletics at the purported age of 16.[3] Before traveling to the United States to play in Oakland's farm system, Encarnación borrowed and read psychology textbooks so that he could learn "how to talk to gringos". He also bought his mother her first telephone.[1]: 167 

Professional career

Minor League Baseball

Encarnación was assigned to the West Michigan Whitecaps of the Midwest League to begin his professional career in 1996.[4] In 1999, he won the Triple-A World Series with the Vancouver Canadians.[5] By that December, he was described in the Los Angeles Times as Oakland's "best position-player prospect."[6] He was so highly regarded by the Athletics that they declined a trade for All-Star outfielder Jim Edmonds in December 1999 reportedly because it would have required them to part with Encarnación.[6][7] Prior to the 2000 season, Baseball America ranked him the 90th-best prospect in baseball and the best position player prospect in the Oakland system.[4][8] Shortly before the trade deadline in 2001, the Athletics traded Encarnación to the Colorado Rockies in a three-team deal that netted them Jermaine Dye from the Kansas City Royals.[9]

Major League Baseball

On August 26, 2001, the Rockies added Encarnación to their Major League roster for the first time following an injury to outfielder Mark Little.[10] He made his debut that afternoon against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.[11][12] Though hitless in his debut, he walked in his first plate appearance against Rubén Quevedo and later walked and stole a base against Chad Fox and Henry Blanco.[12] He would be a regular in Colorado's outfield for the remainder of the season alongside Juan Pierre and future Baseball Hall of Famer Larry Walker.[13]

Encarnación entered spring training with the Rockies in 2002. During camp, amidst increased scrutiny from the Immigration and Naturalization Service following the September 11 attacks, it was discovered that Encarnación was actually two years older than he had represented. His listed age increased from 24 to 26 years old.[14]

On April 4, 2002, the Chicago Cubs claimed Encarnación off waivers from the Rockies and designated Julio Zuleta for assignment.[15] The following day, they added him to their active roster when outfielder Moisés Alou was placed on the disabled list.[16] He would appear in only three games for the Cubs before, on April 15, Alou returned from the disabled list and Encarnación was designated for assignment.[17][18] He would not return to the Major Leagues again in his career.[11] He spent the remainder of the season in Triple-A with the Iowa Cubs.[4]

In January 2003, Encarnación signed with the Montreal Expos.[19] In May 2003, the St. Louis Cardinals traded a player to be named later to the Montreal Expos for Encarnación and assigned him to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds.[20] They released him later that month.[11]

KBO League

Encarnación finished the 2003 season with the Lotte Giants of the KBO League, beginning a career in Asian professional baseball. He was paired in the outfield with Venezuelan player Robert Perez under KBO rules which only allowed two foreign players per team to play at any one time.[21] Although the Giants would win 39 games and lose 91, he would lead them in both home runs and runs batted in.[22] Encarnación returned to the Giants in 2004, albeit for only four games.[4]

Chinese Professional Baseball League

Encarnación traveled to Taiwan to play for the Macoto Cobras of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in the 2005 season. He was a CPBL All-Star and helped lead the team to a first half title.[23][24]

Death

On October 3, he was found dead in his team dormitory room by a team employee after he missed a practice.[2]: 112  There were no signs of forced entry in his room.[2]: 113  He was survived by his wife, Rosana, and son, Mario. He was the first former Major League Baseball player to have died in Taiwan.[25]

Earlier in the season, he was briefly suspended for testing positive for steroids, leading to speculation regarding the role of drugs in his death. It had also been reported that he had been suffering from a bout of gastroenteritis and had asked to be excused from that weekend's practices.[26] Autopsy reports later showed that he had died from a congenital medical condition.[27] According to his father, however, the doctors at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo who conducted the autopsy variously told him that the body was too decomposed to determine a cause of death and that he had died of a heart attack. Speculation abounded in the Dominican Republic that his death may have been related to a match-fixing operation, something for which the Chinese Professional Baseball League was known. His family called on the Dominican government to conduct an inquiry into his death but, according to his father, "they didn't do anything."[2]: 113 

Encarnacion's body was transported back to the Dominican Republic from Taiwan by his team, while Miguel Tejada paid for his headstone at a cemetery in Baní.[2]: 113 [28]

Legacy

In 2006, the Sacramento River Cats and Sacramento Bee writer Marcos Breton established the Mario Encarnacion Humanitarian Award which is given annually to "athletes who inspire others through their story, lead by example, and are role models to others."[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Bretón, Marcos; Villegas, José Luis (2000). Away Games: The Life and Times of a Latin Baseball Player. UNM Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-2232-6. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e Gedda, George (2009). Dominican Connection: Talent from the Tropics Changes Face of National Pastime. Strategic Book Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60693-023-6. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Knapp, Gwen (March 3, 1999). "Encarnacion impresses Howe". SF Gate. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d "Mario Encarnacion Minor, Korean, Mexican & CPBL Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  5. ^ Pearlman, Jeff (October 4, 1999). "Something Old, Something New At the Triple A series, Vancouver's youth was too much for Charlotte's veterans". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Digiovanna, Mike (December 17, 1999). "Edmonds Remains an Angel for Now". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  7. ^ Schulman, Henry (December 15, 1999). "A's Still Dickering for Edmonds". SF Gate. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  8. ^ Cooper, J. J. (January 22, 2019). "1983-2000 Top 10 Prospects Rankings Archive". Baseball America. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  9. ^ Mossman, John (July 26, 2001). "BASEBALL TRADE: A's deal for Dye in 3-team shuffle". Kitsap Sun. Associated Press. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  10. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. August 27, 2001. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c "Mario Encarnacion Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Colorado Rockies at Milwaukee Brewers Box Score, August 26, 2001". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  13. ^ "2001 Colorado Rockies Lineups and Defense". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  14. ^ Stark, Jayson (February 23, 2002). "Age issues brought on by Sept. 11". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "SPORTS TRANSACTIONS FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 4". United Press International. April 4, 2002. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  16. ^ "Alou on disabled list". United Press International. April 5, 2002. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  17. ^ "Mario Encarnacion 2002 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  18. ^ Kahrl, Christina (April 17, 2002). "Transaction Analysis: April 14-15, 2002". Baseball Prospectus. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  19. ^ Sun, Baltimore (January 24, 2003). "Transactions". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  20. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Transactions". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  21. ^ Jaffe, Jay (July 17, 2020). "Tyler White Heads to South Korea, Where He'll Buck a Trend". FanGraphs. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  22. ^ "2003 Lotte Giants Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  23. ^ Huang, Paul (July 25, 2005). "All-Stars dazzle Kaohsiung". Taipei Times. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  24. ^ Huang, Paul (July 23, 2005). "Cobras take 1st-half crown". Taipei Times. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  25. ^ "Players by place of death: Taiwan Baseball Stats and Info". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  26. ^ Chang, Rich (October 4, 2005). "Baseball player found dead in dormitory room". Taipei Times. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  27. ^ SABR Asian Baseball Committee Newsletter Archived 2007-02-02 at the Wayback Machine, Vol. 3 No. 2. December 2005.
  28. ^ Zirin, Dave (October 26, 2005). "Say It Ain't So, Big Leagues". The Nation. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  29. ^ "Nominations open for 2016 Mario Encarnacion Award". MiLB.com. Minor League Baseball. July 13, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Mario_Encarnación&oldid=1237306040"