Kendrys Morales

Kendry Morales
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – No. 19
First baseman
Bats: Switch Throws: Right
debut
May 23, 2006, for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Career statistics (through 2009 season)
Batting average	.249
Home runs	20
Runs batted in	74
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2006-present)

Kendrys Morales Rodriguez (born June 20, 1983, in Fomento, Cuba) is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He is a switch hitter and throws right-handed.

Cuban career

While playing in Cuba's equivalent of the United States' Triple-A level, and with only 16-17 year olds, he was already a national sensation due to his extraordinary performance in the World Championship of the category, where he was the first starter of the pitching staff, and fourth in the batting order, plus his ability to hit home runs from both sides of the plate.

Morales joined the Cuban national baseball team in 2002 and immediately became a star player--despite being the first teenager to make the team in nearly twenty years. He was the cleanup hitter on the team during its dramatic 2003 World Cup championship. His grand slam in the final round against Taiwan secured a 6-3 Cuban victory, one game after hitting a home run that provided the winning runs against Brazil.

In his first—of two and a half—full season with Havana's Industriales, in 2002, Morales had a batting average of .324 with 21 home runs and 82 RBI, and pitched in a game during the regular season, setting seven rookie records in the process (including HR and RBI); and obviously becoming Rookie of the Year, being considered the best rookie history of Cuban baseball. In his second season, although he didn't hit as many home runs as in his rookie season, due to a lesion, he finished with a .391 batting average.

Morales' stardom in Cuba was short-lived, however. He was sent back to Cuba from Panama during the Olympic qualifying round in November 2003 for making contact with an agent. It was the last time he would suit up as a Cuban.

Coming to the United States

By early 2004, Cuba's national team and the Industriales banned Morales from their teams for disciplinary reasons due to his repeated arrests for attempting to flee the nation in order to pursue his dream of playing Major League Baseball. He successfully defected from Cuba to the USA in June of that year on his eighth attempt to leave the nation.

Since Morales was taken into U.S. custody only after making it to the shores of southern Florida, he was permitted to stay in the country. But, as is the usual practice of defectors, he chose to leave the country to establish foreign residency so as to avoid the MLB draft. He left once again, this time to the Dominican Republic, where he was privately scouted by several Major League teams. The Angels ended up signing him to a six-year deal with three-million dollars up front. He played winter ball with Estrellas Orientales to keep himself in game shape.

Minor league career

By the spring of 2005, the Angels hoped to have Morales practice in the Cactus League to get ready for a quick ascension through their farm system or possibly even make the team as the designated hitter. Because he was not yet a citizen, the Dominican government held up granting Morales the necessary passport to fly back to the U.S. for several months. He was not able to get all his paperwork in order until late May and he finally made his minor league debut on May 21 for the Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

To help his new club scout his ability against U.S. pitching, Morales began his minor league career with nearby Rancho Cucamonga. After three weeks of easy hitting (his batting average was .344, with 5 home runs), he was moved up to Double-A Arkansas, where he was second on the team in home runs despite playing there for only half the season. When that season ended, he was chosen by the Angels to play fall ball for the Surprise Scorpions.

Major league career

Morales had a strong spring training in 2006 for the Angels, but failed to make the 25-man roster.

He ultimately made his Major League debut on May 23, 2006, playing first base and going 3-for-5, including a home run in his second at bat, versus the Texas Rangers. Thereafter he performed well enough to be the Angels regular first baseman until his eventual demotion back to Triple-A on July 23, 2006. After Mark Teixeira (Angels first baseman for the 2008 season)left the Angels due to free agency in the winter of 2008, Morales was widely considered the favorite to become the Angels starting first baseman for the 2009 season.

In spring training in 2009, Morales led all players in doubles, with 11, while batting .400.[1]

External links

• Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
• Minor League Splits and Situational Stats
• "Kendry Morales, Young Cuban Baseball Star, Defects to United States"

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