YOUR 1966 BRAVES: #7 Mike de la Hoz

#7 MIKE DE LA HOZ
Infielder

What came before: A native Cuban, his defensive versatility made him a useful bench player until his bat completely went away in 1966. He was signed by the Indians at age 19, when Cuba was still a democracy and an open island, and the Havana native broke into the big leagues at age 21.
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The Braves needed such a player at the onset of the 1964 season, and his final two years in Milwaukee were among his most productive (.291 and .256). His career high point was an extra inning game in 1965 – in a 12-inning, 9-8 win, De La Hoz hits a pinch homer in the 8th inning‚ ties the game in the 9th with a single when the Braves score 3 runs‚ and singles and scores the winning run to end the game. But he was only 4-for-38 as a pinch-hitter, a paltry .105.

That 1966 season: Clutch opportunities were hard to come by, and de la Hoz was as disaapointed as he was disapponting. He had only 110 at-bats, hit only .218, and drove in only seven runs. And for a second straight year, was almost useless as a pinch-hitter (8-for-37).

What came next: Even his versatile glove became a liability, as he committed nine errors in just 23 games at third base. Combined with his .203 average, he was exiled to the minors until he was shuttled to the Reds on May 23 of the 1969 season, for who he had only one at-bat. But his bat came to life playing every day in the minors, as he hit .355 for Indianapolis after the trade. That earned him a second look by the Reds, with 1970, but he hit only .170
De la Hoz was inducted into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010.