Richard Hidalgo

Hidalgo was a powerful hitter, with good instincts in the outfield and a strong throwing arm. He was supposed to be an all around player in all areas, but a congenital knee defect changed those plans. After hitting .306 and .303 in his first two seasons, Hidalgo had a disappointing 1999 campaign with a .227 average, although he showed some power with 15 home runs in 383 at-bats. He required season-ending kneecap surgery.

Hidalgo blossomed in 2000, when he hit .314 with 44 home runs and 122 RBIs. That season Hidalgo set the Astros' extra-base hit streak record, matched in 2017 by Alex Bregman, at 10 games. In September 2000 Hidalgo set an Astros' of .476 average record that was surpassed by Jose Altuve in 2018.[1][2] But his numbers slowed in 2001 (.275, 19, 80) and 2002 (.235, 15, 48). In 2003, he returned to good form both at the plate and in the field. He posted numbers of .309, 28, 88, collected three homers in a game, and led the majors outfielders in assists with 22, while committing only four errors. Hidalgo split the 2004 season between the Astros and the Mets, hitting .239 with 25 homers and 82 RBIs.

A highlight of the 2004 season was a Met record of home runs in 5 consecutive games, 3 of them in interleague games against the New York Yankees. In 2006, he signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, but left the team before the season started, when his wife became ill. Hidalgo requested to be released from his contract, allowing to him to go to Japan where he would have a starting role. In the 2006 off-season, the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs reportedly showed interest in signing Hidalgo.

In January 2007, the Astros signed him again, this time to a minor league contract.[3] This second tenure was short-lived, as Hidalgo was released by the Astros on March 25, 2007,[4][5] after refusing a minor league assignment.

Hidalgo was a Major League .269 lifetime hitter with 171 home runs and 560 RBIs in 987 games. Defensively, he recorded a .987 fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions.[6]

On April 10, 2007, Hidalgo joined the Long Island Ducks. Before spring training, however, he announced his retirement from professional baseball. On July 8, 2008, Hidalgo signed with the Ducks again but left the team during the last week of August.[7]

On November 22, 2002, Hidalgo was shot in the left forearm during a carjacking in Venezuela.[8]

In early 2008, Hidalgo's attempt to create a so-called "field of dreams" on his Florida property was voted down by residents of his neighborhood.[9] Hidalgo has three sons who live with his wife in Florida.

• List of Major League Baseball players from Venezuela

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Richard Hidalgo.

• Career statistics and player information from ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet, or Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)