Bobby Balcena

Who was Bobby Balcena?

Robert Rudolph Balcena was an outfielder in Major League Baseball who played briefly for the Cincinnati Redlegs during the 1956 season.

Listed at 5' 7", 160 lb., Balcena batted right-handed and threw left-handed. He was born in San Pedro, California.

Balcena became the first player of Filipino ancestry to appear in a major league game. He had a long distinguished Triple-A career with the Seattle Rainiers as a center fielder in the 1950s, and in Seattle is fondly remembered to this day.

He also played from 1952 through 1962 in the Minor Leagues, including stints with the Leones del Caracas and the Industriales de Valencia in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.

He batted .284 with 134 home run and 441 runs batted in in 1948 minor league games. In a VPBL two-season career, he posted a .306 average with five homers and 44 RBI in 87 games.

Balcena died in his hometown of San Pedro, California at the age of 64.