Orlando Merced

Who is Orlando Merced?

Orlando Luis Merced Villanueva is a former Major League Baseball first Baseman and outfielder. He played all or part of thirteen seasons in the majors for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos, and Houston Astros. He also played one season for the Orix BlueWave in Japan. He is currently the hitting coach for the West Virginia Power.

Merced was signed as an amateur free agent out of high school at the age of 17 by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1985. Six years later, he made his major league debut. He played for the Pirates for another six years, where he helped the Pirates win the National League East Division in three consecutive seasons, from 1990 through 1992. Later, he was part of the Astros' 2001 NL Central Division champions.

He finished second in voting for 1991 National League Rookie of the Year, behind Jeff Bagwell, for playing in 120 Games and having 411 At Bats, 83 Runs, 113 Hits, 17 Doubles, 2 Triples, 10 Home Runs, 50 RBI, 8 Stolen Bases, 64 Walks, .275 Batting Average, .373 On-base percentage, .399 Slugging Percentage, 164 Total Bases, 1 Sacrifice Hit, 1 Sacrifice Fly and 4 Intentional Walks.