René Monteagudo

Who was René Monteagudo?

René Monteagudo Miranda was a Major League Baseball pitcher and outfielder who played with the Washington Senators and Philadelphia Phillies. Monteagudo threw and batted left-handed.

Monteagudo was born in Havana, Cuba. Signed by the Senators, he debuted as a pitcher on September 6, 1938, but bothered by a sore arm, he switched to the outfield. In 1945, for the Phillies, he was the most used and most successful pinch-hitter in the league, going 18-for-52. He also pitched 14 games in relief. In 1946, Monteagudo was one of the ballplayers blackballed by Commissioner Happy Chandler after leaving the majors to play in the Mexican League.

In a four-season major league career, Monteagudo was a .289 hitter with 21 RBI, 32 runs, nine doubles, one triple, and two stolen bases in 156 games. As a pitcher, he posted a 3–7 record with 93 strikeouts, a 6.42 ERA, two saves, and 168 innings in 46 games. René Monteagudo died in Hialeah, Florida at the age of 57.