The Chicago White Sox have another player that has been inducted into the Professional Baseball Hall of Fame. This player joined the likes of Frank Thomas, Harold Baines, and Eddie Collins to earn Major League Baseball’s highest honor. It’s an honor that’s long overdue. Saturnino Orestes Armas Minoso Arrieta, better known as Minnie Minoso, was selected to be a Hall of Famer by the Golden Era Committee. It was an honor that was very well deserved.
What made Minoso a Hall of Famer? First and foremost, Minoso was the first Afro-Latino to play in the Major Leagues. He was the first black player to play on the Chicago White Sox. Selected an All-Star in his first rookie season in 1951, Minoso was one of the first Latin American players to participate in the league’s All-Star game.
It was his play on the field that also made him a Hall of Fame player. Some of the statistics he put up during his 20-year career included having a slash line of .229/.387/.461.
He was at bat 7,048 times and had 2,110 hits and 1,225 runs. He had 265 doubles, 95 triples, and 195 home runs. Minoso batted in 1,093 runs and struck out a total of 584 times. Minoso’s fielding percentage was .969.
Minnie Minoso is one of the greatest players in the history of the White Sox.
He has many honors to go along with his career. Some of those honors include being named a Major League Baseball All-Star from 1951 to 1954 and then again in 1957, 1959, and 1960.
To go along with his great fielding percentage, Minoso was awarded the Gold Gove in 1957, 1959, and 1950.
He earned the Sporting News Rookie of the Year honor in 1951, was named to the Chicago White Sox All-Century team in 2000, and led the American League in a variety of categories during his time in the Majors including stolen bases from 1951 to 1953 and hits in 1960.
Minoso was a huge star and a great baseball player but his star didn’t shine as brightly due to the continued struggles he and others faced with segregation.
He might have won more honors and even gotten into the Hall of Fame a bit sooner perhaps. Minoso’s journey to the Hall of Fame was a long one and shouldn’t have been as long as it was.
Minnie not only played for the White Sox but also played for Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, and Washington Senators. He retired from baseball in general in 1980.
His career in baseball also took him into the Negro Leagues and Cuban Leagues where he originally began his career and then ultimately the Mexican Leagues where he ended his baseball career before taking on some coaching opportunities in Major League Baseball.
Not just a barrier breaker, Minoso was also a very good baseball player, mechanically sound, able to hit the ball and field it very well. He deserved his entry into the Hall of Fame on so many levels and the Hall is that much better off to have him in it.
Unfortunately, Minoso couldn’t witness his entry into the Hall of Fame for himself. He passed away on March 1st, 2015 at the age of 89. Always a friendly person, Minoso loved the fans and the fans loved him.