Smallthoughts: Old School Tuesday…Felipe Alou

He made his major league debut in 1958 and was an All-Star in 1962, when he batted .316 with 25 home runs and 98 RBI

Felipe was joined by his brothers, Matty in 1960, and Jesús in 1963, who, on September 15 of that year became the first, and as of today only, all-brother outfield.

He was traded to the Braves before the 1964 season with Ed Bailey, Billy Hoeft and a player to be named later (Ernie Bowman) for Del Crandall, Bob Hendley and Bob Shaw. Two years later he enjoyed his best season, when he batted .327 with 31 home runs and led the league in runs (122), hits (218), at bats (666) and total bases (355); he finished second in the batting race to his brother Matty. He also had a good year in 1968, batting .317 and leading the league in hits (210) and at bats (662); he made the All-Star team both years.

After the 1969 season, the Braves traded him to the Athletics for Jim Nash. In April 1971, he was traded by the Athletics to the Yankees for Rob Gardner and Ron Klimkowski.

In September 1973, he was selected off waivers by the Expos from the Yankees, and was purchased by the Brewers from the Expos after the season.

 

During his 17-year career spent with the Giants, Milwaukee & Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Montreal Expos, and Milwaukee Brewers, Alou played all three outfield positions regularly (736 games in right field, 483 in center, 433 in left), and led the National League in hits twice and runs once. Batting regularly in the leadoff spot, he hit a home run to begin a game on 20 occasions. He later became the most successful manager in Expos history, leading the team from 1992 to 2001 before rejoining the Giants in 2003. On February 4, 2015, Alou was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

MLB debut
June 8, 1958, for the San Francisco Giants
Last MLB appearance
April 24, 1974, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics
Batting average	.286
Home runs	206
Runs batted in	852
Games managed	2,054
Win–loss record	1,033–1,021
Winning %	.503
Teams
As player San Francisco Giants (1958–1963) Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1964–1969) Oakland Athletics (1970–1971) New York Yankees (1971–1973) Montreal Expos (1973) Milwaukee Brewers (1974) As manager Montreal Expos (1992–2001) San Francisco Giants (2003–2006)
Career highlights and awards
3× All-Star (1962, 1966, 1968) NL Manager of the Year (1994

 

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