Buccos Cove Fan Vote All-Pirates Team: Bench Player Manny Mota
Making it to the professional ranks in any sport can be a daunting task for a young athlete. You have to go through hours and hours of training, and even then it may not be enough to succeed at the highest level. There are road bumps and obstacles that you have to overcome in order to be successful. Even when you finally do make it to the pinnacle of your sport, there is no guarantee that you will play every day. Every team needs good role players, and the patience and perseverance that it takes to succeed in these positions are hard to muster. However, our spot on the Buccos Cove Fan Vote All-Pirates team bench goes to a man who exemplified what it meant to be a role player. He was one of the MLB's best pinch hitters and was a key platoon player for the Pirates in the 1960s.
Manny Mota platooned with fellow Dominican Republic native Matty Alou for most of his career and was a consistent hitter and solid defender. He played six seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates and during that time hit .297 with 19 home runs and 203 RBI. He helped the Pirates through their rebuilding years of the 1960s and set them up to get back to prominence in the 1970s. While he may never be known for starting a big game or coming up with a World Series winner, what he will be known for is his work off the bench. He holds the MLB record for Batting Average as a pinch hitter going 150-500 for an even.300 batting average. Today, we look at the role Mota played in Pirates history and how he became known for his work off the bench.
The Road to Pittsburgh
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Manny Mota was one of seven children in a blended family. His father was part of the Dominican Military and died when Mota was between six and seven years old. He didn't have many memories of his dad, but the one thing that did stick with him is the nickname El Chory. Which means shorty or pee-wee. He called him that because he was always playing against kids who were older and taller than him. Mota's mother opened a grocery store to help support Mota and his siblings and Mota would work there from time to time to help the family. Being from an underprivileged family, Mota never got the chance to play organized baseball but played any chance he could.
He wasn't recognized by scouts until he played for the Dominican Air Force team, where he played as a second baseman and a first baseman. He played with two future Big Leaguers on that team, including former Giant Juan Marichal and former Pirate Matty Alou. He showed a natural ability to hit the ball, and his short-compact swing is one of the things that got him noticed. He was used to playing with guys that were older and usually better than he was, so he had to prove that he could at least compete. He was noticed by the New York Giants and ended up signing his first professional contract on February 21st, 1957. It was for only $400, but it gave Mota the opportunity that he was looking for.
After a long five-year climb through the Giants Minor League system, he finally made it to the Big Leagues in 1962 with the now, San Francisco Giants. Mota had had success at every stop along the way during his Minor League career, with a batting average over .300 in every season. So, it came as a surprise that when he finally got the call, he struggled mightily in the Big Leagues. He appeared in 47 games and hit just .176 with nine RBI. After five seasons in the Minor Leagues, the Giants had moved on from the outfielder and traded him to the then Houston Colt 45s. Mota would come into Spring Training with Houston but was traded to Pittsburgh before the season where he met a former teammate, Matty Alou.
A Role Player in Pittsburgh
At the start of the season, Mota was sent back to the Minor Leagues but was once again in the Big Leagues halfway through the 1963 season. He had a much better showing the second time around hitting .270 with seven RBI in 59 games. He would begin to platoon with his friend Alou and the first three seasons in a Pirates uniform saw him get better and better. His average went from .270 during that 1963 season to a whopping .332 by the 1966 season. He wasn't showing much home run power, but he was driving the ball to the gaps and was using his legs to pick up extra-base hits. It all led up to that 1966 season where Mota would have not only the best season of his Pirates career but the best season of his pro baseball career.
During that 1966 season, Mota put on a hitting clinic at the plate and played the most games of any Pirates bench player that season. He hit .332 that season with five home runs and 46 RBI over 121 games played. He was still platooning with Alou in right field and got the full support of Roberto Clemente. He showed that he could put the ball in the gaps, and led all the Pirates bench players with 28 extra-base hits, including a bench high 16 doubles. He was also a perfect seven for seven in stolen bases during the year, and he didn't have stolen base speed but he knew how to steal bases. His success continued throughout his career as he was molded into a great pinch hitter.
1967 saw Mota have continued success as he continued to hit well. He batted .321 with four home runs and 56 RBI in 120 games as a platoon outfielder. His average dropped in 1968 to .281 with one home run and 33 RBI. Following the 1968 season, the Montreal Expos were entering the league and the MLB had to hold an expansion draft as they entered the league. Unfortunately for the Pirates, they lost Mota to the expansion draft ending his six-year career in Pittsburgh. It was the end of an era in Pittsburgh, but a start of a new era in Los Angeles. After he left the Pirates he spent half a season in Montreal and then spent 13 seasons in Los Angeles.
The Role He Played After Pittsburgh
After leaving Pittsburgh, Mota went on to begin a 13-year career in Los Angeles where he went to the playoffs three times and the World Series twice. He was never a starter on any of those Dodger teams, but he was an essential part of all three of those playoff runs. He played for the Dodgers from 1969 to 1979 and was the ultimate contact hitter and hit .315 with 12 home runs and 226 RBI. He retired after the 1979 season but ended up playing in 1980 and 1982 when the Dodgers needed him. His last game played was the final game of the 1982 season and he went 3-5 and helped the Dodgers to the playoffs once again.
After he retired officially, he would stay with the Dodgers as a hitting coach from 1981 to 1989. He served in many different roles throughout his career, including translating for the Dominican Republic players. He had a role on the Spanish Broadcast but wanted to be back on the field. That is when Manager Dave Roberts allowed Mota to help with pre-game activities in 2016. He still serves in that role today as he helps train the next generation of Dodgers hitters. He helped lead the Dodgers to the World Series in three of the past four seasons. Mota was the game's best pinch hitter and earned his role as the Buccos Cove Fan Vote All-Pirates Bench Player.
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