Antonio Lorenzo

Antonio Lorenzo

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 7", Weight 148 lb.

• Born ~1926 in Bauta Cuba

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Tony Lorenzo was a minor league MVP but never got past AA.

Lorenzo made his pro debut in 1946 for the Havana Cubans, going 16-7 with a 2.03 ERA while also hitting .274. He tied for third in the Florida International League in wins and made the top 5 in ERA. The next year, the little lefty was 12-10 for Havana, but with a 1.77 ERA, third in the league behind Connie Marrero and Octavio Rubert. In 1947-1948, he debuted in the Cuban Winter League, going 1-4 with a 2.98 ERA for the title-winning Habana club despite 38 walks in 54 1/3 IP.

In 1948, Tony had a big year at 23-8, 2.23, leading the Florida International League in wins and strikeouts (275) while making the top 10 in ERA. He was named league MVP. The strikeout total would be the all-time league record. In 1948-1949, he had a 4-5, 4.63 record for Habana. In the summer of '49, he struggled for the Chattanooga Lookouts, going 8-18 with a 4.23 ERA and 101 walks in 237 innings. He was second in the Southern Association in losses, one behind Eric Felton. He was 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA for Habana in 1949-1950.

Lorenzo returned to the Cubans in 1950 and again was excellent (18-10, 2.56). He tied for fifth in the Florida International League in wins, while easily leading in strikeouts (177, 55 more than the runner-up). His record in the winter was 0-1, 3.21 as Habana won the title. In the 1951 Caribbean Series, he was lit up for six hits in 2/3 of an inning.

Moving to the Tampa Smokers in 1951, Antonio remained sharp at 15-11, 2.15. He tied for 8th in the Florida International in wins and was third in ERA (after Hooks Iott and Dale Matthewson). He was atrocious in his Cuban Winter League finale, giving up a 53.73 ERA and four hits in 2/3 of an inning in 1951-1952. His US career did not last much longer, with a 6-5, 3.77 campaign for the 1952 Scranton Miners being his swan song.

Overall, Lorenzo was 98-69 with a 2.59 ERA in 215 minor league games, but was just 6-11 in the Cuban Winter League.

Notable Achievements

• 1948 MVP Florida International League Havana Cubans

Sources

• Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History, 1878-1961, By Jorge S. Figueredo
• Ecured