Félix Isasi

Félix Isasi Mestre

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 152 lb.

• Born August 18, 1945 in Matanzas Cuba

Biographical Information

Second Baseman Félix Isasi played for the Cuban national team for a decade. In six of the ten major tournaments he played in, he led in at least one offensive category. He is the father of Félix Isasi Jr. and brother of Reinaldo Isasi.

Isasi first made a splash with the Occidentales in 1963-1964, leading the Cuban Serie Nacional with 15 steals. In 1965-1966, he led in runs (44) and swipes (24) for the Henequeneros. Moving to the Centrales, he led with 39 runs and 31 steals in 1966-1967. In the 1967 Pan American Games, he hit just .217 but led the event with 10 RBI and Cuba settled for a Silver as Team USA won Gold. It was his only Silver Medal as he won Golds the rest of his career.

Félix hit .429 in the 1969 Amateur World Series. In 1969-1970, he played for the Henequeneros alongside Wilfredo Sánchez and Rigoberto Rosique - the trio was nicknamed Los Tres Mosqueteros (The Three Musketeers). In the 1970 Central American and Caribbean Games, he batted .357 and his five steals tied Fermin Laffita for the lead. He hit .396 in the 1970 Amateur World Series and led with 15 RBI. His 12 runs tied Sánchez, Abel Leal and Wilson Perez for the lead.

Isasi fell to .273 in the 1971 Amateur World Series, but hit .382 in the 1971 Pan American Games and led the way with six doubles. The infielder batted .345 in the 1972 Amateur World Series and again led a tournament in doubles, this time with eight. He won the Jacques Reuvers Award as the MVP of the 1972 Haarlem Baseball Week. In the 1973 Amateur World Series, the veteran hit .327 and led all players with 20 runs. His 3 homers tied Armando Capiró and Evelio Hernández for the most. He was the All-Star second baseman for the event. He hit .286/.444/.286 with 6 runs and two RBI in the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games, handling 17 error-free chances as the backup at 2B to Alfonso Urquiola.

Playing for Matanzas, Isasi led the 1975 Series Selectivas with 14 steals. He was 5 for 10 in the 1975 Pan American Games and hit .313 in the 1976 Amateur World Series to end his international career.

Overall, in Cuban league play, Isasi hit .293/.375/.382 in 18 years. He stole 231 bases in 316 tries and fielded .961 in 1,084 games. He was later 96-96 as a manager in Cuba.

Sources

• A History of Cuban Baseball by Peter Bjarkman
• Wayback Machine archive of Radiococo listing of Cuban baseball families
• 2005 Guia Official de Beisbol
• 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games Final Report
• Ecured