Jorge Aranzamendi (Puerto Rico)

Jorge Aranzamendi Torres (Jorgito)

• Height 5' 7 1/2", Weight 141 lb.

• Born July 30, 1964 in Ponce Puerto Rico

Olympics-Reference.com

Biographical Information

Jorge Aranzamendi was a long-time star in Puerto Rico's amateur league and also played for the Puerto Rican national team for 7 years, including in the Olympics.

Aranzamendi played for Puerto Rico when they won Bronze in the 1989 Intercontinental Cup and remained with them for the 1990 Goodwill Games. In the 1990 Baseball World Cup, he hit .316/.366/.526 and scored 10 runs in 9 games. He led the team in runs, two ahead of Angel Morales. He had 9 putouts and on error as their starter in left. He got a Silver Medal with Puerto Rico at the 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games.

In the 1991 Pan American Games, he helped Puerto Rico upset Team USA on their way to a Silver Medal. He batted .432/~.462/.649 with 10 runs and 5 doubles in 8 games in the round-robin phase. He was 6th in average, between Elías Olivos and Benjamín Heredia, and tied Omar Linares, Albert Bracero and one other player for the most doubles. He hit .355/.375/.452 with 8 runs in 7 games in the 1992 Olympics, leading Puerto Rico in runs (double runner-up Bracero). Only Morales had a higher slugging percentage for Puerto Rico.

The Ponce native was back to winning medals at the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games, with his second Bronze. In the 1994 Baseball World Cup, he slumped to .160/.344/.240 on offense and fielded .941 in left but still scored six runs in seven games to tie Joel Perez and Hector Aguila for the team lead in runs. He got one more Bronze at the 1995 Pan American Games.

In Puerto Rico, he played 32 years before retiring at age 49. He had over 700 hits (one of 14 players as of June 2018) and 500 runs. He also played for Puerto Rico's softball team from 1986-1988 and 1996-2010.

Primary Sources: Old IBAF website, 1992 Baseball Almanac, Liga Superior Doble-A Puerto Rico, Primerahora, Puerto Rican Senate acknowledgment