José Luis Alemán

José Luis Alemán Meliàn
(Mella)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 182 lb.

• Born March 7, 1959 in Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba

BR Register page

Biographical Information

José Luis Alemán won 174 games in Cuba and was 10-0 in international tournaments.

Alemán debuted internationally at age 20 in the 1979 Intercontinental Cup, going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA to help Cuba win Gold. The right-hander went 2-0 in the 1980 Amateur World Series, which he led with a 0.00 ERA; the Cuban national team again took home the Gold.

He had a league-best 2.41 ERA for the Orientales in the 1981 Selective Series. José had no decisions in the 1981 Intercontinental Cup, in which Cuba "only" got the Silver Medal.

Alemán was again dominant in the 1985 Intercontinental Cup, going 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA and getting wins in both the semifinals (8-7 over Taiwan) and finals (4-3 over Japan) to give Cuba Gold. He was named the tournament's MVP.

José Luis won 9 games in the 1987-1988 Serie Nacional to tie Osvaldo Duvergel for the eastern division lead. He also led the division with a 2.29 ERA and 8 complete games. In the '88 Series Selectivas, the right-hander went 9-2 for the Serranos.

Alemán had a 2-0, 2.59 record in the 1988 Baseball World Cup. He allowed 2 runs in 4 1/3 IP of relief after replacing the ineffective Rene Arocha in the hard-fought Gold Medal game win over Team USA and Jim Abbott. In 1988-1989, José again tied Duvergel for the division lead with 9 wins; he also led with 11 complete games and 87 strikeouts for Santiago de Cuba to be named Most Valuable Pitcher.

He ended his international career by going 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in the 1989 Intercontinental Cup (won by Cuba). In 1989-1990, he had his last league-leading season back home, going 5-1 to tie Ernesto Guevara for the best record in the eastern division.

Alemán was 174-125 in his Cuban career with a 3.13 ERA in 17 seasons. Through 2009, he was 11th in Cuban history (post-revolution) in starts (333), tied for 5th in complete games (179, even with Pedro Luis Lazo), 9th in wins, tied for 10th in shutouts (34) and 10th in innings (2,472).

Alemán coached for the South African national team in the 2000 Olympics and 2001 Baseball World Cup. In Cuba, he coached for Santiago de Cuba.