José R. Delgado

Note: This page discusses 1980s and 1990s Cuban national team catcher José Raúl Delgado. For the Bolivian national team infielder José Delgado, click here.

José Raúl Delgado Diez

• Born August 25, 1960

Biographical Information

José Raúl Delgado was a member of the Cuban national team for most of 1989-1993. He is part of one of Cuba's most prominent baseball clans, all active with Sancti Spíritus. He is the uncle of Lourdes Gourriel Sr. and Luis Enrique Gourriel and the great-uncle of Yulieski Gourriel, Yuniesky Gourriel and Lourdes Gourriel Jr.. He is also the father of Yoannys Delgado.

José Raúl Delgado was 1 for 5 for Cuba in the 1989 Intercontinental Cup, in which his nephew won MVP honors. Delgado was 0 for 3 in the 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games. In the 1990-1991 Serie Nacional, the backstop hit three triples to tie for the eastern league lead. He came up big in the 1991 Intercontinental Cup, hitting .269 as the starter and delivering the game-winning hit in the 10th inning of the Gold Medal game against Japan. During the 1991 Pan American Games, he surprisingly led Cuba by hitting .500 and won All-Star honors at catcher, trailing leader Antonio Pacheco by .045 for the batting lead.

Delgado remained with Cuba for the 1992 Olympics, the first time the Olympics had baseball as a Medal event. He was 3 for 8 with a double and five RBI and threw out the only runner trying to steal against him, helping Cuba to a Gold; he did not play in the Gold Medal game as starting catcher Alberto Hernández got the nod instead.

In the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games, Delgado went 2 for 2, getting as many hits as starting catcher Alberto Hernández had in 21 at-bats. Delgado was just 1 for 8 with a walk in the 1993 Intercontinental Cup, again in a backup capacity.

Delgado played 20 seasons in the Cuban leagues, hitting .273/.343/.461 with 183 home runs in 4,080 AB. He threw out 38.7% of attempted base-stealers.

He became manager of Sancti Spiritus in 2017-2018, succeeding Mario Zulueta. He went 98-82 in three seasons then was replaced by another former catcher, Eriel Sánchez.

Sources

• Defunct IBAF site
• A History of Cuban Baseball by Peter Bjarkman
• Radiococo
• 1992 Baseball Almanac
• 2005 Guia Official de Beisbol