Juan Vistuer

Juan Antonio Vistuer

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.

• Born June 26, 1930 in Havana Cuba

BR register page

Biographical Information

Juan Vistuer played for the Cuban national team, then peaked at AAA, before returning to Cuba post-revolution to be an administrator and manager.

Vistuer won Gold with Cuba in the 1950 Amateur World Series. In the 1951 Pan American Games, he helped Cuba take the baseball Gold in the first Pan American Games. He turned pro that summer, appearing for four different minor league teams - the Sherman-Denison Twins (.188/.264/.281 in 28 G), Geneva Robins (.256/.294/.394 in 50 G), Big Spring Broncs and Chickasha Chicks.

In his Cuban Winter League debut, he hit .355 with no extra-base hits in 31 AB for the Marianao Tigers, their #7 outfielder. In the summer, he was with Big Spring (.321/.393/.522, 28 2B, 12 HR, 93 RBI, 18 SB) and the Havana Cubans (.230/.260/.324 in 21 G). His 19 errors were second among Longhorn League outfielders but he was also 4th in the loop in triples (10) and 10th in swipes.

The Havana native was 0 for 6 for Marianao in 1952-1953. In 1953, he batted .239/.338/.333 for the Charlotte Hornets. He then played in 1954 for the Rock Hill Chiefs, with 23 outfield assists and a .301/.395/.457 batting line. He scored 90, legged out 12 triples, drove in 102, stole 16 bases and drew 76 walks. He tied Charles Ferrante for 8th in the Tri-State League in runs, was 4th in hits (157), ranked third in doubles (30, behind Oscar Sierra and Gordy Coleman), tied Mel Kerestes for 3rd in triples, tied for 9th in homers (9), was second in RBI (two shy of Sierra), was 6th in stolen bases and was 3rd in total bases (238, trailing Jasper Spears and Coleman). He led the league's outfielders in putouts (380) and errors (19) while being second in assists. He tied Chuck Wilson for 6th in the Washington Senators chain in hits, tied Wayne Crawford for 4th in doubles, trailed only Wilson and Carlos Paula in triples, trailed only Ned Waldrop and Larry Davidson in RBI, tied for 7th in steals and was 6th in total bases.

After that fine summer, he saw more action in winter ball in 1954-1955, hitting .232 and slugging .339 between Almendares and Marianao. Almendares advanced to the 1955 Caribbean Series, where he formed an outfield with Román Mejias, Lee Walls and Earl Rapp; he was 1-for-12 but his lone hit was a home run. He split 1955 between Charlotte (.254/.336/.320 in 58 G) and the High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms (.198/.265/.333 in 71 G).

Switching winter clubs, he moved to the Cienfuegos team, going 6-for-19 with four runs as the #6 outfielder and winning another CWL title. While not a starter in the regular season, he was one in the 1956 Caribbean Series, going 2-for-12 with another Series homer; this time, his team won the Caribbean title. In 1956, he played for the Diablos Rojos del México, batting .269/.342/.424 with 8 triples and 71 RBI. That winter, he hit .237/?/.289 as a backup for Cienfuegos and the Havana Reds.

Vistuer split 1957 between the Havana Sugar Kings (2 for 9) and two Mexican League teams, with a composite .283/.368/.379 line and 12 steals in Mexico. He was only 2-for-21 with two runs between Habana and Almendares in 1957-1958. In '58, he hit .323/.389/.468 for the Sultanes de Monterrey.

After not playing that winter in Cuba, he slipped to .235/.361/.333 for Monterrey in 1959, though he did draw 54 walks in 86 games. In 1960, he was back with Charlotte (.222/.388/.286 in 26 games) for a third go-around and batted .296/.382/.439 with 10 homers and 80 runs in 105 games for the Wilson Tobs. He was two runs shy of the Carolina League top-10. When Americans were barred from playing in Cuba in the winter of 1960-1961 due to declining relations, Vistuer won semiregular action for the first time in his homeland. He hit only .202/?/.283 as Cienfuegos's 4th outfielder (behind Mejias, Mario Zambrano and Tony González) as they won a title.

Ending his US career, he hit .244/.366/.354 for the 1961 Tobs, with 65 walks in 98 games. Only Bob Immediato had more three-baggers in the Carolina League that year. With many Cuban players staying in the US with relations now cut, Vistuer was one of those who opted to go back to Cuba. He was one of the assistants to the commissioner when the Cuban Serie Nacional was formed. He managed Guantánamo in 1978-1979, the team's second season, going 21-29.