Luis Meléndez

Luis Antonio Meléndez Santana
(Torito)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 165 lb.

• Debut September 7, 1970
• Final Game June 1, 1977
• Born August 11, 1949 in Aibonito, P.R.

BR page

Biographical Information

One of a group of talented outfielders to come up with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1970s, Luis Melendez never lived up to his potential. With their outfield already overcrowded, the Cards attempted to turn Melendez into a shortstop but this experiment failed. He finished his career with the San Diego Padres.

His nickname is "Torito", which means Baby Bull.

Luis played for the Ponce Lions, Caguas Creoles and Bayamón Cowboys of the Puerto Rican Winter Baseball League. After his retirement as a player, he became one of the best managers of the league.

Melendez was a coach for the Hamilton Redbirds in 1988, Arkansas Travelers in 1998, New Jersey Cardinals in 2001, and GCL Phillies in 2006-2009.

Year-By-Year Minor League Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1989	AZL Cardinals	Arizona League	22-31	5th	St. Louis Cardinals
1990	Hamilton Redbirds	New York-Penn League	30-46	13th	St. Louis Cardinals
1994	Savannah Cardinals	South Atlantic League	82-55	3rd	St. Louis Cardinals	League Champs
1995	New Jersey Cardinals	New York-Penn League	35-41	8th	St. Louis Cardinals
2000	Johnson City Cardinals	Appalachian League	24-44	9th	St. Louis Cardinals
2003	Batavia Muckdogs	New York-Penn League	30-45	12th	Philadelphia Phillies
2004	Batavia Muckdogs	New York-Penn League	28-46	14th	Philadelphia Phillies