Noel Oquendo

Noel Sanchez Oquendo

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 175 lb.
• Born December 12, 1925 in Playa Ponce P.R.

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Noel Oquendo played in the minor leagues from 1949 to 1959.

He went 17-19 with 27 complete games for the Fitzgerald Pioneers his first professional season; he led the Georgia State League in losses, runs allowed (175, #2 Howard Oldershaw had 157), earned runs allowed (134), walks (171, #2 Joseph Grasso had 150) and strikeouts (224, #2 George Cook had 184). Then a couple years later, in 1951, went 13-9 for the Dublin Green Sox. In 1952, back with Dublin, Oquendo went 20-10 with 27 complete games and a 3.68 ERA in 33 games (29 starts). Again he was a league leader, tying 18-year-old Walt Bauman for the Georgia State League lead in victories, and pacing the loop in complete games, innings pitched (269) and strikeouts (245, nearly 100 more than the runner up Curtis White). With the Wichita Falls Spudders in 1953, he went 16-10 with a 3.69 ERA in 40 games (28 starts). He had been drafted by the Spudders from the Green Sox in the B-round of the 1952 Rule V Draft. Other seasons of note include 1955 (12-4, 2.93) and 1957 (13-7).

He was also effective with the bat early on, spending some time in the outfield. In 1951, he hit .309/.393/.447 in 94 at-bats for Dublin and in 1952, he hit .273/.378/.442 with 24 of his 63 hits going for doubles. After that season, he never hit higher than .183.

Overall, went about 109-81 in his career. He hit about .222 per records available.