Obed Plascencia

Obed Plascencia Verdugo

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 193 lb.

• Born October 19, 1944 in Santa Rosalia, Baja California Sur Mexico
• Died October 2, 2018 in Hermosillo, Sonora Mexico

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Obed Plascencia was a Mexican League player and manager. He played the outfield and both corner infield positions. His brother Rigoberto Plascencia played in Mexico as did his son Obed Plascencia Jr.

Plascencia debuted in 1964 with the Tabasco Plataneros, hitting .265 in the Mexican Southeast League. He made it up to the Mexican League as a 20-year-old with the Mexico City Tigers, for whom he would spend almost his entire career; he hit .296/.341/.406 as a rookie. In 1966, Obed batted .268/.333/.350, followed by seasons of .298/.333/.397, .301/.355/.403 with a career-high 10 home runs in 1968, .310/.358/.484 in 35 games in 1969 and .298/.356/.357 in 1970. In '71, he put up a .303/.370/.414 line, then was a bench player in 1972 (.297/.348/.365). He hit .322/.377/.436 as a part-timer in 1973 then was back on the bench in 1974 (.287/.307/.361 in 35 G). He hit .277/.339/.377 in 1975 and .294/.374/.354 in 1976. In '77, he spent his only time with a team other than the Tigers, splitting action between Mexico City and the Chihuahua Dorados (.216/.274/.266 only). He returned to the Tigers in 1978, replacing Mario Saldana as manager. He had his best year, at .334/.410/.444. It was his first time playing over 100 games in seven years and he was 7th in the Mexican League in average. Obed ended up in 1979 with a .309/.352/.393 swan song, fielding .998 at first base.

Overall, Plascencia had batted .297/.352/.391 in 1,378 Mexican League games. He managed the Bravos de León to a 65-56 record in 1987 but was let go as skipper early in 1988. He was on the Salón de la Fama ballot as late as 2003 but did not win entry.

Primary Source: The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics by Pedro Treto Cisneros

Further Reading

• Article on death