Orlando Moreno

Orlando Moreno

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 165 lb.

• Born 1926

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

In 1947, third baseman Orlando Moreno had a 43-game hitting streak with the Big Spring Broncs of the Longhorn League, one of the longest of all-time in the minor leagues. He hit .345 in 129 games that season, which may sound like a lot but it did not even place him in the top ten in the league that year, as the Longhorn League was one of the most hitter-friendly circuits of all time. He also scored a whopping 186 runs (which did lead the loop), drove in 99, and had 22 doubles, 10 triples and 17 homers. His streak ended on August 5th. At the time, the streak was tied for seventh-longest in minor league history, and is still the 10th longest today, as only three players have topped it since, and two others have matched it.

Little personal information has been kept about him, but he was most likely Cuban and got his start in 1946 with the Havana Cubans of the Florida International League, hitting .198 in 36 games. He returned to Havana, now a Washington Senators affiliate, in 1948 and hit .264 in 136 games, with 2 homers and 60 RBIs. 1949 saw hom with the Abilene Blue Sox of the West Texas-New Mexico League, where he hit .271 in 70 games in 70 games. In 1950, he was with the Laredo Apaches of the Rio Grande Valley League, hitting .306 in 132 games with 13 homers and 80 RBIs. There is no indication about where he played in 1951, but in 1952 he put in a final season with the Decatur Commodores of the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League, where he hit .226 in 75 games.

All of the circuits in which he played were either Class D or Class C, so he never got anywhere near the major leagues. In addition to third base, he also saw playing time in the outfield. He also played winter ball in Panama, starting at second for Spur Cola in the 1949 Caribbean Series and going 3-for-17 with a run, three RBI and two steals. He tied for second on the team in RBI, two behind Sammy Bankhead.