Rigoberto Rosique

Rigoberto Rosique Gia

• Born March 10, 1944 in Matanzas, Matanzas Cuba

Biographical Information

Rigoberto Rosique was a Cuban outfielder of the 1960s and 1970s who won two batting crowns. He was with the Occidentales in 1963-1964, leading the league in runs (34) and walks (45). His 38 walks in 1964-1965, tying Rolando Valdés for the Cuban Serie Nacional lead. He was one of the big stars in the Cuban All-Star Series in 1969. In the 1969 Amateur World Series, he went 5 for 14 to help Cuba win the Gold Medal.

Playing for the Henequeneros in 1969-1970, Rosique and teammates Wilfredo Sánchez and Félix Isasi were nicknamed "Los Tres Mosqueteros" - The Three Musketeers. Rigoberto hit .323 for Cuba in the 1970 Amateur World Series (which they won).

Rosique won the batting title (.352) in 1970-1971. He hit .455 in the 1971 Pan American Games (won by Cuba) and .242 in the 1971 Amateur World Series (another Cuban Gold). In the 1972 Amateur World Series, he batted .290 for the champs. He was 5 for 10 in a backup role in the 1973 Amateur World Series. He won his second batting title with a .347 mark in 1973-1974. He hit only .167/.250/.167 in the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games, his 7th straight title with the national team as well as his swan song for them. He had the lowest average of any Cuban regular, as he split CF with Fermín Laffita.

In 13 seasons in Cuba, Rosique hit .302/.415/.379 with 535 walks to 269 strikeouts in 3,412 plate appearances. He later managed for ten years in Cuba, going 289-327. He managed Las Tunas from 1986-1989 and Matanzas from 1994-1997 and 2006-2008. He was 289-327.

Sources

• A History of Cuban Baseball by Peter Bjarkman
• 2005 Guia Official de Beisbol
• 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games Final Report
• Ecured