Silvio Montejo

Silvio Montejo Boffill (The Bullet)

Outfielder Silvio Montejo played in Cuba in the 1960s and 1970s. He served in the Cuban military before playing in Cuba's top league. He led the 1966-1967 Serie Nacional with 8 triples, while playing for Villa Clara. It was briefly a league record, to be topped by Wilfredo Sanchez in 1969. He played for the Cuban national team as well. He hit .267 in the 1969 Amateur World Series (Cuba won Gold; the other outfielders were Fermín Laffita and Rigoberto Rosique), .379 in the 1970 Central American and Caribbean Games (another Gold, joining Armando Capiro and Wilfredo Sanchez in the outfield) and went 1 for 8 in the 1971 Pan American Games (a third Gold). In a minor event, he was named Best Hitter of the 1972 Haarlem Baseball Week.

In 12 seasons in Cuba, Montejo hit .264/.345/.376 with 142 steals in 204 tries. He fielded .971. He was the first player in the Castro era to steal home plate. His brother Manny Montejo was a major leaguer in the USA. After his playing career, Montejo did some coaching in Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Sources

• Juventud Rebelde article on Montejo
• 2005 Guia Official de Beisbol
• A History of Cuban Baseball by Peter Bjarkman