Angel Echevarria was a National League outfielder-first
baseman from 1996 to 2002.
Angel Santos Echevarria was born May 25, 1971, in
Bridgeport, Connecticut. He attended Bassick High School in Bridgeport, where
he lettered in baseball, basketball, and football, and graduated in 1989. From
there he went to Rutgers University, where as a freshman right fielder in 1990
he hit .302 with nine home runs and was named to the New Jersey College
Baseball Association University Division all-star team. As a sophomore he hit
.357 and broke the school records with 12 homers and 80 hits, made the New
Jersey all-star team again, and was named to the second team All-East Regional
team. In 1992 he hit another ten home runs, his 31 homers and 145 RBI setting
new school career records. He decided to go pro after his junior year and was
drafted in the 17th round by the Colorado Rockies that June.
Angel played outfield and DH that year for the Bend Rockies of
the Short Season A class Northwest League. He appeared in 57 of the team’s 76
games, and after getting off to a good start cooled off to .224/.296/.327, with
five home runs in 205 at-bats. In a questionnaire he filled out during the
season he gave his height and weight as 6-4, 215, and his hobbies as fishing
and poetry.
For 1993 he was moved up to the Advanced A California
League’s Central Valley Rockies, where he hit .271/.356/.377 with six homers in
358 at-bats. In this year’s questionnaire he listed his ancestry as Puerto
Rican, his size as 6-4, 220, his off-season occupation as “Sales Person &
Hitting Instructor,” and as members of his family who have played professional
baseball he named Bobby Llanos of the Mariners’ organization and Jose Davila of
the Padres’.
Angel started 1994 back in Central Valley, and was hitting
.302/.341/.448 after 50 games when he was promoted to the New Haven Ravens of
the Class AA Eastern League, where he played another 58 games and hit
.254/.308/.400. In his ’94 questionnaire he gave his size as 6-3 ½, 215, and
his off-season occupation as “Spokesperson for RBI Foundation, Teaching
one-one.”
1994-95 was the year of the major league players’ strike and,
though I found nothing about it at the time, two later articles made reference
to Angel having gone to spring training 1995 as a replacement player, one
saying that he had used the alias “Andy Gabriel.” When the strike was settled
he spent the entire 1995 season in New Haven, playing mostly in right field,
and had an excellent year, hitting .300/.382/.510 with 21 homers and 100 RBI in
453 at-bats.
In 1996 Angel was invited to spring training with Colorado,
but from there was sent to the AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Pacific Coast League. On
July 10 he played in the AAA All-Star Game, then on July 14 he was called up by
the Rockies. He made his major league debut the next day at home against the
Giants, pinch-hitting in the 8th for Steve Reed against Jim Poole
and hitting into a fielder’s choice. He stayed on the Colorado roster for a
month, pinch-hitting and playing right field, and even pinch-running once. On August 14 he was optioned back to Colorado
Springs when Larry Walker came off the disabled list, but was recalled on
September 1 when the Sky Sox’ season ended. He continued to come off the bench
for the Rockies, pinch-hitting and playing some left and right field late in
games. He went 6 for 21, all singles, for Colorado in 26 games, and while with
the Sky Sox he hit .337/.393/.508 with 16 home runs in 415 at-bats.
Angel battled for a major league spot in spring training
1997, but came up short and went back to Colorado Springs. On June 28 he was
recalled by the Rockies when Ellis Burks was put on the disabled list, and on
July 3 he got his first major league start, playing right field and batting
seventh. He got another start on the 20th, unusually for him in
center, between Dante Bichette and Walker. In the meantime he had been selected
for the AAA All-Star Game again, but missed it due to being in the majors. On
July 29 he was sent back down to the Sky Sox when Burks was reactivated, and
spent the rest of the season there, not getting a September callup. While with
the Rockies he was 5 for 20 with two doubles, and with Colorado Springs he hit
322/.387/.536 with 13 homers and 80 RBI in 295 at-bats, and playing a little first
base for the first time in his professional career.
In 1998 Angel went to spring training with the Rockies but
was sent back to the Sky Sox. In mid-August he was called up to Colorado and
spent the rest of the season there; he hit an impressive .379/.455/.586 in 29
at-bats, even better than his .326/.359/.558 at Colorado Springs over 301
at-bats.
In 1999, for the first time, Angel spent the entire season
in the majors. He got into 102 games and started 37 of them—30 as a corner
outfielder and seven at first base. He had excellent offensive numbers:
.293/.360/.503 with 11 homers and 35 RBI in 191 at-bats. But admittedly he was
helped considerably by the high elevation of Coors Field; he was .388/.447/.624
at home and .217/.291/.406 on the road.
In 2000, though, Angel was optioned back to Colorado Springs
at the end of spring training. He was called back up on June 28, and went
1-for-9 over the next two weeks. On July 16, surprisingly, to me anyway, he was
placed on waivers, and three days later the Brewers claimed him. From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel of July 21:
Getting a fresh start
Rockies castoff Echevarria sees immediate action
By Drew Olson
Unlike many players in his situation, Angel Echevarria was glad when Colorado placed him on waivers this week.
He was even more happy when the Milwaukee Brewers claimed him.
“It worked out pretty good,” said Echevarria, who joined the Brewers on Thursday and went 0 for 2 after taking over at first base when Tyler Houston was ejected at the end of the third inning.
“(Colorado) could have sent me back to Triple-A, but they didn’t. It really wouldn’t have done me much good to go back there. I’ve been in Triple-A a long time and don’t have much left to prove there.
“I’m glad to be getting a chance here. I got two at-bats today. That’s two more than I’ve had (in the big leagues) in a long time.”
Brewers manager Davey Lopes said Echevarria would see some action in the outfield but will play primarily at first base.
“He told us he feels more comfortable at first base, because that’s where he’s spent most of his time,” Lopes said. “We’re not looking for Gold Gloves out there. We’re looking for guys who can get some hits.
“He’ll get at-bats. He’ll tell us how good he is and how much he should play.”
Angel stayed with the Brewers the rest of the season,
getting into 31 games with them, mostly as a pinch-hitter. Including the nine
at-bats with Colorado, his National League numbers for the year were
.196/.293/.294 in 51 at-bats; while with Colorado Springs he had hit .335/.395/.504
in 284 at-bats, with just seven home runs but 23 doubles.
The Brewers kept Angel protected on the 40-man roster over
the off-season. On March 1 he signed a contract for 2001, and the next day he
went 5-for-5 with a double, a homer, four runs and six RBI in the exhibition
season opener. On March 10 this item appeared in the Journal-Sentinel:
Public address announcers throughout the Cactus League have had trouble pronouncing Angel Echevarria’s name this spring. Here’s the skinny. Echevarria prefers his name be pronounced in an all-English manner (AYN-gel Etch-uh-VAR-y-uh) or all-Spanish (ON-hell ETCH-eh-va-RI-ah). He doesn’t like it when the two are cross-pollinated.
Angel missed a few days with a “flu-like virus” around that
time, but still he was the Brewers’ best hitter in the exhibition season, and
he made the team as a pinch-hitter and backup first baseman and outfielder. The
team’s home opener was on April 6, with President Bush in attendance, and the Journal-Sentinel reported the next day:
LOCKER ROOM TALK
Before President Bush arrived for a pregame visit to the Brewers clubhouse, the players gathered baseballs and pens for autographs—and wondered aloud if first baseman Richie Sexson had any practical jokes in mind.
“When he’s going to sign it, just say, ‘Oops, wrong pen,’” suggested a coach.
But Angel Echevarria, a few lockers down from Sexson, had these words of warning about surprising a president when there are a bunch of Secret Service agents nearby: “Fifteen years to life.”
At the end of June it was reported that Angel had left the
team for a few days “to attend to a personal matter in Seattle.” On July 8 the Journal-Sentinel sports section letters
page included the following:
In the name of respect
In a recent edition of the newspaper, a caption under a photograph of my teammate, Robert Perez, referred to our outfield that day as “no-names.” I was a member of the outfield that day and object to that reference.
I have been fortunate to play in the major leagues for each of the past six seasons and have worked extremely hard to get a chance to make my name. Many players never get that chance, but those who do feel a great sense of accomplishment and pride that they have achieved the pinnacle of this sport.
We all contribute to the success of this team and work to give our fans the best effort that we can each and every day. Fans of the Brewers know our names. People with the Brewers know our names. Now it is time for the editors of the Journal-Sentinel to know our names as well.
Angel Echevarria
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder
On July 20 the Brewers lost their seventh straight game, a
loss by Ben Sheets, and the next day’s Journal-Sentinel
reported:
…It will take more than Sheets to snap this skid, and the Brewers seem ready to try anything.
Before the game, outfielder Angel Echevarria’s locker was transformed into a voodoo shrine. Borrowing a page from the movie “Major League,” Echevarria adorned his locker with trinkets, including two bottles of rum and a small candle.
The name “Serrano” was taped over Echevarria’s nameplate, a reference to the movie’s fictional first baseman Pedro, who actually spelled his last name “Cerrano.”
“We noticed that before the game,” reliever Chad Fox said.
On August 10 the Connecticut
Post of Bridgeport ran the following:
ANGEL IN THE OUTFIELD
Echevarria trying to stick in majors
By Mike Puma
NEW YORK—The season can’t end fast enough for the punchless Milwaukee Brewers, but Angel Echevarria isn’t merely crossing dates off his calendar. That’s for players with job security. Echevarria needs these final two months to prove he’s worthy of a contract renewal.
It’s a matter of whether the Brewers still want Echevarria, a former Bassick High standout, who starred at Rutgers for three seasons before reaching the majors through the Colorado Rockies’ farm system.
At this point, the numbers aren’t adding up for Echevarria. He entered Thursday’s 100-degree steam bath at Shea Stadium batting only .238 with three home runs and nine RBI in 101 at-bats. He then made a rare start and went 1-for-4 against Al Leiter and Rick White in a 4-3 Brewers’ defeat, which pushed them 18 games below .500.
So excuse Echevarria for not having decided where he’ll make his new offseason home. He loved Denver and playing for the Rockies—he even stayed in Colorado last offseason after the Rockies placed him on waivers last July 16. The Brewers claimed him three days later, but now he’s unsure where he’ll spend his winters.
One certainty is the 30-year-old outfielder wants to remain with the Brewers.
“I like the organization, the stadium and the guys on this team,” Echevarria said…
Besides providing him with his first big-league opportunity, Colorado also has great living conditions, Echevarria said.
“It was beautiful out there, the mountains, the clear air,” he said. “It was just a great place to live.”
But the one thing the Rocky Mountains couldn’t give him was a decent fishing hole. Echevarria is an avid fisherman who returns to Bridgeport every October to fish for bluefish—and not the kind that play in Harbor Yard.
The fishing trips on Long Island Sound give Echevarria a chance to catch up with his old neighborhood buddies and talk baseball.
“They always ask me about baseball cards, which I never bring,” he said…
Angel did improve his numbers by the end of the season,
mostly pinch-hitting, and wound up at .256/.310/.451, with 11 doubles and five
home runs in 133 at-bats in 75 games. But on October 9 the Journal-Sentinel ran a “Grading the Brewers” feature, which had
this to say about Angel:
A hard worker who accepted his role, Echevarria is regarded as a solid hitter by teammates and opponents, but he didn’t have much of an impact this season. Grade: D.
The same day, the paper reported that the Brewers had
assigned him outright to AAA Indianapolis, which meant he had one week to
either accept the demotion or declare for free agency. The next day it was
reported that he had chosen the latter course. On December 17 he was invited to
spring training by the Cubs as a non-roster player, and on the 19th
he was signed to a minor-league contract.
Toward the end of spring training 2002 Angel was sent to the
AAA Iowa Cubs of the Pacific Coast League, where he played outfield, first base
and DH and continued to batter AAA pitching, hitting .295/.357/.558 with 13
homers and 45 RBI in 217 at-bats. On June 20 he was called up to Chicago, where
he spent the rest of the season.
He got into 50 games and hit a solid
.306/.351/.469, with three home runs and 21 RBI in 98 at-bats; still, on
December 11, he was released. Four days later he signed a contract with the
Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan’s Pacific League.
Angel spent two seasons with the Fighters, hitting
.275/.342/.548 with 31 homers and 84 RBI in 429 at-bats in 2003, and .258/.361/.467
with 16 home runs and 54 RBI in 306 at-bats in 2004. On January 20, 2005, he was
invited to spring training as a non-roster player by the Cubs.
At the end of spring training Angel was sent to AAA Iowa,
where he had seven hits in 51 at-bats before being released on May 2. At some
point after that he ended up with the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican
League, where he played 35 games and hit .313/.372/.478. Now 34 years old, from
there he went to the Netherlands, where he played for Puerto Rico in the
baseball World Cup. He then played in the Puerto Rican Winter League over the
2005-06 off-season, for the Atenienses de Manati.
2006 found Angel out of Organized Baseball, but playing for
his hometown Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League. He started
the season playing first base and batting cleanup. From the Connecticut Post of May 3:
…”I didn’t necessarily prepare myself to come back here this year,” he said. “It’s good to be back home to see the family. You’ve got to make the best of the situation. So now I’m just here with the intentions of getting back to the big leagues, and if it doesn’t work out then, obviously, it came full circle.” Echevarria has fielded calls from friends and family since his return to the Park City. Many of them are expected to be on hand tonight at Harbor Yard. He is hitting .182 (2-for-11) with a solo home run and two runs scored through the first three games this season.
Angel missed some time with hamstring and back injuries, then
on July 17 he was released, hitting .275/.352/.386 with just four home runs in
171 at-bats. He was hired for 2007 as the hitting coach for the Arizona Brewers
of the Arizona Rookie League, a job he had again in 2008.
By 2010 Angel was working at The Clubhouse, a baseball
instructional facility in Fairfield, Connecticut. He loved working with
children, and in 2013 he started his own instructional business called Simply
Baseball. On February 7, 2020, having been ill for a few days, he fell at home and hit his
head. He was able to call his girlfriend after the accident, but he passed away
the same day at Bridgeport Hospital. He was 48 years old.
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