Manny Trillo

Jesús Manuel Marcano Trillo (born December 25, 1950), nicknamed "Indio", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman, most prominently with the Chicago Cubs where he established himself as an All-Star player, and then with the Philadelphia Phillies where he was an integral member of the 1980 World Series winning team.<ref name="sabrbio">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="He's Hot, But Not A Hot Dog">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Unsung hero Trillo still flying under the radar">Template:Cite web</ref>

A four-time All-Star with a strong throwing arm, Trillo was known as one of the best fielding second basemen of his era, winning three Gold Glove Awards during his career (1979, 1981, 1982).<ref name="He's Hot, But Not A Hot Dog"/><ref name="Manny Trillo: He's Unsung But Not Under-rated!">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1982, he set a Major League record for second basemen when he fielded 479 consecutive chances without an error. He also played for the Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants, and Cincinnati Reds.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference">Template:Cite web</ref> After his playing career he worked as a minor league coach for several major league organizations.

In 1983, the Phillies selected Trillo as the second baseman for their Centennial Team, commemorating the best players of the first 100 years in franchise history. He was inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007 and in 2020, he was selected for enshrinement on the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame.

Baseball career

Early life

Trillo was born on December 25, 1950 in Caripito in northeastern Venezuela, where his father worked in the oil industry.<ref name="sabrbio"/> He grew up in the small town of Quiriquire, where a physical education instructor encouraged him to contact former major league player, Pompeyo Davalillo, who had played for the Washington Senators in 1953.<ref name="sabrbio"/> Trillo spent two years training under Davalillo's tutelage and in 1968 he signed a contract to play for the Philadelphia Phillies as a catcher.<ref name="sabrbio"/>

Minor league career

Trillo was converted into a third baseman by his first minor league manager, Dallas Green.<ref name="Manny Trillo: He's Unsung But Not Under-rated!" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1969, he was selected by the Oakland Athletics from the Phillies in the Rule 5 draft.<ref name="sabrbio"/> In 1973, manager Sherm Lollar allowed Trillo to gain experience as a second baseman while playing for the Athletics' Triple A team, the Tucson Toros.<ref name="sabrbio"/><ref name="Manny Trillo: He's Unsung But Not Under-rated!" /> In 130 games with the Toros he posted a .312 batting average and led the team with 78 RBIs.<ref name="sabrbio"/> His impressive performance earned him a promotion and he made his Major League debut at the age of 22 with Oakland on June 28, 1973.<ref name="sabrbio"/>

Oakland Athletics

Trillo remained with the club as the Athletics won the American League Western Division pennant by six games over the Kansas City Royals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Trillo was involved in a pair of controversies about his roster eligibility for the 1973 postseason. MLB strictly enforced a rule that only players on a major league roster on August 31 were eligible for the postseason. After José Morales' contract was sold to the Montreal Expos on September 18 and Bill North severely sprained an ankle, the A's received approval from their American League Championship Series opponent the Baltimore Orioles to allow the additions to their roster of both Trillo and Allan Lewis. A's owner Charlie Finley submitted the same request to the New York Mets, his team's 1973 World Series opponent, but New York only approved Lewis.<ref>Dickey, Glenn. Champions: The Story of the First Two Oakland A's Dynasties – And the Building of the Third. Chicago, IL: Triumph Books, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2018</ref> When Mike Andrews committed two errors in a four-run twelfth inning of Oakland's Game 2 defeat,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Finley attempted to have Andrews waived onto the disabled list in order to activate Trillo.<ref name="Manny Trillo: He's Unsung But Not Under-rated!" /> Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn ruled against Finley, who was forced to reinstate Andrews for Game 4 while Trillo remained on the ineligible list.<ref name="Manny Trillo: He's Unsung But Not Under-rated!" />

In April 1974, Trillo played 12 games for the Athletics but only had a .100 batting average when he was sent back to the Tucson Toros.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference" /> He was eventually brought back to the major leagues in September. He appeared in one game of the 1974 American League Championship Series against the Baltimore Orioles, but did not make any further appearances as the Athletics defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1974 World Series.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Manny Trillo.jpg

Trillo playing for the Cubs in 1988.

Chicago Cubs

On October 23, Template:Mlby, Trillo was traded along with Darold Knowles and Bob Locker to the Chicago Cubs for Billy Williams.<ref>A's get Billy Williams in trade with Chicago</ref> In his first full season in the Major Leagues, Trillo had a career-high 70 runs batted in, and he finished third in the 1975 National League Rookie of the Year Award balloting behind John Montefusco and Gary Carter.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With the Cubs, Trillo developed a reputation for his impressive defensive skills and, coalesced with Cubs' shortstop Iván DeJesús into one of the best double play combinations in baseball.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> He led National League second basemen in assists for four consecutive seasons from 1975 to 1978.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference"/>

In 1977, he led the league with a .380 batting average as of June 9th, earning him his first selection to the National League All-Star team as a reserve player behind Joe Morgan.<ref name="sabrbio"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1978 Trillo led National League second basemen in double plays turned.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference"/> He remained with the Cubs for four seasons before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on February 23, 1979, as part of an eight-player trade.<ref name="Manny Trillo Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Philadelphia Phillies

Trillo was reunited with his former minor league manager in Philadelphia when Dallas Green replaced Danny Ozark as the Phillies' manager on August 31, 1979.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He won his first Gold Glove Award in 1979 and became an integral member of the Phillies defense.<ref name="He's Hot, But Not A Hot Dog"/><ref name="Unsung hero Trillo still flying under the radar"/><ref name="A Look Back at Manny Trillo's Legendary Four Seasons in Philadelphia">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In Template:Mlby, Trillo hit for over a .300 batting average until the middle of September, finishing the season with a career-high .292 average as the Phillies won the National League Eastern Division title.<ref name="He's Hot, But Not A Hot Dog"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Along with his defensive talents, he won the 1980 Silver Slugger Award for second basemen, which is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 1980 National League Championship Series against the Houston Astros, he posted a .381 batting average with four runs batted in, and teamed up with Bake McBride in the decisive Game 5 to relay a throw to home plate, cutting off Luis Pujols attempting to score from first base on a double by Craig Reynolds.<ref name="Unsung hero Trillo still flying under the radar"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Phillies Capture Club's First World Series Title">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Trillo's performance earned him the League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award.<ref name="A Look Back at Manny Trillo's Legendary Four Seasons in Philadelphia"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 1980 World Series against the Kansas City Royals, Trillo once again made his mark in Game 5 by making another relay throw to cut off Darrell Porter trying to score in the sixth inning.<ref name="A Look Back at Manny Trillo's Legendary Four Seasons in Philadelphia"/><ref name="Unsung hero Trillo still flying under the radar"/><ref name="1980 World Series Game 5 box score at Baseball Reference">Template:Cite web</ref> He then hit a single with two outs in the ninth inning to drive home the winning run.<ref name="A Look Back at Manny Trillo's Legendary Four Seasons in Philadelphia"/><ref name="1980 World Series Game 5 box score at Baseball Reference" /> The Phillies went on to win Game 6 and claimed the first world championship in the team's history.<ref name="Phillies Capture Club's First World Series Title" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

1981 was another good year for Trillo as he was selected as a reserve for the National League All-Star team, and won his second Gold Glove Award and his second consecutive Silver Slugger Award however, the Phillies dropped to third place in the National League Eastern Division. He was voted to be the starting second baseman for the National League in the 1982 All-Star Game.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Trillo played 89 consecutive games overall before he committed an error, falling two games short of the Major League record 91-game errorless streak for second basemen set by Joe Morgan in the 1977 and 1978 seasons.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> During his streak, Trillo handled 479 consecutive chances without an error, breaking the previous Major League record of 458 set by Jerry Adair over the 1964 and 1965 seasons.<ref name="Unsung hero Trillo still flying under the radar"/><ref name="Cubs’ Sandberg Sets Error-Free Record">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Trillo joins Wall of Fame">Template:Cite web</ref> His record was broken by Ryne Sandberg in 1990.<ref name="Cubs’ Sandberg Sets Error-Free Record"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Trillo committed only 5 errors during the 1982 season, setting a new National League record for second baseman with a .9937 fielding percentage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Progressive Leaders & Records for Fielding Percentage as 2B">Template:Cite web</ref> This record was also broken by Sandberg in 1990.<ref name="Progressive Leaders & Records for Fielding Percentage as 2B"/>

Later career

File:1985 Mother's Cookies - Manny Trillo.JPG

Trillo batting for the Giants in 1985

Trillo was one of five Phillies along with George Vukovich, Julio Franco, Jerry Willard and Jay Baller who were traded to the Cleveland Indians for Von Hayes at the Winter Meetings on December 9, 1982.<ref>"Phillies Trade Trillo for Hayes," The New York Times, Friday, December 10, 1982. Retrieved July 9, 2023.</ref> In 1983, he made his second consecutive start as the All-Star second baseman, this time for the American League.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference" /> Trillo also won his third and final Gold Glove Award in Template:Mlby.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference" /> He finished the 1983 campaign with the Montreal Expos after being dealt from Cleveland for minor-league outfielder Don Carter and cash on August 17.<ref name="Manny Trillo Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac"/> Trillo had expressed a desire to return to the National League and demanded a five-year $4 million contract, the latter of which the Indians lacked the wherewithal to re-sign him.<ref>"The Cleveland Indians have traded All-Star second baseman Manny...," United Press International (UPI), Thursday, August 18, 1983. Retrieved July 9, 2023.</ref> At the end of the season Trillo became a free agent and signed a contract with the San Francisco Giants.<ref name="Manny Trillo Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac"/> In two seasons with the Giants, he produced a ,238 batting average and committed 18 errors.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference" />

After Dallas Green became the Chicago Cubs' General Manager he acquired Trillo from the Giants for Dave Owen on December 11, 1985.<ref name="sabrbio"/><ref>"Orioles Trade Roenicke for Bordi, Hudler," The Washington Post, Thursday, December 12, 1985. Retrieved July 10, 2023.</ref> During his three seasons with the Cubs, Trillo played all the infield positions while serving as a utility player and helped to mentor younger Cubs players such as Ryne Sandberg and Shawon Dunston.<ref name="sabrbio"/> He had a .296 batting average in 1986 along with a career-high eight home runs in 1987.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference" /> Trillo was released by the Cubs after the 1988 season and signed a contract to play for the Cincinnati Reds as a utility player.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference" /> After playing in 17 games, he was released by the Reds on May 25, 1989.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference" /> Trillo played in his final major league game on May 20, 1989 at the age of 38.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference" />

After his playing career, Trillo worked as a minor-league coach for the Cubs and Phillies as well as the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, and the Chicago White Sox.<ref name="sabrbio"/> White Sox manager, Ozzie Guillen, hired Trillo as a guest coach for the 2005 World Series.<ref name="sabrbio"/>

Career statistics

In a seventeen-year major league career, Trillo played in 1,780 games, accumulating 1,562 hits in 5,950 at bats for a .263 career batting average along with 61 home runs,571 runs batted in and a .316 on-base percentage.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference" /> He ended his career with a .981 fielding percentage.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference" /> A four-time All-Star, Trillo was a three-time Gold Glove winner and a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He led National League second basemen four times in assists, three times in range factor and twice in putouts.<ref name="Manny Trillo at Baseball Reference" />

G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	SH	SF	HBP	AVG	OBP	SLG	FLD%
1,780	5,950	1,562	239	33	61	598	571	452	35	742	88	49	34	.263	.316	.345	.981

Venezuelan professional baseball

Like many Venezuelan baseball players of his era, Trillo returned to Venezuela during the off-season to play in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.<ref name="sabrbio"/> As a member of the Leones del Caracas, he won the Venezuelan League's Rookie of the Year award in the 1971-1972 winter season.<ref>Baseball with a Latin beat: a history of the Latin American game By Peter C. Bjarkman, McFarland, 1994 Template:ISBN Template:ISBN</ref> In the 1972-1973 season, he played a large role in helping the Leones win the league championship and advance to the 1973 Caribbean Series where they eventually lost to the Tigres del Licey from the Dominican Republic.<ref name="sabrbio"/> In the 1979-1980 season, Trillo hit .306 in 30 games to help Caracas to win its third title in eight seasons.<ref name="sabrbio"/> In the 1980 Caribbean Series held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Caracas would tie for second place with the Vaqueros de Bayamón of the Puerto Rican League as the Tigres del Licey were the champions.<ref name="sabrbio"/>

Trillo was involved in a salary dispute with the Leones during the 1980-1981 season which led to him being traded to the Águilas del Zulia in one of the most impactful trades in Venezuelan professional baseball history.<ref name="sabrbio"/> Trillo became a team leader for the Águilas, helping the team win reach the league playoff finals in 1981 and 1982.<ref name="sabrbio"/> He was also a liaison between the Chicago Cubs and the Águilas in Venezuela, helping the Cubs develop prospects in winter baseball.<ref name="sabrbio"/> Trillo was a member of the Águilas team that won the 1984 Caribbean Series in San Juan, Puerto Rico.<ref name="sabrbio"/> He played his final season in the Venezuelan League as the player–manager for the Águilas during the 1987-1988 winter season. In 1988 Trillo became a full-time coach for the Águilas.<ref name="sabrbio"/>

Awards & honors

In 2007, Trillo was inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.<ref>www.museodebeisbol.org Template:Webarchive</ref> In 1983, he was named to the Philadelphia Phillies Centennial Team as its second baseman. In 2020, he was selected for enshrinement on the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame.<ref name="Trillo joins Wall of Fame"/>

See also

• List of players from Venezuela in Major League Baseball
• List of Gold Glove Award winners at second base
• List of Silver Slugger Award winners at second base

External links

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• Template:SABR Baseball Biography Project
• Manny Trillo at Baseball Almanac