View source for Moisés Alou

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1966)}}
{{family name hatnote|'''Rojas-Alou'''|'''Beltré'''|lang=Spanish}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Moisés Alou
|image=Moises Alou standing.jpg
|caption=Alou with the San Francisco Giants in 2005
|position=[[Outfielder]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right 
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1966|7|3}}
|birth_place=[[Atlanta|Atlanta, Georgia]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=July 26
|debutyear=1990
|debutteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=June 10
|finalyear=2008
|finalteam=New York Mets
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.303
|stat2label=[[Hit (baseball)|Hits]]
|stat2value=2,134
|stat3label=[[Home run]]s
|stat3value=332
|stat4label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat4value=1,287
|teams=
* [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{mlby|1990}})
* [[Montreal Expos]] ({{mlby|1990}}, {{mlby|1992}}–{{mlby|1996}})
* [[Miami Marlins|Florida Marlins]] ({{mlby|1997}})
* [[Houston Astros]] ({{mlby|1998}}, {{mlby|2000}}–{{mlby|2001}})
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|2002}}–{{mlby|2004}})
* [[San Francisco Giants]] ({{mlby|2005}}–{{mlby|2006}})
* [[New York Mets]] ({{mlby|2007}}–{{mlby|2008}})
|highlights=
* 6× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1994]], [[1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1997]], [[1998 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1998]], [[2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|2001]], [[2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|2004]], [[2005 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|2005]])
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1997}})
* 2× [[Silver Slugger Award]] (1994, 1998)
}}
'''Moisés Rojas-Alou Beltré''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɔɪ|z|ᵻ|s|_|ə|ˈ|l|uː}}; {{IPA|es|mojˈses aˈlow|lang}}; born July 3, 1966) is an American former professional [[baseball]] [[outfielder]] who has played 17 seasons in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) from 1990 to 2008. He played in MLB for the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], [[Montreal Expos]], [[Miami Marlins|Florida Marlins]], [[Houston Astros]], [[Chicago Cubs]], [[San Francisco Giants]], and [[New York Mets]].

He is a member of one of the sport's most notable families of the late 20th century, being the son of famed first baseman and manager [[Felipe Alou]]. Known mainly for his offensive abilities, Alou was a six-time [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]], a two-time [[Silver Slugger Award]] winner, and a [[1997 World Series]] champion.

==Baseball career==
{{BLP sources section|date=January 2009}}
Alou was more interested in playing [[basketball]] during his youth and did not play organized baseball until he attended [[Cañada College]] in [[Redwood City, California]], at the age of 18. It was there that baseball scouts noticed his bat speed and speed on the base paths. In {{baseball year|1986}}, Alou was the second overall pick in the MLB January Draft, chosen by the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]].

Alou is one of the few modern baseball players who hit without [[batting glove]]s. Instead, he would urinate on his hands to toughen them up.<ref>{{cite web|last=Haglund |first=David |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2100652 |title=Can peeing on your hands make them tough?|work=Slate Magazine |date=17 May 2004 |access-date=2012-11-27}}</ref>

===Montreal Expos===
In {{baseball year|1990}}, he was traded to the [[Montreal Expos]] where he would later play under his father while he managed the Expos.

[[Image:MoisesAlouBatting.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Alou's unusual batting stance]]
Alou suffered a severe ankle injury in {{baseball year|1993}} that would rob him of his speed and force him to become strictly a corner outfielder. He recovered in {{baseball year|1994}}, hitting .339 and had the game-winning hit in that year's [[1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]]. For the next two seasons, he would enjoy success at the plate in Montreal, although surgery to both shoulders prematurely ended his {{baseball year|1995}} season.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://baseballbiography.com/moises-alou-1966 |title=Moisés Alou |publisher=baseballbiography.com |access-date=2012-11-27 }}</ref>

===Florida Marlins===
Prior to the {{baseball year|1997}} season, Alou signed as a [[free agent]] with the [[Miami Marlins|Florida Marlins]], where he led the team with 23 [[home run]]s and 115 [[run batted in|RBIs]]. The Marlins made the playoffs as a [[wild card (sports)|wild card]] team and defeated the [[San Francisco Giants]] in the [[National League Divisional Series]]. The Marlins then defeated the [[Atlanta Braves]] in the [[National League Championship Series]] before going to the [[1997 World Series|World Series]], which Florida won in seven games. Alou led the team by hitting .321 with 3 home runs and 9 [[Runs batted in|RBI]] in the World Series (although, pitcher [[Liván Hernández]], by virtue of his wins in Games 1 and 5, was named the [[World Series MVP Award|Series Most Valuable Player]] instead).

===Houston Astros===
Before the {{baseball year|1998}} season, the Marlins traded Alou to the [[1998 Houston Astros season|Houston Astros]].  In his first season with the team, Alou hit a career-high 38 home runs and drove in 124 runs while leading the Astros to a then-franchise record 102 wins.  However, he tore his [[anterior cruciate ligament]] (ACL) in a [[treadmill]] accident in the offseason and missed the entire [[1999 Houston Astros season|1999]] season.  Once recovered, he returned to the Astros lineup to hit .355 in [[2000 Houston Astros season|2000]] and .331 in [[2001 Houston Astros season|2001]], while driving in at least 108 runs in each season.  After the 2001 season, the Astros did not offer Alou a new contract due to budget constraints, making him a [[free agent]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Duarte |first1=Joseph |title=Astros pass on pursuing veterans Alou, Castilla |url=https://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/Astros-pass-on-pursuing-veterans-Alou-Castilla-2072441.php |access-date=October 13, 2022 |work=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=November 16, 2001}}</ref>

===Chicago Cubs===

In December 2001, he signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the [[Chicago Cubs]].

At the start of the 2002 season Alou again ended up on the [[disabled list]], and once healthy, he hit .275 and 15 home runs. After the 2002 season, Alou hired a personal trainer and dedicated himself{{Vague|date=January 2009}} to returning to his old form. In the {{baseball year|2003}} season, Alou batted over .300 for most of the season before a late-season slump dropped his season batting average to .280, with 22 home runs and 91 RBI. Alou went on to lead the team in batting average in its two series against the Atlanta Braves and Florida Marlins.

In Game 6 of the [[2003 National League Championship Series|National League Championship Series]] against the [[2003 Florida Marlins season|Florida Marlins]] that year, Alou was involved in the [[Steve Bartman incident]], in which Cubs fan Steve Bartman deflected a foul ball landing one row into the stands. Bartman's deflection prevented Alou, who reached into the stands, from attempting to catch the ball for an out that could have been the second out of the 8th Inning. However, the Marlins went on to score eight runs in the inning, in which the Cubs had been ahead 3–0. The Cubs, who had led the series 3–2, lost the game 8–3 and eventually lost the series in 7 games. Alou openly admitted later in interviews that while he was frustrated at the moment, he could not have made the catch anyway.<ref>{{cite news|title=Alou says he wouldn't have caught Bartman ball in 2003 NLCS|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=3324343&type=story|work=ESPN.com|date=April 1, 2008|access-date=July 9, 2008}}</ref> Later, Alou denied making such a statement and said if he had, it was only to make Bartman feel better.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-06-03 |title=Bartman on hook again? Alou says he had '03 ball |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3423732 |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=ESPN.com|agency=Associated Press |language=en}}</ref>

In {{baseball year|2004}}, Alou set new career highs in home runs (39) and doubles (36), while driving in 106 runs. However, the Cubs missed the playoffs after losing seven of their last nine games. The Cubs refused to offer arbitration and let him go, citing numerous fights with umpires who, he claimed, had a vendetta against him.<ref>[http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/news/chc_news.jsp?ymd=20040927&content_id=872737&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp Notes: Fallout from Alou's anger | Cubs.com: News<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050324221246/http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/news/chc_news.jsp?ymd=20040927&content_id=872737&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp |date=2005-03-24 }}</ref>

===San Francisco Giants and New York Mets===
In October 2004, Alou announced that he had talked to his father, [[Felipe Alou|Felipe]], about possibly playing for him and the Giants next season. In December 2004, he signed a one-year deal with the Giants worth $13.5 million, with a player option for a second year. Alou was expected to regularly play in right field for the first time since 2001, but because of injuries to left fielder [[Barry Bonds]], he started most games in left field. Alou had stated that he would retire if the Giants won the World Series in {{baseball year|2005}}. They did not, and Alou exercised his option to stay with San Francisco in the {{baseball year|2006}} season, hitting 22 home runs and 74 RBI.

On November 20, 2006, the [[New York Mets]] signed Alou to a one-year contract worth $7.5 million with a club option for {{baseball year|2008}}. After hitting .318 in his first month as the regular left fielder, Alou suffered a torn quadriceps muscle and was forced out until August. Upon his return, Alou led the Mets with a .345 batting average and had a 30-game hitting streak. The streak was the longest streak of the {{baseball year|2007}} season, was the longest hitting streak by a player over age 40, and broke the Mets' overall and single-season hitting streak records. On October 31, 2007, the Mets exercised their option on Alou's contract for the 2008 season.
 
On March 5, 2008, Alou underwent [[hernia]] surgery and missed the start of the 2008 season. On July 9, Alou suffered a torn right hamstring playing in the outfield for AA [[Binghamton Mets|Binghamton]] in [[Norwich, Connecticut]]. Mets general manager Omar Minaya stated in a press conference the following day that Alou would likely need surgery and miss the remainder of the 2008 season, which ended his career.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/mets/archives/2008/07/alou_likely_don.html | work=New York Post | title=Alou out with torn hamstring | first=Bart | last=Hubbuch | date=July 10, 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924204825/http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/mets/archives/2008/07/alou_likely_don.html | archive-date=September 24, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/sports/baseball/29mets.html?_r=2&ex=1362027600&en=969d3c660fd5eb31&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin&oref=slogin | work=The New York Times | title=Mets Unveil Their Own Health Plan: Keep Alou on the Field | first=Ben | last=Shpigel | date=February 29, 2008 | access-date=May 13, 2010}}</ref>

On March 5, 2009, Alou announced that he would retire after the [[2009 World Baseball Classic|World Baseball Classic]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Goold, Derrick|url=http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/bird-land/bird-land/2009/03/moise-alou-sees-wbc-as-likely-his-last-rodeo|archive-url=https://archive.today/20090306235624/http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/bird-land/bird-land/2009/03/moise-alou-sees-wbc-as-likely-his-last-rodeo|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-03-06|title=Alou set to call it a career|work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]|date=2009-03-05|access-date=2009-10-21}}</ref>

=== Post playing career ===
In 2014, in his first year of [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Hall of Fame]] eligibility, Alou received six votes (1.1%) and was dropped from subsequent ballots.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/news/2014-bbwaa-results|title=2014 BBWAA Voting Results|website=Baseball Hall of Fame|language=en|access-date=2019-06-02}}</ref>

==Personal life==
He is the youngest of three sons born to Felipe and his first wife Maria Beltre, who raised him in the Dominican Republic after his parents divorced when he was two.<ref>Feinstein, John. (1993) Play Ball: The Life and Troubled Times of Major League Baseball</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=O'Brien |first=David |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1997-03-15/sports/9703140724_1_father-and-son-montreal-expos-manager-dad |title=The Son Moves On |work=Sun-Sentinel |date=March 15, 1997 |access-date=2018-01-25 |archive-date=2018-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125134523/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1997-03-15/sports/9703140724_1_father-and-son-montreal-expos-manager-dad |url-status=dead }}</ref>

His father [[Felipe Alou|Felipe]], who managed Moises with the [[Montreal Expos|Expos]] from 1992 to 1996 and the [[San Francisco Giants|Giants]] from 2005 to 2006, as well as uncles [[Matty Alou|Matty]] and [[Jesús Alou|Jesús]], and cousin [[Mel Rojas]], all had long careers in Major League Baseball. In 2008, he was one of four active major leaguers (along with [[Prince Fielder]], [[Ken Griffey Jr.]], and [[Daryle Ward]]) to hit 20 home runs in a season whose fathers had also hit 20 home runs in an MLB season.

His half-brother, [[Luis Rojas (baseball)|Luis Rojas]], was the manager of the [[New York Mets]] in 2020 and 2021.

==See also==
{{Portal|Dominican Republic|Biography|Baseball}}
{{div col}}
* [[Alou family]]
* [[Houston Astros award winners and league leaders]]
* [[List of Dominican Americans]]
* [[List of Houston Astros team records]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career games played as a left fielder leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a left fielder leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career slugging percentage leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic]]
* [[List of second-generation Major League Baseball players]]
{{div col end}}
{{clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Baseballstats | mlb=110189 | espn=2360|br=a/aloumo01|fangraphs=261|brm=alou--001moi}}, or [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/A/Paloum001.htm Retrosheet]

{{1997 Florida Marlins}}
{{NL OF Silver Slugger Award}}
{{Babe Ruth Award}}
{{Dominican Republic roster 2006 World Baseball Classic}}
{{Dominican Republic roster 2009 World Baseball Classic}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alou, Moises}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Águilas Cibaeñas players]]
[[Category:Alou family|Moises]]
[[Category:American expatriate baseball players in Canada]]
[[Category:American people of Dominican Republic descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Dominican Republic descent]]
[[Category:Augusta Pirates players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Atlanta]]
[[Category:Binghamton Mets players]]
[[Category:Brooklyn Cyclones players]]
[[Category:21st-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players]]
[[Category:Cañada Colts baseball players]]
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[[Category:Macon Pirates players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball left fielders]]
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[[Category:National League All-Stars]]
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[[Category:St. Lucie Mets players]]
[[Category:Salem Buccaneers players]]
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[[Category:Silver Slugger Award winners]]
[[Category:Watertown Pirates players]]
[[Category:World Baseball Classic players of the Dominican Republic]]
[[Category:2006 World Baseball Classic players]]
[[Category:2009 World Baseball Classic players]]
[[Category:Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada]]