{{short description|Cuban baseball player and manager (born 1939)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2013}} {{family name hatnote|Rojas|Rivas|lang=Hispanic American}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Cookie Rojas |image=Cookie Rojas.jpg |caption=Rojas with the Kansas City Royals in 1974 |position=[[Second baseman]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]] |birth_date={{birth date and age|1939|3|6}} |birth_place=[[Havana, Cuba]] |bats=Right |throws=Right |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=April 10 |debutyear=1962 |debutteam=Cincinnati Reds |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=October 1 |finalyear=1977 |finalteam=Kansas City Royals |statleague = MLB |stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]] |stat1value=.263 |stat2label=[[Home run]]s |stat2value=54 |stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]] |stat3value=593 |stat4label=Managerial record |stat4value=76–79 |stat5label=Winning % |stat5value={{winpct|76|79}} |teams= ;As player * [[Cincinnati Reds]] ({{mlby|1962}}) * [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{mlby|1963}}–{{mlby|1969}}) * [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1970}}) * [[Kansas City Royals]] ({{mlby|1970}}–{{mlby|1977}}) ;As manager * [[California Angels]] ({{mlby|1988}}) * [[Florida Marlins]] ({{mlby|1996}}) ;As coach * [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|1978}}–{{mlby|1981}}) * [[Florida Marlins]] ({{mlby|1993}}–{{mlby|1996}}) * [[New York Mets]] ({{mlby|1997}}–{{mlby|2000}}) * [[Toronto Blue Jays]] ({{mlby|2001}}–{{mlby|2002}}) |highlights= * 5× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1965 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1965]], [[1971 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1971]]–[[1974 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1974]]) * [[Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame]] }} '''Octavio Víctor "Cookie" Rojas Rivas''' (born March 6, 1939), is a Cuban-American former professional [[baseball]] player, [[Coach (baseball)|coach]], [[Manager (baseball)|manager]] and current television [[sports presenter]]. He played in [[Major League Baseball]] as a [[second baseman]] and [[outfielder]] from {{mlby|1962}} to {{mlby|1977}}, most prominently for the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] where he first became an [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] player, and later with the [[Kansas City Royals]] where his veteran experience and leadership played an integral role in helping the young Royals franchise develop into a championship team.<ref name="Cookie Rojas at the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame">{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/royals/hall-of-fame/members/cookie-rojas |title=Cookie Rojas at the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame |work=mlb.com |access-date=22 November 2023 }}</ref>
Although Rojas began his career as a second baseman, he was an extremely versatile athlete who could play any [[Baseball positions|defensive position]].<ref name="sabrbio">{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/cookie-rojas/|first=Peter M.|last=Gordon|title=Cookie Rojas Baseball BioProject|work=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]|access-date=November 22, 2023}}</ref> He was named to four consecutive American League (AL) All-Star teams (1971-74) during his tenure with Kansas City and led the AL in [[fielding percentage]] in [[1971 in baseball|1971]], including a 52-game errorless streak as a second baseman.<ref name="Cookie Rojas at the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame"/>
After his playing career, Rojas worked as a coach for the [[Chicago Cubs]] and the [[California Angels]] before he became the manager of the Angels in 1988. He later worked as a coach for the [[Florida Marlins]], [[New York Mets]] and the [[Toronto Blue Jays]], participating in his first [[World Series]] with the Mets in {{wsy|2000}}.
In 2003, Rojas began working for the [[Miami Marlins]] on their Spanish-language telecasts as a [[color commentator]].<ref name="sabrbio"/> In [[1987 in baseball|1987]], he was inducted into the [[Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame]], and he was inducted into the [[Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame]] in 2011.<ref name="Cookie Rojas at the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame"/>
==Early life and minor leagues== Playing baseball over the objections of his father, who wanted him to be a doctor, Rojas signed his first [[professional baseball]] contract with the Cincinnati Reds as a 17-year-old amateur free agent prior to the start of the 1956 season.<ref name="hardballtimes.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/card-corner-1971-topps-cookie-rojas/|title=Card Corner: 1971 Topps, Cookie Rojas - The Hardball Times|website=www.hardballtimes.com|date=March 11, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rojasco01.shtml|title=Cookie Rojas Stats - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> Rojas was then assigned to Cincinnati's D-level team, the [[West Palm Beach Sun Chiefs]] in the [[Florida State League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=rojas-002oct|title=Cookie Rojas Minor Leagues Statistics & History - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref>
From 1957 to 1959, Rojas would make steady progress through the Reds' minor league system, playing for the [[Wausau Lumberjacks]] in the C-level [[Northern League (baseball, 1902–71)|Northern League]] in 1957, the [[Savannah Redlegs]] in the Single A [[South Atlantic League (1904–1963)|Sally League]] in 1958, before coming home and playing for the [[Havana Sugar Kings]] in the AAA [[International League]]. His advancement through the system was steady despite his batting average falling every year between 1956 and 1960, finally bottoming out at .225.
Although he possessed an above-average glove, the Reds were not sure he'd ever hit enough to play regularly in the majors. Consequently, he would spend the next three seasons at AAA, playing for Havana and the [[Jersey City Jerseys]], where he would continue to struggle with his bat while being blocked in the majors by superior Reds' second basemen in All Stars [[Johnny Temple]], [[Billy Martin]], and [[Don Blasingame]]. Rojas would finally go north with the Reds at the beginning of the 1962 season and would make his major league debut on April 10. However, he would continue to show little at the plate, hitting .221 with only 2 extra base hits in 78 at bats, and would be sent down to the AAA [[Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs]] for the remainder of the season.
==Major league career== After the 1962 season, Rojas was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for relief pitcher [[Jim Owens (baseball)|Jim Owens]]. Although the Phillies already had an All-Star second baseman in fellow Cuban [[Tony Taylor (baseball)|Tony Taylor]], Rojas had seen the last of the minor leagues and would man second in 27 games in 1963. Although he became the regular Phillies second baseman in 1965,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PHI/1965.shtml|title=1965 Philadelphia Phillies Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> Rojas would go on to play at every fielding position, including catcher and pitcher, but would see the bulk of his playing time in the outfield and shortstop in addition to second base. Getting more playing time helped improve his batting, as Rojas hit .291 in 1964 and a career-high .303 in 1965, when he was named to his first [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] team. With the Phillies, Rojas teamed with shortstop [[Bobby Wine]] in a stellar double-play combination media and fans began to refer as "The Plays of Wine and Rojas", a takeoff of the popular song, "[[Days of Wine and Roses (song)|The Days of Wine and Roses]]".<ref name="hardballtimes.com"/>
[[File:Cookie Rojas Royals Batting.jpg|thumb|left|Rojas with the Kansas City Royals]] Following the 1969 season in which Rojas hit only .228 and hot prospect [[Denny Doyle]] tore through AAA with a .310 average, the Phillies decided to include him in a blockbuster trade sending slugging first baseman [[Dick Allen]] and right-handed pitcher [[Jerry Johnson (baseball)|Jerry Johnson]] to the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] for centerfielder [[Curt Flood]], catcher [[Tim McCarver]], outfielder [[Byron Browne (baseball)|Byron Browne]], and left-handed pitcher [[Joe Hoerner]], the trade that led ultimately to Major League baseball [[Flood v. Kuhn|free agency]].
By the time the Phillies traded Rojas to the Cardinals in 1970, it appeared his career might be over, as he was hitting only .106 going into the June trading deadline. St. Louis in turn traded him to the Kansas City Royals for [[outfielder]]/[[third baseman]] [[Fred Rico]] on June 13. Kansas City, a team in only its second year of existence, wanted a veteran presence to steady its infield, and in return for the career–minor leaguer Rico, the Royals gained a player who would man second base for most of the next eight seasons and appear in four consecutive All-Star games from 1971 to 1974.
In April 1970, at least one news report mistakenly said Rojas was critically injured in an auto accident. In fact it was former major leaguer [[Minnie Rojas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rPsNAAAAIBAJ&pg=7119,1071603&dq=minnie+rojas+paralyzed&hl=en|title=St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}}</ref> In the [[1972 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1972 All-Star Game]] in Atlanta, he hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth inning, which was the first time that a non-American-born player had ever homered for the [[American League]] in the mid-summer classic.
Though a fan favorite,<ref name="hardballtimes.com"/> Rojas lost his job as the Royals' starting [[second baseman]] to [[Frank White (baseball player)|Frank White]] in 1976, who was much younger than the 37-year-old Rojas and both hit and fielded better than Rojas.<ref name="hardballtimes.com"/> Remaining with the team for two more years, Rojas filled a utility role with the team, playing at [[First baseman|first]], second and [[Third baseman|third base]], and [[designated hitter]]. After being released by the team after the 1977 season, Rojas spent 1978 on the sidelines. Despite signing with the [[Chicago Cubs]] on September 1, he did not get into a game with the team and retired from baseball.
Rojas is currently in second place on the Royals all-time list of games played at second base with 789, second only to White.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalsreview.com/story/2008/1/23/95133/5731|title=The 100 Greatest Royals of All-Time - #70 Carlos Febles|date=January 23, 2008}}</ref>
==Career statistics== {| class="wikitable" |- |Years |Games |[[Plate appearances|PA]] |[[At bat|AB]] |[[Run (baseball)|R]] |[[Hit (baseball)|H]] |[[Double (baseball)|2B]] |[[Triple (baseball)|3B]] |[[Home runs|HR]] |[[Runs batted in|RBI]] |[[Base on balls|BB]] |[[Strikeouts|SO]] |[[Batting average (baseball)|AVG]] |[[On-base percentage|OBP]] |[[Slugging percentage|SLG]] |[[Fielding percentage|FLD%]] |- |16 |1,822 |6,871 |6,309 |713 |1,660 |254 |25 |54 |593 |396 |489 |.263 |.306 |.337 |.982 |} His main position was second base, recording a .984 [[fielding percentage]] in 1,445 games at that position. He has played all other infield (including catcher) and outfield positions as well.
==Coaching career== After his playing career, Rojas coached and scouted for various teams. From 1978 to 1981 he was a coach for the [[Chicago Cubs]]. In 1988, he became only the third Cuban-born manager in major-league history when he took the helm of the [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|California Angels]], whom he had guided to fourth place with a 75–79 record before being replaced with [[Moose Stubing]] with eight games left in the season (with the Angels losing all eight games). In 1996, Rojas managed one game for the [[Florida Marlins]] after manager [[Rene Lachemann]] was fired before [[John Boles (baseball)|John Boles]] finished the season for the Marlins.
During the 1999 playoffs, while coaching third base for the [[New York Mets]], Rojas was suspended for five games for getting into a shoving match with umpire [[Charlie Williams (umpire)|Charlie Williams]] while arguing a foul ball call.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mets' Rojas Suspended For 5 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mets-rojas-suspended-for-5/ |agency=AP |work=CBS News |date=October 11, 1999}}</ref> Rojas also served as the team's third base coach during the [[2000 New York Mets season|2000 season]], in which they appeared in the [[2000 World Series|World Series]].<ref>[http://www.sunsportstv.com/talents.jhtml?method=view&talent.id=27 Cookie Rojas bio] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061118104413/http://www.sunsportstv.com/talents.jhtml?method=view&talent.id=27 |date=November 18, 2006}}</ref> From 2001 to 2002 he was bench coach with the [[Toronto Blue Jays]] and was unofficial manager for 3 games in 2001.
For the 2002 season, Rojas was third base coach for the [[Toronto Blue Jays]].
==Personal life== Rojas' second youngest son, [[Victor Rojas|Victor]], was previously the lead play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Angels, and is now the general manager of the [[Frisco RoughRiders]]. His second-oldest son, [[Mike Rojas|Mike]], is a minor league manager and former MLB bullpen coach for the [[Detroit Tigers]] and [[Seattle Mariners]].
In 2011, he was inducted into the [[Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame]].
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{baseballstats|mlb=121406|espn=26916|br=r/rojasco01|fangraphs=1011152|brm=rojas-002oct|retro=R/Projac101}} *{{Baseball-reference manager|rojasco01}} *{{SABR Baseball Biography Project|0c6cd3b5}} *[https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=rojasco01 Cookie Rojas] at Baseball Almanac
{{s-start}} {{s-sports}} {{succession box|title=[[Chicago Cubs]] [[coach (baseball)|first base coach]]|years=1978–1980|before=[[Jack Bloomfield (baseball)|Jack Bloomfield]]|after=[[Gene Clines]]}} {{succession box|title=[[Chicago Cubs]] [[coach (baseball)|third base coach]]|years=1981|before=[[Joey Amalfitano]]|after=[[Gordon Mackenzie]]}} {{succession box|title=[[Florida Marlins]] [[coach (baseball)|third base coach]]|years=1993–1996|before=Franchise established|after=[[Rich Donnelly]]}} {{succession box|title=[[New York Mets]] [[coach (baseball)|third base coach]]|years=1997–2000|before=[[Mike Cubbage]]|after=[[John Stearns]]}} {{succession box|title=[[Toronto Blue Jays]] [[coach (baseball)|bench coach]]|years=2001–2002|before=[[Lee Elia]]|after=n/a}} {{s-end}}
{{Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim managers}} {{Miami Marlins managers}} {{Águilas del Zulia managers}} {{Kansas City Royals}} {{Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rojas, Cookie}} [[Category:1939 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Águilas Cibaeñas players]] [[Category:Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic]] [[Category:Águilas del Zulia players]] [[Category:American League All-Stars]] [[Category:Los Angeles Angels announcers]] [[Category:California Angels managers]] [[Category:California Angels scouts]] [[Category:Chicago Cubs coaches]] [[Category:Cienfuegos players]] [[Category:Dallas Rangers players]] [[Category:Florida Marlins coaches]] [[Category:Florida Marlins managers]] [[Category:Havana Sugar Kings players]] [[Category:Jersey City Jerseys players]] [[Category:Kansas City Royals coaches]] [[Category:Kansas City Royals players]] [[Category:Leones del Caracas players]] [[Category:Cuban expatriate baseball players in Venezuela]] [[Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters]] [[Category:Major League Baseball bench coaches]] [[Category:Major League Baseball first base coaches]] [[Category:Major League Baseball third base coaches]] [[Category:Major League Baseball second basemen]] [[Category:Major League Baseball players from Cuba]] [[Category:20th-century Cuban sportsmen]] [[Category:Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States]] [[Category:Miami Marlins announcers]] [[Category:Minor league baseball managers]] [[Category:National League All-Stars]] [[Category:New York Mets coaches]] [[Category:Baseball players from Havana]] [[Category:Philadelphia Phillies players]] [[Category:St. Louis Cardinals players]] [[Category:Tigres de Aragua players]] [[Category:Toronto Blue Jays coaches]] [[Category:Wausau Lumberjacks players]] [[Category:West Palm Beach Sun Chiefs players]] [[Category:Cuban expatriate baseball players in Nicaragua]]