Leo Cárdenas

[William Malone]

Leonardo Lazaro Cárdenas Alfonso was born on December 17, 1938 in Cuba.

The Cincinnati Reds signed him as an amateur free agent in 1956. He was one of the last Cuban players to make it out of the country before their borders were sealed off.

Cárdenas reached the Major Leagues in 1960, and played nine seasons for the Reds. He was an All-Star four times, and won the Gold Glove at shortstop in 1965. Cárdenas hit .333 in the 1961 World Series, but Cincinnati lost to the New York Yankees in five games. His slashline was .261/.313/.377 during his tenure with the Reds.

The Minnesota Twins acquired him for Jim Merritt after the 1968 season. Cárdenas hit .280 with 70 RBI during his first year with the Twins, finishing 12th place in AL MVP voting. He hit .247 with a career high 34 doubles in 1970. Minnesota won the AL West in each of those seasons, but they were swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS both times. Cárdenas hit .167 with one RBI between these two postseasons.

He made his fifth career All-Star team in 1971, and his first since moving over to the American League. He hit .264 with 18 home runs and a career high 75 RBI. Minnesota traded Cárdenas to the California Angels after the season.

1972 was his last year as a primary starting shortstop. Cárdenas hit .232 with a .555 OPS in his lone season with the Angels, then began to bounce around the league a bit as a backup infielder. He played for the Cleveland Indians in 1973, and the Texas Rangers in 1974 and 1974.

As of 2025, Cárdenas lives in Cincinnati. He makes frequent appearances to meet with fans at the Reds Hall of Fame.

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