Moises Alou

Full Name: Moises Rojas Alou	Primary Position: OF,LF,RF
First Game: July 26, 1990	Birthdate: July 3, 1966
Last Game: June 10, 2008	Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia
MLB Experience: 17 years	Bat/Throw: Right/Right
College: N/A

Moisés Rojas Alou (born July 3, 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an All-Star outfielder in Major League Baseball who currently plays for the San Francisco Giants. He comes from a family in which baseball is a way of life. His father Felipe, the Giants' current manager, as well as uncles Matty and Jesús, all had long and admired careers in the major leagues. Alou is married to wife Austria Alou; they have three sons: Perico, Kirby and Moisés Jr.

Web Directory[]

Stats[]

News, Opinion, and Rumors[]

Shop[]

Career Highlights[]

Alou, who was more interested in playing basketball during his youth, did not play organized baseball until he attended Canada College in Redwood City, California. It was there that baseball scouts noticed his tremendous bat speed and speed on the basepaths. In 1986, Alou was the second overall pick in the amateur draft, chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1990, he was traded to the Montreal Expos where he would later play under his father while he managed the Expos.

Alou suffered a severe ankle injury in 1993 that would rob him of his speed and force him to become strictly a corner outfielder. He recovered though, and by 1994 was one of the best hitters in baseball, hitting .339. In 1994, he returned to get the game-winning hit in the All-Star Game. For the next two seasons, he would enjoy stellar seasons at the plate in Montreal, however losing a number of games due to injury.

Prior to the 1997 season Alou signed as a free agent with the Florida Marlins, where he led the team with 23 home runs and 115 RBIs. The Marlins made the playoffs as a wild card team where they defeated first the Giants and then the Atlanta Braves, and advanced to the World Series. Florida ended up winning their first World Series in a nail-biting seventh game which ended on an Edgar Renteria base hit. In the end, Alou led the team by hitting .321 with three home runs and nine RBIs in the World Series.

MoisesAlouBatting — Alou is noted for having one of the most unusual batting stances in baseball

Before the 1998 season, the Marlins traded Alou to the Houston Astros. In Houston, Alou played the best baseball of his career. In his first season with the team, he hit a career high 38 home runs and drove in 124 runs while leading the Astros to a franchise record 102 wins. However, during the offseason, he would be bitten by the injury bug once more when he tore his ACL in a freak treadmill accident. Alou ended up missing the entire 1999 season. Once recovered, he returned to the Astros lineup to hit .355 and .331 respectively while driving in at least 108 runs in each season. After the 2001 season, the Astros did not offer Alou a new contract so he in effect became a free agent. In December 2001, he inked a 3-year, $27 million dollar contract with the Chicago Cubs.

In 2002, Alou once again ended up on the disabled list at the start of the season, and once healthy, he could never really get into a groove as he did in Houston. He finished up with a disappointing season in his own accounts when he hit only .275 and 15 home runs.

After the disappointing 2002 season, Alou hired a personal trainer and dedicated himself to return to his old form. In the 2003 season, he showed flashes of his old self when he batted over .300 for most of the season while driving in runs as he used to. But a late season slump caused Alou's average to drop to .280. He ended up with 22 home runs and 91 RBI's. However, during the post season, he showed no signs of a slump. Alou lead the team in average in their two series against the Atlanta Braves and Florida Marlins. In the end, he would make history in the playoffs, but some he would like to forget.

It was the 8th inning of Game 6 of the NLCS, with the Cubs leading and needing only five outs to clinch a World Series birth for the first time since 1945, a Cubs fan named Steve Bartman inadvertently interfered with a foul ball landing one row into the stands, preventing Alou, who reached into the stands, from catching the ball for an out. Alou angrily gestured toward him, but later forgave Bartman. Video replays showed that, although Alou would have had an opportunity to make the catch if Bartman had not reached for the ball, the ball was clearly over the stands, thus fan interference could not be called. The Florida Marlins, Alou's former team, eventually tied the game, took the lead, and won. The Cubs lost game 7 to the Marlins, who went on to beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.

After a comeback season in 2003, Alou had a career year in 2004. He set new career highs in home runs (39), doubles (36), and runs (106), while driving in 106 runs. However, after high expectations, the Chicago Cubs fell short of a playoff berth when they lost seven of their last nine games. Alou, who was a free agent, said he would love to stay in Chicago. Nevertheless, many experts and reporters doubted the Cubs would pick up his option. In October 2004 Moises did announce to the public that he had talked to his father, 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 due to 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 2005, but Alou exercised his option and will play the 2006 season.

Awards[]

NL All Star 1994
NL All Star 1997
NL All Star 1998
NL All Star 2001
NL All Star 2004
NL All Star 2005

1994 NL Comeback Player of the Year
1994 Silver Slugger Award
1998 Silver Slugger Award

Little-known facts[]

As a child, Alou was attacked and nearly killed by a dog. However, father Felipe said young Moisés didn't shed a tear.
During most of his youth, Moisés lived with his mother. Alou's parents divorced when he was only a young child.
Moisés owns nearly 100 race horses in the Dominican Republic. Many of the horses are named after present and past team mates.
Moisés' best friend and favorite teammate is Jeff Bagwell of the Houston Astros.
Alou is one of two players in MLB history to have made an all-star team while playing for five different teams.
Recently, Moisés admitted in an interview with ESPN that he urinates on his hands frequently to prevent blisters. Later, he stated that he was joking and would like to leave this issue in the past.
Moises was the victim in the famous Steve Bartman incident in the playoffs with the Cubs. With one out, Moises was going for a foul ball when a fan, Bartman, reached out to catch the ball and blocked Moises' attempt, allowing the inning to continue.
Alou, along with San Francisco Giants teammates Barry Bonds and Steve Finley, made up the oldest outfield combination in MLB history during a 2006 game; each player was over 40 years old at the time.
Moisés' first name is sometimes mispronounced with a silent "S" at the end due to his five year tenure in French speaking Montréal.

Career injuries[]

Torn Anterior cruciate ligament
Torn labrum
Fractured fibula]] & ankle
Dislocated shoulder
Partially torn calf

Scouting Report[]

Strengths
He has a potent power swing and has greatly improved his selectivity at the plate in recent years. He can tear up righties as well as lefties and has a very good arm in the outfield.

Weaknesses
His trips to the disabled list have hurt his production and his range in the field. This has also forced him to cut down on his stolen base attempts.

Most Known For
The Steve Bartman incident. In the 2003 NLCS, with the Cubs holding a 3-2 lead in Game 6 and only 5 outs away from the World Series, Luis Castillo of the Marlins hit a high foul ball to left field where it was heading into the stands. Alou, thinking he could nab the ball for the second out, headed toward the stands with his glove held high and was just about to fit his glove around the ball when Cubs fan Steve Bartman interrupted Alou's poise and the ball deflected off his hand and into the stands. Even though the Cubs tried to get a fan interference call, the field umpire labeled it foul, declaring it "up for grabs". The Cubs would go on to lose the game and the series.

Statistics[]

Batting Stats[]

Year	Team		G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG	2B	3B	BB	SO	HBP	SH	SB	IBB	GDP
1990	PIT	N	2	5	0	1	0	0	.200	.200	.200	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
1990	MON	N	14	15	4	3	0	0	.200	.200	.333	0	1	0	3	0	1	0	0	0
1990	TOT	N	16	20	4	4	0	0	.200	.200	.300	0	1	0	3	0	1	0	0	1
1992	MON	N	115	341	53	96	9	56	.282	.328	.455	28	2	25	46	1	5	16	0	5
1993	MON	N	136	482	70	138	18	85	.286	.340	.483	29	6	38	53	5	3	17	9	9
1994	MON	N	107	422	81	143	22	78	.339	.397	.592	31	5	42	63	2	0	7	10	7
1995	MON	N	93	344	48	94	14	58	.273	.342	.459	22	0	29	56	9	0	4	6	9
1996	MON	N	143	540	87	152	21	96	.281	.339	.457	28	2	49	83	2	0	9	7	15
1997	FLA	N	150	538	88	157	23	115	.292	.373	.493	29	5	70	85	4	0	9	9	13
1998	HOU	N	159	584	104	182	38	124	.312	.399	.582	34	5	84	87	5	0	11	11	14
2000	HOU	N	126	454	82	161	30	114	.355	.416	.623	28	2	52	45	2	0	3	4	21
2001	HOU	N	136	513	79	170	27	108	.331	.396	.554	31	1	57	57	3	0	5	14	18
2002	CHC	N	132	484	50	133	15	61	.275	.337	.419	23	1	47	61	0	0	8	4	15
2003	CHC	N	151	565	83	158	22	91	.280	.357	.462	35	1	63	67	7	0	3	7	16
2004	CHC	N	155	601	106	176	39	106	.293	.361	.557	36	3	68	80	0	0	3	2	12
2005	SFG	N	123	427	67	137	19	63	.321	.400	.518	21	3	56	43	3	0	5	1	11
2006	SFG	N	98	345	52	104	22	74	.301	.352	.571	25	1	28	31	1	0	2	2	15
2007	NYM	N	87	328	51	112	13	49	.341	.392	.524	19	1	27	30	2	0	3	5	13
2008	NYM	N	15	49	4	17	0	9	.347	.389	.388	2	0	2	4	2	0	1	0	1
Total			1942	7037	1109	2134	332	1287	.303	.369	.516	421	39	737	894	48	9	106	91	195

Fielding Stats[]

Year	Team		POS	G	GS	INN	PO	A	ERR	DP	AVG
1990	PIT	N	OF	2	1	12	3	0	0	0	1.000
1990	PIT	N	LF	2	1	12	3	0	0	0	1.000
1990	MON	N	OF	5	2	23	6	1	0	0	1.000
1990	MON	N	LF	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.000
1990	MON	N	RF	2	2	18	6	1	0	0	1.000
1990	MON	N	CF	2	0	4	0	0	0	0	.000
1990	TOT	N	LF	3	1	13	3	0	0	0	1.000
1990	TOT	N	OF	7	3	35	9	1	0	0	1.000
1992	MON	N	RF	15	12	107.2	28	0	2	0	.933
1992	MON	N	OF	100	80	748.1	170	6	4	1	.978
1992	MON	N	CF	13	6	62.2	23	2	0	1	1.000
1992	MON	N	LF	79	62	578	118	4	2	0	.984
1993	MON	N	LF	102	91	796.1	181	6	2	1	.989
1993	MON	N	RF	34	25	235.2	52	3	2	1	.965
1993	MON	N	OF	136	123	1099.2	254	11	4	2	.985
1993	MON	N	CF	12	7	67.2	23	2	0	0	1.000
1994	MON	N	OF	106	106	922.1	201	4	3	0	.986
1994	MON	N	LF	63	63	540.2	98	1	1	0	.990
1994	MON	N	RF	45	43	381.2	104	3	2	0	.982
1995	MON	N	OF	92	91	774.1	147	5	3	2	.981
1995	MON	N	CF	4	3	26.2	5	0	0	0	1.000
1995	MON	N	LF	61	61	517	96	3	2	0	.980
1995	MON	N	RF	30	27	230.2	49	2	1	2	.981
1996	MON	N	LF	33	27	216.1	51	1	2	0	.963
1996	MON	N	OF	142	141	1206	259	8	3	2	.989
1996	MON	N	CF	7	5	41.2	8	0	0	0	1.000
1996	MON	N	RF	123	109	948	202	6	1	2	.995
1997	FLA	N	RF	22	7	98.2	18	1	0	1	1.000
1997	FLA	N	LF	90	84	715	123	2	3	0	.977
1997	FLA	N	CF	55	53	462.2	106	1	0	0	1.000
1997	FLA	N	OF	150	144	1276.1	248	4	3	1	.988
1998	HOU	N	CF	6	4	33.1	5	0	1	0	.833
1998	HOU	N	OF	154	152	1363.1	232	11	5	2	.980
1998	HOU	N	DH	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1998	HOU	N	LF	152	148	1330	228	11	4	2	.984
2000	HOU	N	RF	64	64	535	102	5	1	0	.991
2000	HOU	N	LF	59	56	477.2	92	0	5	0	.948
2000	HOU	N	OF	121	120	1012.2	194	5	6	0	.971
2000	HOU	N	DH	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
2001	HOU	N	OF	130	130	1116.2	205	10	2	3	.991
2001	HOU	N	RF	130	130	1116.2	205	10	2	3	.991
2001	HOU	N	DH	4	4	0	0	0	0	0	.000
2002	CHC	N	OF	124	124	1043.2	204	6	2	1	.991
2002	CHC	N	DH	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	.000
2002	CHC	N	LF	122	120	1012.2	199	6	2	1	.990
2002	CHC	N	CF	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	.000
2002	CHC	N	RF	4	4	29	5	0	0	0	1.000
2003	CHC	N	LF	142	140	1219	203	4	6	1	.972
2003	CHC	N	DH	9	9	0	0	0	0	0	.000
2003	CHC	N	OF	142	140	1219	203	4	6	1	.972
2004	CHC	N	LF	154	152	1338.1	240	7	8	2	.969
2004	CHC	N	DH	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
2004	CHC	N	OF	154	152	1338.1	240	7	8	2	.969
2005	SFG	N	LF	74	66	576	132	1	4	0	.971
2005	SFG	N	RF	53	51	412.2	90	4	4	3	.959
2005	SFG	N	OF	117	117	988.2	222	5	8	3	.966
2005	SFG	N	DH	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	.000
2006	SFG	N	OF	92	90	725.2	173	1	4	0	.978
2006	SFG	N	DH	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
2006	SFG	N	RF	81	80	646.2	154	1	4	0	.975
2006	SFG	N	LF	11	10	79	19	0	0	0	1.000
2007	NYM	N	LF	84	84	703	138	7	4	0	.973
2008	NYM	N	LF	13	13	92.1	18	0	0	0	1.000
2008	NYM	N	LF	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Total			OF	1864	1810	15665.1	3114	95	65	20	.980
Total			LF	1242	1178	10204.1	1939	53	45	7	.978
Total			RF	603	554	4760.1	1015	36	19	12	.982
Total			CF	100	78	700.2	170	5	1	1	.994
Total			DH	23	23	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Transactions[]

Selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1st round (2nd pick overall) of the free-agent draft on January 14, 1986 - signed on May 23, 1986.
Traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Montreal Expos on August 16, 1990 completing trade in which the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Scott Ruskin, Willie Greene and a player to be named later to the Montreal Expos in exchange for Zane Smith on August 8, 1990.
Granted free agency (December 7, 1996).
Signed by the Florida Marlins on December 12, 1996.
Traded by the Florida Marlins to the Houston Astros in exchange for Manuel Barrios, Oscar Henriquez and a player to be named later on November 11, 1997; Florida Marlins received Mark Johnson on December 16, 1997.
Granted free agency on November 5, 2001.
Signed by the Chicago Cubs December 19, 2001.
Granted free agency on November 1, 2004.
Signed by the San Francisco Giants January 5, 2005.
Granted free agency on October 29, 2006.
Signed by the New York Mets on November 21, 2006.

Trivia[]

During most of his youth, Moises lived with his mother. Alou's parents divorced when he was only a young child.
Moises is one of few baseball players who bat without the use of batting gloves. It has been rumored that he urinates on his hands because it makes the skin tougher.
Moises owns nearly 100 race horses in the Dominican Republic. Many of the horses are named after present and past teammates.
Alou is one of two players in MLB history to represent five teams in an all-star game.
Alou, along with San Francisco Giants teammates Barry Bonds and Steve Finley, made up the oldest outfield combination in MLB history during a 2006 game; each player was over 40 years old at the time.
During his five-year tenure with the Montreal Expos organization, Moisés' first name was sometimes mispronounced with a silent "S" at the end due to the fact that many people speak French there.
Alou owns the Mets' longest single season hitting streak, and longest overall hitting streak, at 30 games.
Moises is the son of Felipe Alou, the nephew of Jesus and Matty Alou, and the cousin of Mel Rojas and Jose Sosa; all of them have played in the majors.
Alou is one of the very few players who do not wear batting gloves while batting.
- In an interview with ESPN's Gary Miller, he revealed that during baseball season he urinates on his hands to toughen them up.
- Several doctors, however, say urine softens the skin, rather than hardening it.