Alfredo 'Yaqui' Rios

Alfredo Ríos Meza (24 August 1932 – 1 February 2019), nicknamed "Yaqui", was a Mexican professional baseball infielder and manager. As a player, he spent his entire career in Mexico, playing in the Mexican League and the Mexican Pacific League. Ríos represented Mexico at the 1954 Central American and Caribbean Games, where the team won the silver medal. He was enshrined into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.

Early career Ríos was born on 24 August 1932 in the Punta Arena neighborhood of Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico. He represented Sonora at the 1952 Juegos de la Revolución and the 1953 National Championship, where the team won the championship.

Ríos was nicknamed "Yaqui" because he frequently spent time with children from the Yaqui indigenous community, a nickname he embraced throughout his career as a reflection of his pride in his native Sonora.

Professional career Mineros de Cananea In 1954, Ríos made his professional debut with the Mineros de Cananea of the Arizona–Mexico League, where he spent two seasons, appearing in a total of 209 games.

Mexican League In 1956, Ríos made his Mexican League (LMB) debut with the Sultanes de Monterrey, with whom he played 12 seasons through 1966 and won the league championship in 1962. He joined the Diablos Rojos del México in 1967, playing three seasons with the club and winning a second LMB championship in 1968. In 1907 he was transferred to Unión Laguna.

He played his last LMB season with the Tigres de México in 1971. In 16 Mexican League seasons, he compiled a .290 batting average with 46 home runs, 715 runs batted in, and 900 runs scored in 1,860 games.

He spent the 1965–66 season with the Yaquis de Obregón, helping the club win the 1966 championship, and split the 1966–67 season between the Cañeros de Los Mochis and Guaymas. Ríos then remained with the Ostioneros through the 1971 season, winning a fifth championship with the club in 1967 before retiring.

Ríos died of a myocardial infarction in his native Guaymas on 1 February 2019, aged 87.