Houston Jiménez

Alfonso "Houston" Jiménez González (born 30 October 1957) is a Mexican former professional baseball shortstop. Jiménez played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1983 to 1988 for the Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cleveland Indians.

Jiménez spent 14 seasons playing in the Mexican League and 25 seasons in the Mexican Pacific League. He was inducted into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2007.

Playing career Early years Jiménez began his playing career with Puebla in 1974 at the age of 16. In 1975, he was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Cubs organization, where he played for the Key West Cubs. After batting just .215 as their regular shortstop, he returned to Pericos for two seasons. He had a brief trial with the Chicago White Sox organization in 1978, batting .220 in 13 games.

Twins After two more seasons with Puebla, Jiménez signed with the Minnesota Twins before the 1981 season. At the end of spring training, he was purchased by the Broncos de Reynosa. After spending a season and a half with Reynosa, he was reacquired by the Twins, finishing the season with the Toledo Mud Hens.

Jiménez started 1983 with the Mud Hens, but was called up to the majors in June. He spent the rest of the season splitting time at shortstop with Ron Washington. The following year, Jiménez became the Twins' starter, playing in 108 games. However, 1984 would prove to be the only full season he spent at the major league level. After batting just .201, he spent all of the 1985 season with Toledo, then was released just before the start of the 1986 season.

Pirates and Indians After spending 1986 out of organized ball, Jiménez signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in December. He spent most of the 1987 season with the Vancouver Canadians, playing in just six games for the Pirates, for whom he went hitless in 7 at bats. He became a free agent after the season.

In June 1988, Jiménez signed with the Cleveland Indians. His experience was similar to the previous year, as he spent most of the season in Triple-A with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. He appeared in eight games with the Indians, managing just one hit in 21 at-bats.

Back to Mexico After spending several years playing winter ball, Jiménez returned to the Mexican League in 1993 with the Saraperos de Saltillo. He played there until his retirement in 2001.

Coaching career While still active with Saltillo, Jiménez was named the clubs' manager in 1999. After leaving Saltillo in 2001, he managed the Guerreros de Oaxaca from 2002 until 2004. Jiménez managed the Diablos Rojos del México in 2005 and the Potros de Tijuana at the start of 2006.

After being let go by Tijuana, Jiménez was named to the coaching staff of the Tri-City Dust Devils, the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. In 2007, he became the hitting coach for the Asheville Tourists, where he served for two seasons. He was also elected to the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Jiménez was hired as the manager of the Pericos de Puebla in 2009. That year, he also served as third base coach for the Mexico national baseball team at the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Jiménez led Puebla to the 2010 Final Series, but lost to Saltillo 1 games to 4. After the 2011 season, Jiménez left the Pericos and was later hired by the Petroleros de Minatitlán in May 2012 as a replacement for Roberto Heras; after taking the Petroleros with a 19–40 record, Minatitlán finished the season last in the South Division with a 40–73 record.

In 2013, he was enshrined into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame. In February 2013 he was named again Puebla's manager. On 14 May 2014, Jiménez left Puebla, replaced by Joe Alvarez. On 14 July 2014, he was hired as the manager of El Águila de Veracruz replacing Eddie Castro. In 2015, Jiménez managed Olmecas de Tabasco finishing sixth in the South Division with a 48–56 record.

On 29 April 2016, Jiménez was appointed manager of Oaxaca, replacing Enrique Reyes. He managed the Guerreros for two seasons, failing to qualify for the postseason in both years. Jiménez was named manager of the Olmecas de Tabasco for the first tournament of 2018 season, finishing sixth in the South Division. On 18 May 2019, he was hired by the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, replacing manager Félix Fermín; on 23 August 2018, with six games remaining in the season and with a 36–41 record, he was replaced by Rafael Rijo.

On 1 January 2024, Jiménez joined the Dorados de Chihuahua as the team's third base coach.

Managerial statistics Mexican League Year Team Regular season Postseason Games Won Lost Tied Pct. Finish Won Lost Pct. Notes Saraperos de Saltillo 119 1st in North Lost Semifinals (México) Saraperos de Saltillo 120 1st in North Lost First round (Monterrey) Saraperos de Saltillo 120 1st in North Lost First round (Monterrey) Guerreros de Oaxaca 108 1st in South Lost Championship Series (Tigres) Guerreros de Oaxaca 109 3rd in South Lost Championship Series (Tigres) Guerreros de Oaxaca 98 4th in South Lost Second round (México) Diablos Rojos del México 107 4th in North Lost Second round (Tijuana) Potros de Tijuana 35 – – – – – Pericos de Puebla 105 3rd in South Lost Championship Series (Tigres) Pericos de Puebla 105 1st in South Lost Serie Final (Saltillo) Pericos de Puebla 106 4th in North Lost First round (México) Petroleros de Minatitlán 54 8th in South – – – – Pericos de Puebla 106 3rd in North Lost First round (Monterrey) Pericos de Puebla 35 – – – – – El Águila de Veracruz 30 6th in South – – – – Olmecas de Tabasco 104 6th in South – – – – Guerreros de Oaxaca 91 7th in South – – – – Guerreros de Oaxaca 107 7th in South – – – – Olmecas de Tabasco 57 6th in South – – – – Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos 77 6th in South – – – –Total 1793