Jesús Mora

Jesús Mora (born June 9, 1933) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He batted and threw right handed. Mora spent ten years in baseball, while playing from 1954 to 1963 for several teams in the Minor Leagues, Mexican Baseball and the Venezuela League. Although he never appeared in a Major League game, Mora teamed with major league figures and earned their respect by doing what he needed to do to win a game.

A versatile utility man, Mora was able to play all infield positions and in the outfield corners, but he did not hit well. The 5'7" 157-pound ballplayer posted a career .229 average in four different leagues. Further, while he played 235 games and collected 157 hits and 32 RBI in 687 at bats, he never hit a home run. As a result, he was used mostly by his slick glove and great instincts of the game, especially in the late innings, yet he would achieve notoriety in the final years of his career.

Early life Born in Maracaibo, Zulia; Mora was scouted while playing sandlot ball in his homeland. By the time he also played for a local semi-pro team, being respected in the league as a steady player whom managers could use in almost any position, and for being enthusiastic, positive, and hard working player. He then signed a contract to play in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League during the 1954–1955 season. The franchise never reached a high level of popularity, failing to encourage a significant fan support, and would be replaced by the Industriales de Valencia in the 1955–1956 season.

After that Mora played three seasons for Valencia from 1955 to 1956 through 1957–1958. In between, he played briefly for the Leones del Caracas in the 1957–1958 tournament. Throughout this period, he hit .230 (29-for-126) with two triples and nine RBIs, while scoring 13 runs. He also played in 10 postseason games for the Industriales. In the 1957–1958 championship series, he scored a run as a pinch runner. Then, he hit .194 (6-for-32) with one double and two runs in the 1958–1959 first round. Mora appeared in 24 games, hitting .250 (12-for-48) with six doubles, six runs, 20 RBIs and two stolen bases.

1959–1963 A few weeks after his Caribbean Series heroics, Mora joined the Charlotte Hornets of the South Atlantic League in 1959. The Hornets played as a Class-A team in the Washington Senators Minor league system. It was a brief stint for Mora, who collected two hits in 23 at-bats for a .087 average, appearing in just eight games.

Late life After retiring at age 30, Mora continued using his baseball experience and life lessons to bring personal growth to young people.