Tony Roig

Anton Ambrose Roig (December 23, 1928 – October 20, 2010) was an American utility infielder who played in Major League Baseball between the and seasons. Listed at , 180 lb, he batted and threw right-handed.

A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Roig spent more than a half-century in professional baseball, which included a prominent role with the Spokane Indians of the Pacific Coast League.

Playing career Basically a shortstop, Roig was able to play at both second and third base during 21 seasons, including parts of three years for the original Washington Senators of the American League, three years with Spokane, and six in Nippon Professional Baseball.

The versatile Roig later managed in the Minor leagues and spent nearly 30 years as a scout for the Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels and Philadelphia Phillies systems, where he also served as their hitting instructor.

Roig signed his first professional contract as a 19-year-old pitcher with the Phillies organization in 1948. Two years later, he was sent by Philadelphia to Washington, where he played in the middle infield and outfield while hitting .327 in 129 games for Class-D Rome Red Sox, then finished the year with Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts.

Although the hard-hitting 1960 Spokane produced big-league standouts as Willie Davis and Ron Fairly, fanatics selected Roig as the team's Most Valuable Player. On September 8, 1960, he set a team record in having played every position in a single game.

Roig later played in Japan, where he met the long-ball expectations for American ballplayers by hitting 126 home runs from 1963 to 1968 with the Nishitetsu Lions and Kintetsu Buffaloes of the Pacific League.

In a three-season majors career, Roig was a .212 hitter (39-for-184) in 76 games, driving in 11 runs and scoring 11 times, while collecting seven doubles, two triples, and two stolen bases without a home run, and also hit for a .278 average with 326 homers in 1234 minor league games.