Renegades Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by Announcing All-Latinx Team
October 6, 2022 – South Atlantic League (SAL) – Hudson Valley Renegades News Release
Wappingers Falls, N.Y. – In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, the Hudson Valley Renegades are taking a look at some of the best Hispanic players to ever suit up for the club.
Today, the Renegades are happy to announce their all-time Latinx Team, an all-time team made up of the greatest Hispanic players in team history. One player from every field position, a starting pitcher, a relief pitcher, a designated hitter and a manager will be named to form the Renegades All-Latinx team.
The team is comprised of players and a manager from both the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays and New York Yankees affiliations. Some spent multiple years in the Hudson Valley, while others played only a handful of games. Some have had long and fruitful big league careers, while others never made the majors or are currently working through the minor leagues.
The only requirement is that they made an impact on the Renegades in their time in the Hudson Valley.
Catcher
Carlos Narvaez
Birthplace: Maracay, Venezuela
Years with Renegades: 2021 & 22
Renegades Stats: 95 G, .214/.334/.391, 65 hits, 13 doubles, 1 triple, 13 HRs, 48 RBIs, 50 BB, 105 K
After a 16-game stint at the end of the 2021 season with Hudson Valley, Narvaez spent the entire 2021 season with the Renegades. After a slow start at the bat, he turned the corner in mid-June and posted an .839 OPS from June 17 through the end of the season. He smacked a career-high 11 home runs and tallied 12 doubles while providing stellar defensive work behind home plate.
First Base
Gabby Martinez
Birthplace: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Year with Renegades: 2003
Renegades Stats: 70 G, .292/.355/.420, 71 hits, 21 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HRs, 43 RBI, 22 BB, 52 K
At just 20 years old in 2003, Martinez established himself as one of the best hitters in the New York-Penn League. His 21 doubles are still the most recorded by a Renegades player in the 21st century, and is third-most in a single-season in franchise history. Martinez ripped 39 doubles in 116 games with High-A Bakersfield in the California League in 2004, but never played higher than Double-A in affiliated baseball. In an 11-year career that wrapped up in 2012, he collected 1,151 hits, including 257 doubles.
Second Base
Vidal Bruján
Birthplace: San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
Years with Renegades: 2016 & 17
Renegades Stats: 69 G, .276/.370/.403, 74 hits, 15 doubles, 5 triples, 3 HRs, 20 RBIs, 35 BB, 37 K
Bruján was one of the most exciting players to come through the Hudson Valley during the final few seasons of the Tampa Bay Rays affiliation. A key cog on the 2017 Nader Cup Championship team, he led the NYPL in hits (74), runs scored (51), and total bases (108), while finishing in the top 10 in the league in nine other offensive categories. His runs total was only surpassed by two players (Craig Monroe and Frank Moore) in the Renegades’ NYPL era. Bruján has bounced back and forth between Triple-A Durham and Tampa Bay over the past two seasons, but has been rated as one of the top 100 prospects in all of baseball by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline in each of the last three seasons.
Shortstop
Oswald Peraza
Birthplace: Barquisimeto, Venezuela
Year with Renegades: 2021
Renegades Stats: 28 G, .306/.386/.532, 34 hits, 10 doubles, 5 HRs, 16 RBIs, 12 BB, 24 K, 16-for-17 SB
Though Peraza’s time with Hudson Valley was short – he played the fewest games of any non-pitcher on this team – his impact was massive. Peraza ushered in the Yankees-era with a bang, smacking five home runs in a four game stretch on the first homestand of the year, including hitting three in three straight at-bats at one point. He was named High-A East League Player of the Month for May, and on September 2, 2022, became the first Yankees-era Renegade to make it to the majors as a Yankee.
Third Base
Andres Chaparro
Birthplace: El Vigia, Venezuela
Year with Renegades: 2021
Renegades Stats: 36 G, .264/.387/.527, 34 hits, 4 doubles, 3 triples, 8 HRs, 22 RBIs, 24 BB, 34 K
Chaparro came up late in the 2021 season and provided a powerful punch down the stretch as the Gades challenged for a playoff spot in the High-A East League. He was particularly good in September, cracking six home runs and driving in 12 in only 53 at-bats in the month. Chaparro homered in three straight games in Greensboro from Sept. 3-5, then hit three more in a two-game stretch against Brooklyn on Sept. 11 & 12, driving in seven runs in the process. His .914 OPS was second-best on the team among all players with at least 150 plate appearances.
Left Field
Luis Mateo
Birthplace: San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
Years with Renegades: 2000, 01, & 02
Renegades Stats: 134 G, .229/.274/.340, 115 hits, 24 doubles, 1 triple, 10 home runs, 48 RBIs, 27 BB, 154 K
Mateo’s name is all over the Renegades record book, ranking second all-time in games played, at-bats, and hits, while ranking in the top ten in numerous other categories. His best year with Hudson Valley was in 2001, when he hit .258/.287/.409 with six home runs and 20 RBIs while going 9-for-10 on stolen base attempts. After his last appearance with the Renegades, Mateo spent 2003 and 2004 with High-A Bakersfield, hitting .300 with 19 home runs in the latter. After he hit just .231/.252/.327 in 86 games with Double-A Montgomery in 2005, his career was over.
Centerfield
Everson Pereira
Birthplace: Cabudare, Venezuela
Years with Renegades: 2021 & 22
Renegades Stats: 100 G, .270/.354/.515, 107 hits, 16 doubles, 6 triples, 23 HRs, 75 RBIs, 49 BB, 125 K
Pereira re-wrote the Renegades record book in his time in the Hudson Valley, setting new franchise records for home runs, runs scored (82), and total bases (204). His 75 RBIs rank second behind Jacson McGowan and 2022 teammate Tyler Hardman for the most-ever, and his 55 runs scored in 2022 are third-most in a single-season for a Hudson Valley player. During the 2021 season, he hit 14 home runs in only 27 games with the Gades, including a three-homer game in September on the road in Greensboro. In addition to his bat, Pereira was a leader in the clubhouse and his grace in centerfield made him a true five-tool player who could excite fans at The Dutch in myriad ways.
Right Field
Angel Perez
Birthplace: Azua, Dominican Republic
Year with Renegades: 2016 & 17
Renegades Stats: 119 G, .283/.324/.389, 125 hits, 17 doubles, 9 triples, 4 HRs, 34 RBIs, 22 BB, 99 K
The Renegades all-time hit king, Perez spent all of the 2016 and 2017 seasons in the Hudson Valley, amassing 125 hits, one more than Edgar Gonzalez. He went 2-for-4 in the last game of the 2017 season, legging out an infield single off Aberdeen’s Cameron Bishop in the bottom of the third for the record-breaking hit. He hit a robust .291 for the 2017 NYPL champions, but really turned it on in the playoffs, batting .364/.364/.545 with a home run and five RBIs in the playoffs.
Designated Hitter
Ezequiel Durán
Birthplace: San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic
Year with Renegades: 2021
Renegades Stats: 67 G, .290/.374/.533, 75 hits, 15 doubles, 6 triples, 12 HRs, 48 RBIs, 28 BB, 71 K
In the Renegades first year with the Yankees, Durán led the team in batting average, hits, triples, walks, and RBIs, establishing himself as a name to watch. Unfortunately, he was traded on July 29 to the Texas Rangers in the Joey Gallo trade at the deadline, and finished out the season with the Hickory Crawdads. Durán continued to progress through the Rangers system and made his MLB debut on June 4, 2022, becoming the third member of the 2021 team to make his big league debut, following Elvis Peguero and Josh Smith.
Starting Pitcher
Alex Colomé
Birthplace: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Year with Renegades: 2009
Renegades Stats: 7-4, 1.66 ERA, 15 G, 15 GS, 2 CG, 1 SHO, 76.0 IP, 46 H, 22 R, 14 ER, 32 BB, 94 K, 1.026 WHIP
Colomé’s 2009 season is one of the most dominant performances by a Renegades starting pitcher in history. His 1.66 ERA is the best ever posted by a Hudson Valley starter, and his 94 strikeouts were the third-most ever in a season in team history during the NYPL era. Colomé threw a complete game shutout on July 29, 2009 (G1) at Aberdeen, and since then only one Renegades pitcher (Jason McEachern on Aug. 23, 2009 (G1)) has thrown a complete game shutout. He has moved to the bullpen in the major leagues, and has served as the closer for both Tampa Bay and the Chicago White Sox. Colomé led the American League with 47 saves in 2017, and has 159 total in his 10-year big league career.
Relief Pitcher
Oscar Bustillos
Birthplace: Ciudad Obregon, Mexico
Years with Renegades: 2001 & 02
Renegades Stats: 4-6, 3.78 ERA, 48 G, 14 SV, 69.0 IP, 58 H, 43 R, 29 ER, 32 BB, 82 K, 1.304 WHIP
Bustillos served as the closer for the 2001 Renegades, and recorded 13 saves and posted a stellar 2.70 ERA in 26 games out of the bullpen. Oddly enough, though he allowed only 10 earned runs all season, he gave up 11 unearned runs, leading to him returning to Hudson Valley for 2002. He struggled a little that year, recording only one save in 22 appearances with a 4.79 ERA. Bustillos’ 48 appearances across those two seasons were a Renegades record until it was broken by Nelson Alvarez during the 2022 season. He never pitched in affiliated baseball after the 2002, but put together an 11-year career in the Mexican League, during which he appeared in 279 games, making 167 starts.
Manager
Edwin Rodríguez
Birthplace: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Year with Renegades: 1999
Renegades Stats: 42-34 regular season record, 1999 New York-Penn League Championship
Rodríguez managed the Renegades to their first-ever Nader Cup Championship in 1999, guiding the team to a 2-1 series win over Utica in the NYPL Semifinals, and a 2-1 series win in the Championship Series over Mahoning Valley. He went on to manage three more seasons in the Devil Rays system before being hired by the Florida Marlins, where he managed several minor league teams. On June 23, 2010, he was named the interim manager of the Marlins after the firing of Fredi González. He had the interim tag removed six days later. Rodríguez guided the Marlins to a 78-85 record before resigning on June 19, 2011. He has stayed in the game of baseball since, managing in the minors and serving as the Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School. Rodríguez has also served as the manager for Team Puerto Rico in the 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classics.
Lineup:
Vidal Bruján
Oswald Peraza
Andres Chaparro
Everson Pereira
Gabby Martinez
Ezequiel Duran
Carlos Narvaez
Angel Perez
Luis Mateo
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