Minnie Minoso, Chicago's first black major league baseball player who became one of the White Sox's greatest stars, died Sunday morning.
Minoso was found unresponsive in the driver's seat of a car near a gas station in the 2800 block of North Ashland Avenue around 1 a.m., according to police. There were no signs of trauma and Minoso was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:09 a.m., police said.
Chicago police said they were conducting a death investigation, as is routine. An autopsy will be performed.
His son said the family believes Minoso died from a heart condition he had suffered, but were awaiting autopsy results. He had a pacemaker.
"He was an extraordinary person," Charlie Rice-Minoso said. "He made many contributions to baseball and to Chicago. He'll be missed most by his family and closest friends."
Minoso's age was listed as 90, but there was some question about whether he really was born in 1922 instead of 1925 as he insisted. When asked about his age, he once said, "Look what they say in Sox record book."
The White Sox gave his age as 90 in a statement that began, "Mr. White Sox has died."
"Our organization and our city have suffered a heart-breaking loss today," Jerry Reinsdorf, chairman of the White Sox, said in the statement. "We have lost our dear friend and a great man. Many tears are falling.
"When you talk about the top players in the American League in the 1950s, you talk about Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Minnie Minoso," he added.
There was no dispute about Minoso's talent as a player and his impact on the Chicago baseball landscape. He was a seven-time All-Star whose combination of speed and power led a White Sox revival in the 1950s. In his later years, the colorful Minoso, much like Ernie Banks with the Cubs, then served as one of the team's top goodwill ambassadors.
"I'm proud of everything," Minoso said of his career. "I'm proud to be a baseball player."
Born in Cuba, Orestes "Minnie" Minoso came to the United States in 1945 and played three seasons for the New York Cubans in the Negro Leagues. Bill Veeck, then owner of the Cleveland Indians, purchased his contract in Sept. 1948. He made his Major League debut in 1949, playing nine late-season games for the Indians.
After spending 1950 in the minors, Minoso came to the Sox in an early-season trade in 1951. He became the Sox's and Chicago's first black player on May 1, 1951. Minoso wasted no time making his presence felt, getting two hits and two RBIs in an 8-3 loss to the Yankees. He quickly electrified Comiskey Park, hitting .326 to earn runner-up for Rookie of the Year honors.
It was just the start for Minoso. In 1954, he had his second-straight fourth-place finish in Most Valuable Player voting, hitting .320 with 19 homers, 18 triples, 19 stolen bases, and 119 runs scored.
"I felt Minnie was the one player in the American League who had that intangible quality of excitement that makes fans talk about him when they leave the park," said Frank Lane, the general manager whose brought Minoso to the White Sox.
The Sox eventually retired his No. 9. However, Minoso's appeal went beyond Chicago. He was regarded as the first Latin American superstar, inspiring young players from the region who dreamed of joining him in the big leagues.
"Orestes Minoso was the Jackie Robinson for all Latinos; the first star who opened doors for all Latin American players," said Puerto Rican native and future Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda. "He was everybody's hero. I wanted to be Minoso. (Roberto) Clemente wanted to be Minoso."
Minoso was dealt back to Cleveland after 1957, causing him to miss the Sox's pennant-winning season in 1959. However, Veeck, now the Sox owner, reacquired Minoso in 1960. They would be reunited again when Veeck owned the Sox in the late '70s. Now in his 50s, Minoso made late-season appearances for the Sox in 1976, managing a hit in eight at bats, and in 1980 (0 for 2).
Minoso received some criticism for participating in one Veeck's many publicity stunts as an owner. Some even felt there was a backlash from voters, hurting his chances to gain election to Baseball's Hall of Fame.
In 2014, the Sox were behind a campaign to get Minoso to Cooperstown through a Golden Era ballot. His supporters argued that he had the numbers with a .298 career batting average and a .389 on-base percentage; six times his OBP exceed .400 in a season. He also was a three-time Gold Glove winner as a left fielder.
Bill James, the noted baseball statistics analyst, rated Minoso the 10th best left fielder of all time in 2001. "Had he gotten the chance to play when he was 21 years old, I think he'd probably be rated among the top thirty players of all time," James wrote.
Minoso never did gain entry to the Hall during his lifetime. However, that never dimmed his outlook on life and baseball.
Minoso once summed up his passion for the game, saying: "When I die, I want to be playing baseball. Truly. They don't bury me without my uniform."
Minoso leaves behind his wife of 30 years, Sharon, two sons, Orestes Jr. and Charlie, and two daughters Marilyn and Cecilia. Arrangements are pending.
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