Bengie Molina

BENJAMIN (BENGIE) JOSE MOLINA (ANGEL)
2001 Highlights:
Completed ninth professional season and second full season with Angels in 2001...Finished campaign batting .262 (85/325) with 11 doubles, six home runs, 40 RBI and 16 walks in 96 games played...Placed on 15-day disabled list with strained right hamstring, May 5 (brother Jose Molina was selected from Salt Lake to replace him on roster; believed to be second transaction involving brothers in ML history - Boone brothers with Reds in 1997)...Had rehab assignments at single-A Rancho Cucamonga and triple-A Salt Lake...In eight combined games, batted .379 (11/29) with two doubles and five RBI...Recalled from rehab and activated from disabled list June 26 (missed 45 games)...Marked first career stint on disabled list...Collected nine straight hits, Aug. 20-23, setting a new franchise record...Previous record had been eight straight hits, held by Chili Davis, Bobby Grich, Dan Ford and Jim Fregosi...Became first Angel to post consecutive four-hit games (Aug. 22-23) since Tim Salmon had five hits May 11, 1994 at Texas and four hits May 13, 1994 at Seattle...Four-hit games equalled career-best...Collected first career pinch-hit home run, Aug. 12 vs. Toronto (off Dan Plesac)...Was hit by pitch eight times, a career-high...Longest hitting streak was eight games, April 6-16 (.400, 12/30)...Hit safely in 57 games, including 21 multiple-hit contests (one 3-hit & two 4-hit)...Totaled 30 games with RBI, including seven multi-RBI contests (three 3-RBI)...Registered 18 clutch RBI, 13 which put Angels in lead...Angels were 23-7 when he collected an RBI...Batted .429 (3/7) with seven RBI with bases loaded and .297 (11/33) with 17 RBI with runner on third...Batted .218 (22/101) vs. LHP, .281 (63/224) vs. RHP, .315 (all six HR) at home, .209 on road, .227 with none on, .302 with runners on, .300 with RISP, .387 in close and late situations and .285 when batting in eighth position...Hit .325 (27/83) in Aug. and .317 (39-123) in seventh inning-or-later...Hit .346 (18/52) when putting first pitch in play and .228 (33/145) with two strikes in count...Batted .300-or-better against eight opponents, including .361 (13/36) vs. Detroit...Hit .304 (79/260, 4 HR) before All-Star break and .229 (50/218, 2 HR) after...Posted .991 fielding percentage (5/568) with 527 putouts and 36 assists in 94 games (89 starts) at catcher...Allowed four passed balls and took part in four double plays...Threw out 19 of 79 basestealers (24%)...Posted one pickoff...Owns 253 career games caught, seventh most in Angels' history...Agreed to four-year contract (w/one-year option), March 16.
Personal:
Involved in numerous charities and community activities, including Angels Elementary School Visit program, Angels' Hispanic outreach program and area youth baseball clinics...Took part in Angels pre-season Community Caravan and KABC Disaster Relief Drive at Edison Field...Attended Arizona Western Community College in Yuma, AZ, and graduated with AA degree in 1992 ... Took two years of English as Second Language, learning to speak and write English fluently ... Graduated Maestro Ladi High School in Vega Alta, PR, in 1990 ... Signed by Angels scout George Ortiz.

Other Sites for Benjie Molina

http://baseball.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6026

http://www.sportsline.com/u/partners/aol/frameset.htm?http://www.sportsline.com/u/baseball/mlb/players/player_11271.htm

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/players/14879/index.html

http://www.majorleaguebaseball.com/NASApp/mlb/ana/team/ana_player_bio.jsp?club_context=mlb&playerid=134260

http://bigleaguers.yahoo.com/mlbpa/instruct/20011030/mlbpa-bengiemolinabunttestscat.html