Kendry Morales

Kendrys Morales Rodriguez (born June 20, 1983, in Fomento, Cuba) is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He is a switch hitter and throws right-handed. While playing in Cuba's equivalent of the United States' Triple-A level, and with only 16-17 year olds, he was already a national sensation due to his extraordinary performance in the World Championship of the category, where he was the first starter of the ... more

Kendrys Morales Rodriguez (born June 20, 1983, in Fomento, Cuba) is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He is a switch hitter and throws right-handed. While playing in Cuba's equivalent of the United States' Triple-A level, and with only 16-17 year olds, he was already a national sensation due to his extraordinary performance in the World Championship of the category, where he was the first starter of the pitching staff, and fourth in the batting order, plus his ability to hit home runs from both sides of the plate. Morales joined the Cuban national baseball team in 2002 and immediately became a star player—despite being the first teenager to make the team in nearly twenty years. He was the cleanup hitter on the team during its dramatic 2003 World Cup championship. His grand slam in the final round against Taiwan secured a 6-3 Cuban victory, one game after hitting a home run that provided the winning runs against Brazil. In his first—of two and... less