You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1966-Forgotten-Twin-Bernardo-Brito

I distinctly remember forgetting him. It's like it was yesterday. Because it was.

Bernardo Brito Baseball Cards Page 1 - Career Page Featuring Pictures, Cards, Autographs, Publications, Stats, Photos, History, and Memorabilia

 

You can see quite a few card images of him, all autographed!

I'll always remember Brito, he was/is my primary pinch hitter on the first Ken Griffey Jr. baseball game on the SNES.

I remember Brito. He was in the Twins minor league system, seemingly forever. He always put up great numbers, especially power numbers and was never promoted. I always wondered why, until I realized that he really couldn't hit major league pitching. Oh, if you would leave him out there everyday, he would hit some home runs but his average would be worse than Adam Dunn's, there would be fewer home runs than Dunn and Brito might strike out more. Also, there was no way that Tom Kelly was going to have a player like that taking up space on his team.

one of the great baseball names, for sure.

Your articles almost always make me laugh out loud at least once. Thank you.

Great article -- thanks for posting it.

Ummm, Google Translate says that El Pupo means "Longfin". Not sure why that isn't included.

If I remember right, Brito held some kind of career HR record at some point. Maybe the PCL career leader in HR?

 

He was the Anthony Slama of the early 1990's. People who knew of him couldn't understand why this team wouldn't call up such a prolific minor league slugger.

 

Edit: I found this article, at the time he was the active minor league career HR leader.

 

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19940629&id=0gkkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uuwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4958,7335784

 

And there totally was a Free Brito movement. Led by Brito.

 

Further Edit: I'm such a nerd. The article also dropped the names of Scott Stahoviak, Rich Becker, Eddie Guardado, Denny Hocking, Pat Meares, Dave Stevens, Marty Cordova and Scott Ullger and that put a smile on my face. Why did reading about those guys give me so much joy when watching most of them acutally play baseball usually gave me the opposite feeling.

Edited June 27, 201313 yr by nicksaviking

I have a ball signed by Bernardo. Can't understand why he never got a real shot. I guess Tom Kelly liked David McCarty even more then Bernardo......or Rich Becker or J.T Bruett. Somehow if Kelly decided you weren't any good or you got on his bad side, you never got a shot.

When we get to December 4, I'll post a bio of him.

The article also dropped the names of Scott Stahoviak, Rich Becker, Eddie Guardado, Denny Hocking, Pat Meares, Dave Stevens, Marty Cordova and Scott Ullger and that put a smile on my face. Why did reading about those guys give me so much joy when watching most of them acutally play baseball usually gave me the opposite feeling.

 

I saw Stahoviak hit a long homerun into the upper deck of Yankee Stadium. The Twins were pounding the Yankees and Gooden. Then the rain came and it didn't stop. They didn't have five innings in yet, so none of it counted. My friend and his dad had to use our rain checks because that was the last Yankees home game while I was home (in CT) on leave.

 

That day always seemed to capture the essense of that Twins era for me.

Brito was a masher here in Salt Lake for those Buzz teams of the mid-90s. My favorite Bernardo Brito moment was when he was called out on a grand-slam HR for passing a teammate on the basepath.

My Bernardo Brito broken bat is stowed under my bed in case anybody in this tough White Bear Lake neighborhood wants to boogie. Long before it was a personal weapon of defense, ~19 years ago, it was kindly gifted to a pudgy 9-year-old at Twins Spring Training (2/24/1994) (me, Pops, Brother).

Great article -- thanks for posting it.

 

Thanks! I really enjoy hearing everyone's Brito stories/memories. I might have to "research" a few more guys.