Remember Willis Otañez?

Remember Willis Otañez? You probably don’t – and I don’t blame you.  He was the backup third baseman and first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1999.  He didn’t really do a whole lot but produced at around the level of a replacement player.  Following the 1999 season he was dispatched to the minor leagues and then bounced around from organization to organization before ending up in the Atlantic League.  Following the 2004 season, the Dominican Otañez headed south for the Mexican League. To say Otañez made a splash in the Mexican League would be an understatement.  Signing with Veracruz for the 2005 season, Otañez shot out of the gate with a .439 batting average, blasting a league-leading  8 home runs and 25 RBIs in just 10 games.  He went on to finish the season with 30 bombs, 123 RBI and a line of .376/.455/.652 for an OPS of 1.106. Otanez was injured in 2006 and played hurt most of the season, yet he was still able to hit .354 and put up an OPS of .973...