Blue Jays former outfielder incarcerated for eight years

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Former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Raul Mondesi has been incarcerated in the Dominican Republic stemming from corruption allegations during his tenure of mayor as San Cristobal.

Raul Mondesi who spent three seasons north of the border with the Blue Jays was sentenced to eight years in prison and levied a 60 million pesos fine as part of his conviction. The former player has held the mayoral chair in his hometown for the last six years.

The Jays acquired the hard-nosed Mondesi in the offseason of 1999 along with Pedro Borbon from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Shawn Green and Jorge Nunez. The outfielder would remain with the Blue Jays until the summer of 2002 when he was shipped to the New York Yankees for pitcher Scott Wiggins.

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While with the Jays, Mondesi would slash .251/.328/.470 with 66 round trippers and 61 stolen bases in 320 games. In 2001, the cannon-armed Mondesi led the American League among right fielders with 18 assists.

The outfielder would end his career hitting .273/.331/.485 with 271 home runs and 229 stolen bases earning a career wins above replacement of 29.4.

Mondesi spent 13 seasons in the majors with 7 different teams and his son Raul Mondesi Jr. currently, plays for the Kansas City Royals. In 2014, the Royals speedster tweeted a photo of the Mondesi clan including his father titled “Love My Family”.

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Details are scarce in regards to the facts in issue surrounding the corruption conviction but the entire incident is an unfortunate blemish for a respected baseball family. Hopefully, the Mondesi family can overcome this indiscretion and eventually move forward.