Wil Cordero Wilfredo Cordero Nieva (born October 3, 1971 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico) is a left fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1992 through 2005, Cordero has played for the Montreal Expos (1992-95, 2002-03), Boston Red Sox (1996-97), Chicago White Sox (1998), Cleveland Indians (1999, 2000-02), Pittsburgh Pirates (2000), Florida Marlins (2004) and Washington Nationals (2005). He bats and throws right handed. In a 13-season career, Cordero is a .275 hitter with 122 home runs and 564 RBI in 1218 games.
Cordero had an opportunity to make the Montreal Expos roster on Opening Day in 1992, less than four years after he signed with the team at the age of 16. But he struck out 17 times in 38 spring training at-bats. Cordero bounced back to Triple-A Indianapolis. He debuted with the big team after the All-Star break and finished with .314 in 45 games, despite missing significant stretches of playing time due to a sprained ankle, a strained middle finger, and a serious case of chicken pox.
Like the privileged few who have made it to the majors quickly, Cordero showed inconsistency at bat. A line drive hitter, he finished his first full season with a .248 average, 10 homers and 58 RBI in 1993. Meanwhile, he displayed excellent range at shortstop, a strong throwing arm and the cool demeanor necessary to make the correct play. Again in the disabled list in 1994, Cordero missed 52 games. But he finished with a career-high .294 average, 15 home runs, 63 RBI, 64 runs and 35 doubles, and made the National League All-Star team. The next year he batted .286.
Cordero was traded to the Boston Red Sox before the 1996 season. The Expos received pitchers Rheal Cormier and Shayne Bennett, and first baseman Ryan McGuire in the deal. In his first year in Boston, a pair of nagging injuries and the presence of John Valentin at shortstop limited his playing time. Cordero was used at second base and as designated hitter in only 59 games. His most productive season came in 1997, when he hit .281 and posted career-highs in home runs (18), RBI (72), runs (82), hits (160) and games (140). Nevertheless, he was released after the season and signed with the Chicago White Sox.
Between 1998 and 2004 Cordero played for five teams, including two stints with the Cleveland Indians and a full season with his former club, Montreal. He suffered new injuries, an arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in 2004, and some personal problems, including domestic abuse, that have plagued his career. But Cordero was back in 2005, as a major acquisition for the new-look Washington Nationals franchise.
