Aurelio Monteagudo (pronounced ah-oo-RAY-lee-o mon-tey-ah-GOO-do), and nicknamed "Monty", was a right-handed screwball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball. A son of former big-leaguer René Monteagudo, he was an atypical case of a baseball player with his heart shared between three countries. Monteagudo was born in Caibarién, Villa Clara, Cuba. He moved to Venezuela after Fidel Castro's rise to power in his homeland.
As a 19-year-old rookie, Monteagudo made his majors debut with the Kansas City Athletics on September 1, 1963. After three-plus seasons with Kansas City, he was dealt to the Houston Astros on May 17, 1966. At the end of the season, he received Venezuelan citizenship. Then, Monteagudo joined the Chicago White Sox on July 16, 1967 with a new nationality. After a season in Chicago, he played with the Kansas City Royals (1970) and California Angels (1973).
In seven seasons, Monteagudo compiled a 3-7 record with 58 strikeouts, a 5.05 ERA, four saves, and 132 innings pitched in 72 games (65 as a reliever). He played his final majors game on September 28, 1973.
Monteagudo also played 20 seasons in the Venezuelan Winter League with five teams: Caracas (1963-68), Magallanes (1968), La Guaira (1968-74, 1976-82) and Portuguesa (1975), compiling a 79-81 record with 897 strikeouts and a 3.37 ERA. On December 20, 1973, Monteagudo kept the Cardenales hitless for 8 2/3 innings until Faustino Zabala ruined the no-hitter with a single to center field.
At the same time, Monteagudo played in the Mexican League with the Puebla, Coahuilla, Aguascalientes and Veracruz clubs. He pitched a no-hitter game against Nuevo Laredo (March 19, 1979) and led the league in strikeouts once (222, in 1978). After retiring in 1981, he started a successfully managerial career in the league.
Aurelio Monteagudo was killed in a car accident in Saltillo, Mexico. He was 46 years old.
