Player Profile: Rafael Bournigal

I have thirteen cards of Rafael Bournigal. This one is from 1993 Donruss.

Playing career: Rafael Bournigal played seven seasons as a backup middle infielder for the Dodgers, A’s and Mariners. In 365 games he hit .251 with 4 HR and 85 RBI.

Where he is now: Head of International Sales for Powerscreen, a Terex company that sells heavy-duty crushing and screening equipment. He is also a youth baseball coach in Florida.

Interesting facts: As a six-year old in Azua, Dominican Republic, Rafael punctured his hand on a needle sliding on the ballfield. His hand was badly infected with tetanus, almost killing the child. He needed to go to Santo Domingo for treatment, and his father, George Bournigal, quit his bank job to stay with his son in the hospital. While in Santo Domingo, George went on a radio program and demonstrated his deep knowledge of baseball, which led to a career in broadcasting. When he died in 1994 he was one of the most famous sportscasters in the country.

My memories: Only know him from his card.

Google Autocomplete results: He is first when you type Rafael Bou, ahead of Raphael Bousso, a physics professor at Berkeley. There do not appear to be any other prominent Rafael Bournigals.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Mike Bovee.