Felix Mantilla, who played 11 years in the big leagues and was a member of the original 1962 Mets, died this week.
He was 90.
Mantilla spent six seasons with the Milwaukee Braves, but his impact in the Wisconsin city went beyond his playing days, a sentiment that was shared by the Brewers — a team Mantilla never played for — on Saturday.
“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Felix Mantilla, an iconic figure in Milwaukee who was an inspiration to all of us in the Milwaukee baseball community,” the team said in a statement shared on X. “We will forever remember Felix for his time with the Milwaukee Braves, but even more for the impact he had on thousands of children through the Felix Mantilla Little League. Our love and thoughts are with Felix’s dear wife, Kay, and the many friends and family who join us in mourning his passing.”
Born in Isabella, Puerto Rico, Mantilla signed with the Braves before the 1952 season, and a year later, he, along with Hank Aaron and Horace Garner helped Class A Jacksonville become one of the first racially integrated teams in the American South.
In 1956, he was called up by the Braves for the first time and spent six years with the big league club, winning a memorable seven-game World Series over the Yankees in 1957.
After the 1961 season, he was selected by the Mets as the 12th pick in the expansion draft, joining the team’s inaugural squad.
While the team is most-often remembered for its then-modern record of 120 losses, Mantilla had his best full season to date, hitting 11 home runs with a .275 average.
But he was traded to the Red Sox after the season, and he’d go on to have the finest seasons of his career in Boston.
He swatted a career-high 30 homers in 1964 before posting a personal-best 92 RBIs in 1965, the first and only season he was named an All-Star.
He’d play one more season in 1966 with the Astros before his MLB career was over.
Seven years after his last big league game, Mantilla helped establish a Little League team with his namesake in Milwaukee, later partnering with Journey House, which “empowers families to move out of poverty by offering adult education, youth development.”
In 2016 and 2017, the Felix Mantilla Little League Education and Cultural Exchange helped bring players from Puerto Rico and Milwaukee together.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson expressed his gratitude for Mantilla’s work in the community.
“Our city remembers and honors Félix Mantilla,” Johnson wrote in a statement on social media. “He lived a remarkable life. As a versatile baseball player he was both an all star and a world champion. His community involvement in Milwaukee was notable; the Félix Mantilla Little League here introduced countless youngsters to teamwork, discipline and fun. My thoughts are with his family and his many fans.”
