Magglio José Ordóñez Delgado ( / ɔːr ˈ d oʊ n j ɛ z / ; born January 28, 1974) was a Venezuelan former professional baseball player who played as a right fielder. He played for the Chicago White Sox from 1997 to 2004 and for the Detroit Tigers from 2005 to 2011. Ordóñez was 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 215 pounds. Over 15 seasons, he had a career batting average of .309. He retired from the major leagues on June 3, 2012, during a ceremony at Comerica Park before an afternoon game.

In 2013, he said he would run for public office in his home country of Venezuela. He was elected mayor of the Juan Antonio Sotillo Municipality on December 8, 2013.

Professional career

In a 15-year major league career (through the end of the 2011 season), Ordóñez had a batting average of .309, hit 294 home runs, and drove in 1,236 runs in 1,848 games. Other career totals include 1,076 runs scored, 426 doubles, a .369 on-base percentage, and a .502 slugging percentage. He was selected for the All-Star Game six times (1999–2001, 2003, and 2006–07) and won three Silver Slugger awards (2000, 2002, and 2007). In 2007, he won the American League batting title with an average of .363. He also set a career high with 139 RBIs and finished second in the AL Most Valuable Player award voting.

Ordóñez played for the Chicago White Sox for the first eight years of his major league career. From 1996 to 2003, he hit at least .300 with 29 home runs and 99 RBIs each season, reaching the 30-home run, 100-RBI milestone in four of those years. He had over 70 extra-base hits from 2001 to 2003, but a collision with second baseman Willie Harris during a game on May 19, 2004, against the Cleveland Indians caused two trips to the disabled list and two surgeries on his left knee. He finished the 2004 season with a .292 batting average, 9 home runs, and 37 RBIs in 52 games. During the 2001 season, when Ordóñez played with Jose Canseco, Canseco claimed he injected Ordóñez with steroids.

During the 2003 off-season, Ordóñez was nearly traded to the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox and Texas Rangers had discussed trading for Alex Rodriguez, but the deal did not happen. Instead, the Red Sox agreed to trade shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to the White Sox for Ordóñez. When the Rodriguez-for-Ramirez trade failed, the Red Sox decided not to trade Garciaparra, and the Ordóñez trade was canceled.

Ordóñez signed with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent on February 7, 2005. His five-year, $85 million contract was the second-largest the Tigers had ever paid a player. Because of his knee injury from the 2004 season, the contract included a clause that allowed the Tigers to buy out the contract for $3 million if he spent more than 25 days on the disabled list due to the same injury.

After joining the Tigers, Ordóñez had a public disagreement with Ozzie Guillén, his former manager and teammate in Chicago. Their dislike for each other was a reason he left the White Sox, but their rivalry seemed to ease, as Guillén requested Ordóñez for the 2006 All-Star Game.

In 2005, Ordóñez strained an abdominal muscle early in the season and spent three months on the disabled list. The injury turned out to be a hernia, and he had corrective surgery. After recovering, he joined the Tigers' minor league team in Toledo for two months before returning to the major league team in July. He then hit over .300 and became a key player again.

In 2006, Ordóñez returned to All-Star form. He was selected to the 2006 All-Star Game as a replacement for injured Red Sox player Manny Ramirez. At the All-Star break, he was hitting .312 with 16 home runs and 62 RBIs, and the Tigers were the best team in the league at 59–29.

On October 14, 2006, Ordóñez helped the Tigers win the ALCS with a three-run home run against the Oakland Athletics. The win sent the Tigers to their first World Series since 1984, which also happened 22 years after their previous World Series victory.

Ordóñez had his best season in 2007, finishing second in the AL MVP race behind Alex Rodriguez. His .363 batting average, 28 home runs, and 139 RBIs were among the best by a Tigers outfielder. His achievements in 2007 included:

• A .363 batting average, the highest in Major League Baseball. He was the first Tigers player to win the AL batting title since 1961.
• 54 doubles, the most in MLB and the most by a Tigers player since 1950.
• 139 RBIs, the highest by a Tigers player since 1961.
• Two home runs in an eight-run second inning on August 12, 2007, a feat previously achieved by Al Kaline in 1955.
• A .434 on-base percentage, the highest by a Tigers player in the past 60 years.
• A .595 slugging percentage, the highest by a Tigers player in the past 60 years.

On April 29, 2010, Ordóñez got his 2000th career hit against the Minnesota Twins. On July 24, he hurt his ankle sliding into home plate. X

Nicknames and family

In Detroit's Comerica Park, some Tiger fans wore curly black wigs under their baseball caps until mid-2009, when Ordóñez cut his hair short. He is also sometimes called "Maggs." In mid-2006, bloggers began calling Magglio "The Big Tilde." This nickname has been mentioned on Deadspin, MLB.com, and during a Fox Sports broadcast.

Ordóñez has three children with his wife, Dagly: a son named Magglio Jr. and two daughters, Maggliana and Sophia.

Ordóñez's son, Magglio Ordóñez Jr., was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.

Political views

Ordóñez supported the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and appeared in a TV ad in early 2009. In the ad, he told Venezuelans that "the best of the revolution and socialism is yet to come." He also joined Chávez on campaign events. Because of this, during the 2009 World Baseball Classic, Ordóñez was booed by Venezuelans who opposed Chávez during his at-bats and while he was on the field.

In August 2013, Ordóñez said he would run for mayor of the Juan Antonio Sotillo Municipality in Venezuela as a candidate for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, which was led by the late Hugo Chávez. He was elected mayor on December 9, 2013. Ordóñez served as mayor from 2013 to 2017.