Why Luis Rojas as the new Mets manager?
Rojas, 38, is highly regarded in baseball circles and has strong baseball genes as one of Felipe Alou’s 11 children. Alou, 84, a former star player and manager, owns an incredible baseball mind and is considered an icon among Latino players. He has taught the game well to his son and continued his dialogue with Luis throughout last season and this offseason.
Why do they have different last names? In the Dominican Republic, the family name is presented before the mother’s last name. When Felipe Rojas Alou first came to the United States as a player in 1956, the Giants scout who signed Felipe mistakenly thought his matronymic name (Alou) was his family name, though the family name is the paternal name of Rojas.