Conversations with the Herd: Jesús Feliciano

By: Brian Frank

Last Sunday, Jesús Feliciano, one of the most consistent hitters of the Bisons’ modern era, joined longtime Bisons Ticket Office Director Mike Poreda as the newest inductees into the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame. Feliciano, who played outfield for the Herd from 2009 to 2011, is the only player in the Bisons’ modern era to have three consecutive 100-hit seasons and ranks second in the team’s modern era with 371 hits.

Feliciano first joined the Bisons in 2009, the team’s first season as the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. It was Feliciano’s third year in the Mets system. He’d previously played two seasons with the Mets’ former Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans.

“It was something different,” Feliciano told The Herd Chronicles of coming to Buffalo, “because I came from New Orleans, playing for the Mets in 2007 and ‘08… I remember calling Andy González, a former Bison, and remember him telling me and Robinson Cancel, he was my teammate back then, that it was going to be cold in the first few weeks, but then when the weather gets better it was going to be okay. I remember him telling me, just get your hits in the beginning, and then you'll be fine.”

Feleciano collected 371 career hits with the Herd. Photo courtesy of the Buffalo Bisons Baseball Club.

Feliciano made an immediate impact with the Herd, winning the team’s Stan Barron Most Valuable Player Award in his first season in Buffalo, while leading the International League with 154 hits while hitting .311, the fifth-highest batting average in the league. In his second season with the Herd, he hit .339 in 89 games, collecting 114 hits and finishing second in the I.L. with 11 outfield assists, despite spending much of the season in the big leagues. Feliciano racked up another 103 hits in his third season with Buffalo.

Feliciano’s manager during his first two seasons with the Herd was former major league third baseman Ken Oberkfell. Oberkfell had also been Feliciano’s manager in his two seasons in New Orleans. Feliciano, who had previously played in the Dodgers, Devil Rays, and Nationals organizations, still recognizes Oberkfell as having a major impact on his career.

“I wasn't a prospect back then in the beginning of my career with the Dodgers,” Feliciano explained. “I had my opportunity, but then I was released twice by the Dodgers and then the Nationals. To have the opportunity to play for him [Oberkfell] in 2007 in New Orleans. Like I was saying in my speech, I remember there were players that they had on their radar. I don't know what he saw, but he always found a way to give me the opportunity, and I feel that he deserved a lot of the credit for the opportunity I got to play it in the big leagues. He's a big part of it.”

Oberkfell was promoted to be the Mets’ bench coach in 2011, and Tim Teufel, who starred at second base with the Twins, Mets, and Padres, took over as Buffalo’s manager during Feliciano’s third season with the Herd.

“I knew a lot of people in the system,” Feliciano said. “He [Teufel] was one of them because he's a legend with the Mets. Even though he managed me just one season, I knew him from those previous years, and he was a professional. I was going through a tough time at that point, and he still respected me—the way you should treat players and people. I can respect that and remember that even though I had a tough year, he was there for me.”

While he was with the Bisons, Feliciano played for Puerto Rico in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He’d also return to play for Puerto Rico in the 2013 WBC. Representing his homeland in international competition would mean a lot to any player, but particularly to Feliciano, whose father, also named Jesús Feliciano, was a pitcher who played 16 seasons for the Puerto Rican national team, including in two Olympics (1988 and 1992).

“Representing Puerto Rico is probably one of the biggest accomplished that anyone can have,” Feliciano said. “My dad played for the national team for 16 years, and he was the flag bearer in the '88 Olympics—so, my dream always was to play for the national team. To think that back in the day, the amateur player was the one that represented—and we [professionals] had the opportunity because of the classic.”

Feliciano had three consecutive 100 hit seasons with the Bisons. Photo courtesy of the Buffalo Bisons Baseball Club.

In 2009, Puerto Rico came out on top in their first-round pool games played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Feliciano played left field and hit leadoff in a lineup full of superstars. He slashed .375/.444/.438 in six games.

“I remember playing alongside Carlos Beltrán, who was inducted a couple weeks ago into the Hall of Fame,” Feliciano said. “Guys that I have been around for so long playing on the same team, especially playing at home too, like we had that opportunity those two times. For me it was even more special because at that point, it was the second World Baseball Classic ever, and I was the first position player ever to have not made it to the big leagues and be part of that team. I ended up playing, leading off on that team. I had a great series. I think that was something that probably the Mets were able to see me playing against the best. I remember having conversations with Alex Cora, Carlos Delgado, Pudge Rodríguez, those guys were part of that team, and I remember them saying, ‘When are you finally going to get your opportunity? You're ready.’”

In 2010, Feliciano finally got that opportunity when he was called up to the big leagues, making his major league debut as a pinch-hitter for the Mets against the Padres at New York’s Citi Field on June 10.

“You work for years to get that opportunity,” he said. “Every player goes through a different path. Mine wasn't as easy as people know. But you start to remember when you get that opportunity, I knew I was ready physically and mentally to get that opportunity even before, but it happened for a reason.”

His first big-league hit came against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards against veteran hurler Kevin Millwood.

“I felt a little bit more comfortable because I remember my first AB was as a pinch hit at bat, you know, the game is on the line, it's a different environment,” Feliciano recalled. “Then I go 0-for-4 the next game at home, and then had a few days off. Then when I finally had that opportunity on a Sunday. I remember it was a Sunday day game. We played really good. I remember that single up the middle. It seems like when you hit those balls, even though you hit them, everything goes in slow motion. So yeah, like I said, you start thinking about all those years. You know, you're not even there, but you think about all the years that you have put your work in, and it makes you appreciate life.”

He ended up collecting another single off reliever Mark Hendrickson to finish the game 2-for-5. He’d go on to play in 54 games for the Mets that season.

Since his playing days ended, Feliciano has stayed involved in baseball, including managing the 2016 Northwest League Champion Eugene Emeralds, a season in which he was named the league’s Manager of the Year. He was also a first-base and outfield coach for the Los Angeles Angels in 2019 and 2020. Today, he’s the Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School.

Being back in the Queen City for his Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony and watching a game at Sahlen Field brought back a flood of memories for the Bisons legend.

“Something that you start thinking is that even though you're not at the big league level, you want to feel at home—and in Buffalo, I felt that we felt that way,” he said.

“I feel the reason why I could grind and feel that I was in a good place, it was because Buffalo made me feel that way and every time that I think about those years, the places that you stayed, the treatment that you get from the front office, even though people don't talk much about that, it makes it special. I think the reason why I was very successful was because I felt at home.”