Mako Oliveras, born in Santurce, Puerto Rico (PR), on September 10, 1946, has managed a record 28 seasons in Puerto Rico’s Winter League (PRWL), the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (LBPRC) since 2012. Oliveras—who won a record eight PRWL/LBPRC titles—manages the Aguadilla Sharks in PR’s Double-A Superior Baseball League! This blog focuses on his PRWL managerial career and Caribbean Series (CS) success. It mentions his PRWL playing career, Stateside, Mexican League, and Dominican Winter League (LIDOM) managing experience. Mako will be used instead of Oliveras.

PRWL Playing Career

In nine PRWL seasons, Mako had a .252 BA (181/719), excluding 1973-74 with the Mayagüez Indios. He homered twice and drove in 57. His first PRWL skipper was Sparky Anderson, 1968-69 San Juan Senators. Tony Taylor pretended to have an injured ankle once after an infield hit, and Anderson summoned Mako to pinch-run for Taylor. Ellis “Cot” Deal was Mako’s second San Juan manager, 1969-70, followed by Roberto Clemente (1970-71). Clemente and Mako were booed during a San Juan-Santurce semi-final contest when Roberto called for him to pinch-hit in a vital situation. Frank Verdi managed Mako with the Ponce Lions (1971-72, first half of 1972-73), as did interim skipper Carlos Manuel Santiago (1972-73). Les Moss (1973-74 Mayagüez) and José Antonio Pagán (1974-77 Bayamón) also were other skippers. Ken Brett was a 1970-71 San Juan and 1976-77 Bayamón teammate. Mako was a Bayamón coach (1977-83), San Juan Senators coach (1983-84), and San Juan Metros coach (1984-85), until Metros owner Ernesto Díaz González—upon the recommendation of assistant GM (for contracting imports) Luis Rodríguez Mayoral—opted to fire skipper Orlando “El Guajiro” Peña. He promoted Mako. “About 90 percent of the things I do as a manager were learned from Pagán,” affirmed Mako. “Pagán could get the most out of his ballplayers. He found a way to get everyone involved, which made me successful—the rapport I’ve established with all my players, from the teenager in A ball to Juan González (with 1992-93 Santurce Crabbers).”

Los Pillos (The Thiefs) and More

San Juan bested Santurce in a dramatic seven-game final, propelled by role players Luis “Papo” Rosado (.315 BA), Skeeter Barnes (eight homers and league-leading 40 RBIs), and double-play combo of Luis Aguayo and Adalberto Peña. The latter was acquired from Mayagüez for youngster Bobby Bonilla, who became a close friend of Mako and Mako’s mom—Julia Gutiérrez de Oliveras. (Bonilla loved Doña Julia’s home cooking, and in 1995-96, when Mako managed Caguas, Bonilla lived in Mako’s home.) Mako’s Metros upended the 1984-85 Crabbers, managed by Frank Verdi. Mako gave Benito Santiago, Edgar Martínez, and Carlos Baerga a chance to play before they became household words in PR. He worked with top prospects, e.g., Rafael Palmeiro (1986-87 Metros) and Bryan Harvey (1987-88 San Juan), and veterans such as Lonnie Smith (San Juan) and Juan José Beníquez (Santurce).

Eight PRWL Titles and 545 Regular Season Wins

Mako led San Juan to 1984-85 and 1989-90 titles, followed by Santurce’s 1990-91, 1992-93, and 1999-2000 crowns, before Mayagüez’s 2004-05, 2009-10, and 2022-23 championships. Table I summarizes his PRWL managing record with San Juan, Santurce, Caguas, and Mayagüez. Jorge Colón Delgado launched the digital page of the Puerto Rico Professional Baseball Hall of Fame on March 22, 2024. Here is his link to Mako’s season-by-season managing W-L. https://safabpp.com/inmortal/mako-oliveras-dirigente/. Mako also managed the 2007-08 Escogido Lions, LIDOM, for 17 games when the PRWL season was cancelled for economic reasons. He has the most career-managing wins in the history of the San Juan and Santurce franchises, arch-rivals for many decades.

Table I: Mako’s Regular Season, Round-Robin, Semis, Finals PRWL Managing Record

^San Juan Senators in 1997-98. #Does not include 1997-98 semis. NA: Three Santurce and two Caguas semis. Sources: Jorge Colón Delgado, José “Pepe” Crescioni, Héctor Marrero Matías, Tom Van Hyning, and Winter Ball Data subscription.

Caribbean Series (CS) Legacy

Mako’s eight CS as a skipper were preceded by two as a player with the 1971-72 Ponce Lions and 1975-76 Bayamón Cowboys. He was replaced at second by Caguas’s Félix Millán, in the 1975 CS won by undefeated Bayamón. Ponce (5-1 W-L) won the 1972 CS in Santo Domingo. Verdi inserted Mako in four games, and he went 6-for-15 (.400 BA) with a double and SB. In 1976, Mako was 3-for-17 with an RBI for Bayamón. He posted a .281 CS BA (9-for-32). San Juan fell short in the 1985 and 1990 CS events, as did Santurce in 1991. Dickie Thon was Mako’s 1992-93 Santurce DH who responded with the 500^th HR in CS history when the Crabbers defeated the Águilas Cibaeñas (AC), in the tie-breaker for first place. Seven years later, Santurce (6-0 W-L) crushed the opposition in Santo Domingo with an excellent offensive production—the best slash line in CS history: .368/.427/.573, and 1.000 OPS. Armando Ríos, José “Cheito” Cruz Jr., Eduardo Pérez, José Valentín, José Vidro, and Héctor Villanueva, among others, provided firepower. Mako replaced Ken Griffey Sr. as Santurce’s skipper during the regular season. The 2005, 2010, and 2023 Mayagüez Indios competed bravely but fell short. His 26^th win as a CS manager in the 2023 classic eclipsed the 25 won by AC’s Félix Fermín—who managed four CS winners.

            Santurce 2000 Undefeated CS Champions. Photo credit: Joe Towers.

Mako coached with the Chicago Cubs and California Angels. He managed in the minors for 20 seasons, including five in Mexico, and coached various minor-league clubs. Special thanks to Mako Oliveras and Luis Rodríguez Mayoral, who have known Mako for 60+ years. Jorge Colón Delgado did the editing and photo layouts.