Ramón Orantes Rodarte (born 5 December 1973) is a Mexican professional baseball manager and former infielder who currently serves as the manager for the Pericos de Puebla of the Mexican League.
Orantes spent his entire playing career in Mexico, appearing in 24 seasons in the Mexican League (LMB) and 23 seasons in the Mexican Pacific League (LMP), primarily as a third baseman, although he also played first base. In 2024, he was inducted into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame.
Early life Orantes was born in Todos Santos, La Paz Municipality, Baja California Sur on 5 December 1973.
Playing career Mexican League Orantes made his professional debut in the Mexican League (LMB) in 1993 with the Sultanes de Monterrey, appearing in three games during his rookie season. He became the club's starting third baseman in 1994, replacing Germán Rivera, and was a member of Monterrey's championship-winning team in 1995.
During the 1996 season, he began the year with the Sultanes before being loaned to the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna and later to the Rieleros de Aguascalientes. He opened the 1997 season with Monterrey and was subsequently loaned to Aguascalientes for a second consecutive year. Orantes spent the entire 1998 season with the Rieleros before returning to the Sultanes, where he played from 1999 to 2007. He was transferred to the Dorados de Chihuahua in 2007 and remained with the club through 2010. He later played for the Olmecas de Tabasco from 2011 to 2014 and the Saraperos de Saltillo from 2015 to 2016. Orantes retired following the 2016 season.
+ Mexican League career statistics Seasons G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB BA SLG 24 1972 6867 897 2183 314 31 143 1034 40 478 .318 .435
Mexican Pacific League Orantes played 23 seasons in the Mexican Pacific League (LMP). He made his debut during the 1993–94 season with the Yaquis de Obregón. He spent his first three campaigns with the club before joining the Águilas de Mexicali for the 1996–97 season. Orantes later joined the Cañeros de Los Mochis, where he played from 1998 until his retirement following the 2016–17 season. On 15 November 2015, he recorded his 1,000th LMP hit, becoming just the 13th player in league history to reach the milestone.
+ Mexican Pacific League career statistics Seasons G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB BA SLG 23 1090 3608 427 1021 137 4 124 502 13 243 .283 .500
Coaching and managerial career Vaqueros Laguna / Algodoneros de Unión Laguna After retiring as player following the 2016 Mexican League season, Orantes was announced as the new manager for Vaqueros Laguna on 22 November 2016, ahead of the 2017 season, replacing Daniel Fernández. The team finished fifth in the North Zone and failed to qualify to the playoffs.
The Vaqueros changed their name to the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna for the following season. After the club failed to qualify for the playoffs in both 2018 tournaments, Orantes was dismissed and replaced by Jonathan Aceves.
Olmecas de Tabasco In 2019, Orantes joined the Olmecas de Tabasco as their new manager. After the Olmecas finished last in the South Zone with a 45–72 record, Orantes was replaced by Pedro Meré on 7 October 2019.
Algodoneros de Unión Laguna (second stint) On 26 May 2022, Orantes replaced Óscar Robles as interim manager of the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna; he was later ratified as manager for the rest of the season. He led the team to the playoffs, where they were eliminated by the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos in the first round.
On 14 July 2023, Orantes was dismissed and replaced by José Molina.
Caliente de Durango In 2025, Orantes joined Caliente de Durango as the team's bench coach, under manager Ronny Paulino. On 12 May, he was named interim manager following Paulino's departure. Orantes managed the club to a 19–28 record before being replaced by Ramón Valdez on 11 July.
Pericos de Puebla On 24 November 2025, Orantes joined the Pericos de Puebla as the hitting coach on Darryl Brinkley's coaching staff. On 22 May 2026, he was promoted to manager after Brinkley was dismissed.
Managerial statistics Mexican League Year Team Regular season Postseason Games Won Lost Tied Pct. Finish Won Lost Pct. Notes Vaqueros Laguna 109 5th in North – – – – Algodoneros de Unión Laguna 57 7th in North – – – – Algodoneros de Unión Laguna 57 8th in North – – – – Olmecas de Tabasco 117 8th in South – – – – Algodoneros de Unión Laguna 59 5th in North Lost first round (Dos Laredos) Algodoneros de Unión Laguna 69 – – – – – Caliente de Durango 47 – – – – – Total 76
Legacy On 13 October 2016, the Cañeros de Los Mochis retired Orantes' number 24.
Orantes was enshrined into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024 alongside pitchers Yovani Gallardo, Juan Manuel Palafox, Cecilio Ruiz and Richard Sandate, infielder Miguel Flores, and umpire Luis Alberto Ramírez.
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