#727 Jose Laboy

AKA Coco… A long time career minor farmhand, given an opportunity by the 1969expansion…One of the first Expos stars in 1969…Never had  played in MLB game before he set foot at Shea Stadium for the NY Mets home opener….Did well slugging a home run and getting 3 RBIs....Montreal picked him in the expansion draft…Came from St. Louis organization where had a 100 RBIs in the PCL…excellent numbers in rookie season (18, 83,.258) that was never replicated….Finished second in ROY voting....Had a disastrous sophomore season… part of the change is attributed to pitchers learning his weaknesses…subsequently was replaced by Bob Bailey at third… was a 29 year old rookie… injured early 1971 and struggled to come back although his BA return to near 1969 levels…split time in majors and minor in 1972.