Playing in the Majors to politics: The surprising story of Raul Mondesi serving 8-year imprisonment for corruption during his reign in mayor's office

In the early 1990s, rightfielder Raul Mondesi was one of the hottest names in baseball. However, the stud's failure to keep his nose out of trouble cost him dearly in his post-playing years.

Born in the Dominican city of San Cristobal in 1971, Mondesi showed a knack for baseball from a very young age. By the late 1980s, he was actively being courted by MLB clubs. Eventually it was the Los Angeles Dodgers who decided to take a chance on the then-17-year-old, signing him as an international free agent in 1988.

After putting up some impressive numbers in the minor leagues, Raul Mondesi finally got the call of his life in 1993. In the lockout-shortened season of 1994, he earned himself a full-time spot on the Dodgers roster, hitting .306/.333/.516 with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs, winning the NL Rookie of the Year. With the honor, he became the third of five Dodgers to be named top rookies between 1992 and 1996.

"On April 28, 1995, the @Dodgers returned home for their first game back at Dodger Stadium following the 1994 labor stoppage. Raúl Mondesí was honored as 1994 NL Rookie of the Year, while Billy Ashley homered with 5 RBI's in a 9-1 win over Atlanta." - Dodgers Archive

The following season, Mondesi won his first career Gold Glove for his play in the outfield, and earned another in 1997. 1998 saw career-high numbers of Mondesi, as the 28-year-old launched 33 home runs and 99 RBIs for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ahead of the 2000 season, Raul Mondesi was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, but injuries limited him to only 96 games. The following season, Mondesi finished the year with a .252 batting average, his lowest value to date.

Following a 2002 trade to the New York Yankees, Mondesi saw his numbers degrade even further. Eventually, the Yankees traded Raul Mondesi to Arizona, but it was now clear to everyone that the former Rookie of the Year was a mere shell of his former self.

Following stints with an array of teams, Mondesi finally decided to call it quits on his baseball career in 2005, after appearing in just 41 games with the Atlanta Braves. Little did fans know that they would hear his name again, albeit for all the wrong reasons.

In May 2010, Mondesi was elected the mayor of his home city of San Cristobal. While citizens of the southern settlement originally had reason to rejoice about being represented by the former MLB star, things soon went pear-shaped. In 2017, accusations came to light that Mondesi has embezzled roughly $1.3 million in public funds. This led to his arrest and subsequent sentence to eight years in a Dominican jail.

"MLB: Former Dodgers OF Raul Mondesi sentenced to jail on corruption charges in Dominican Republic (ESPN)" - Michelle G TV

Greed tarnished the reputation of Raul Mondesi forever

While we have seen numerous ex-MLB stars, such as former Oakland Athletics star Miguel Tejada, run into post-playing money issues, stealing is never the answer. As a former star with a significant amount of weight to his name, Raul Mondesi could have pursued other ends if he was having money issues. Unfortunately his name will always be tied to how he defrauded his compatriots, rather than his laundry list of MLB achievements.