Lafayette Drillers Flashback: Lazaro Delorbe

The Lafayette Drillers, a Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, called Lafayette, Louisiana their home for two years, from 1975-1976.

The Drillers, who played their home games at Clark Field, were co-champions of the Texas League in 1975 with the Midland Cubs, finishing 72-57, before going 58-76 in 1976, the last year of affiliated professional baseball in Lafayette.

A number of outstanding players, who eventually made it into Major League Baseball ranks played at Clark Field in 1975 & 1976, including five former Lafayette Driller players.

All summer long, we’re taking a look back at some of the former players for the Drillers.

Today, Lazaro "Chico" Delorbe

Delorbe was an infielder who played in both the 1975 and 1976 seasons with the Drillers.

Driller fans may remember Delorbe more for his duties as first base coach during his tenure in Lafayette than for his time on the playing field.

A native of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, Delorbe began playing professional baseball in 1968, age the age of 17.

The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Delorbe made minor league stops in St. Petersburg, Florida, Modesto, California, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Miami, Florida, Memphis, Tennessee, Tidewater, Virginia, and Amarillo, Texas, before joining the Drillers in 1975, at the age of 24.

With Lafayette, Delorbe played sparingly in 1975, hitting an .063 with no home runs, and one run batted in, without a stolen base.

In only 16 at-bats, Delorbe, a right-handed hitter, collected one hit, a single, with no walks and no strikeouts.

Defensively, Delorbe appeared in four games, two at second base and two at third base, committing an error at each position.

Delorbe returned to Lafayette in 1976, hitting a hitting a .215 with no homers and nine RBI's over 107 at-bats.

That 1976 season proved to be the last for Delorbe in professional baseball, having made it as high as the AAA level, but never to Major League Baseball.

Delorbe compiled a .242 career batting average, along with one home run,, 111 RBI’s, and 43 stolen bases in 547 minor league games, covering nine seasons.