Former Dodgers Rookie of the Year's lengthy prison sentence ends after agreement

In 2006, a year after wrapping up a lackluster 13th MLB season, former Dodgers Rookie of the Year Raúl Mondesi went back to the Dominican Republic and embarked on a political career. In 2010, he was elected mayor of San Cristóbal and served a six-year term; the year after he left office, he was slapped with corruption and embezzlement charges and sentenced to eight years in prison and a $1.27 million fine.

Flash forward seven years to 2024. He was re-sentenced, this time to six years and nine months with a $507,000 fine, but because Mondesi has already spent that time under house arrest, it was considered served.

This is all a weird, roundabout way of saying that Mondesi is in trouble, but also sort of...isn't anymore, in what's been a pretty bizarre turn of events and fall from grace for a guy who was once a decorated player in LA. His time in captivity has now concluded.

1994 Dodgers Rookie of the Year Raúl Mondesi sentenced to nearly seven years in Dominican Republic jail ... after serving it.

During Mondesi's rookie season, 1994, he batted .306 with a .849 OPS, 16 home runs, and 56 RBI, leading him to win Rookie of the Year by unanimous vote. He stayed in LA for five more seasons, picking up an All-Star appearance and Gold Glove in 1995, when he hit 26 home runs and batted in 88 runs. In 1998, he placed 15th in MVP voting, picked up another Gold Glove for his efforts in the outfield, and joined the 30-30 club.

The Dodgers traded him to the Blue Jays ahead of the 2000 season, and he proceeded to bounce around the league until the end of the 2005 season. He added time with the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Pirates, Angels, and finally Braves to his resume before leaving the game, as his numbers had taken a nosedive in the years after he left LA.

It's one of the weirder baseball stories you'll hear this week. Regardless, it's safe to say that he won't be honored at Dodger Stadium anytime soon.