| Rod Barajas | |
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| Free Agent — No. -- | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: September 5, 1975 Ontario, California |
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| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 25, 1999 for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| Career statistics (through September 2, 2009) |
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| Batting average | .238 |
| Home runs | 92 |
| Runs batted in | 355 |
| Hits | 601 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Rodrigo Richard Barajas (born September 5, 1975 in Ontario, California) is a free agent Major League Baseball catcher. He came up to the majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1999.
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Minor league career
Barajas was originally signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks as an amateur free agent on December 23, 1996. He was immediately sent to the minor leagues. He played for the Lethbridge Black Diamonds of the Pioneer League (Rk), the lowest level of the minors as a rookie. He had a nice season in 1996 there, hitting .337 in 51 games. He played his way to the top of the minor leagues in the Diamondbacks' system. In 1999, he made his debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Major league career
1999-2000
Barajas played in a total of 10 games with the Diamondbacks in 1999 and 2000. He homered twice and did not commit a single error while playing catcher.
2001
Barajas struggled at the plate in 2001, hitting just .160 in 51 games, though he only committed one error while serving as a backup for Damian Miller. He was on the Diamondbacks' world series roster. In Game 5 of the World Series, he homered off Mike Mussina of the New York Yankees.
2002-03
Barajas continued to serve as a backup for Miller in 2002. In 70 games, he hit .234, with 3 Home Runs and 23 RBI. In 2003, he pulled off similar numbers in 80 games, batting just .218, with 3 Home Runs and 28 RBI.
2004-05
Before 2004, Barajas had never played more than 80 games, hit more than three home runs, or batted higher than .234 in a full season. In 2004, the Rangers invited him to spring training and he won the backup catcher's job. After starting catcher Gerald Laird was sidelined with a sprained thumb, Barajas took over the starting job with Laird and Danny Ardoin serving as his backups. At the end of the season, he established career highs in games played (108), home runs (15), RBIs (58), and batting average (.249). Barajas also played some first base when needed, compiling ten career games there as a defensive replacement, through the 2007 season. In 2005, he hit a career-high 21 Home Runs, serving as the starter once again. In 2006, his numbers dropped significantly and he split time with Laird.
2007
In November 2006, Barajas was originally going to sign a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, but he backed out of the deal at the last minute, after switching agents. On December 18, 2006, it was announced that Barajas had reached an agreement with the Philadelphia Phillies for a one year deal worth less than half of the Blue Jay offer a month earlier. Barajas claimed he was happy with the new deal and has no regrets in backing out of the deal with Toronto. He shared time behind the plate with Carlos Ruiz. On August 3, 2007, Barajas was placed on the 15-day disabled list with what was reported in the media as a groin injury.
2008
On October 11, 2007 the Phillies declined his option making him a free agent, and on January 24, 2008 Barajas signed a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, the team he backed out of a contract with the previous offseason, this time as the backup to incumbent catcher Gregg Zaun. Zaun had signed a two year deal with the team only after negotiations with Barajas fell apart. .[1] Blue Jays manager J.P. Ricciardi has said he has no hard feelings towards Barajas for backing out of the deal a year ago. Zaun was supposed to be the starting catcher, but due to his poor offensive numbers and overall difficulties, manager Cito Gaston made Barajas the starter after he took over for John Gibbons. He took over the starting catching job from Gregg Zaun, and continued in that role in 2009. He finished the 2008 season batting .249 with 11 home runs, 49 RBIs, a .294 on-base percentage and a .410 slugging percentage over 104 games.
2009
Rod Barajas finished the 2009 season batting .226 in 125 games with 19 home runs, and a career high 71 RBI. He is currently an Unrestricted Free Agent, though he says that he would like to return to Toronto for the 2010 season[2].
Personal life
Barajas is of Mexican American descent. His wife, Stacie, gave birth to their sixth child, daughter Aubrielle, on July 17, 2007. The couple have four sons, Andrew, Bryce, Rod Jr. and Jace, and two daughters, Aunalilia and Aubrielle.[3] Rod attended Cerritos Community College.Rod Barajas attended Santa Fe Springs High School, Santa Fe Springs, Ca
- ^ "Jays sign Barajas to one-year deal". MLB.com. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080124&content_id=2354820&vkey=hotstove2007&fext=.jsp. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
- ^ http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091012&content_id=7440046&vkey=news_tor&fext=.jsp&c_id=tor
- ^ "Notes: Germano eager to face Phillies Let go in Spring Training, Padres righty enjoying solid '07". MLB.com. http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070719&content_id=2097584&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
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