Renteria-Rolen Combo Like No Other
Two Combine To Form Baseball's Best Left-Side Duo
Jim Molony
March 31, 2004
In the subjective world of player evaluation, even great players can sometimes get short shrift because of factors beyond their control.
So it seems with Edgar Renteria and Scott Rolen, the best all-around left side of the infield of this era. And yet the two St. Louis superstars do not get the attention or accolades they deserve and have been generally overshadowed by East Coast counterparts who play in larger media markets.
In baseball, offense commands the greater share of attention even though the complete player who can play defense and run as well as hit is the rarest of all players. Such all-around talents are around, with an Alex Rodriguez here or a Nomar Garciaparra there, but is the rarest of rare to find two complete players on one side of the same infield.
That is exactly what you'll find in St. Louis in shortstop Renteria and third baseman Rolen.
Name any current or recent left side you like, and they don't surpass the all-around standard set by Renteria and Rolen. There are others who hit more home runs or drive in more runs and one or two who might hit for a higher average, but when you consider all of the hitting and infield skills none do so many things as well as this impressive duo.
Renteria and Rolen can beat you with the long ball or small ball. They can beat you with the glove, with a stolen base or taking the extra base. They can beat you with a walk or with a sacrifice. They do so many things to beat you and they do them all consistently and so very well.
Watch St. Louis play for any length of time and you understand why Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan value pitchers who can produce ground balls so highly.
"As a pitcher, if you can get ground balls on this team you're going to get outs," Cardinals right-hander Woody Williams said."You get 27 (ground balls) to our left side you've got maybe a no-hitter or a shutout."
Homeland security should be as airtight as the left side of the St. Louis infield. Unlike some teams, whose fielding percentages are inflated because they do not cover much ground, Renteria and Rolen combined for 737 assists last year, the most of any left side tandem in baseball despite playing for a team with a preponderance of fly ball pitchers.
They have won a combined seven Gold Gloves, five by Rolen and two by Renteria. The only other left side in baseball with more can be found in Cleveland since shortstop Omar Vizquel has won nine by himself.
"Those guys are amazing," Cardinals right fielder Reggie Sanders said. "They've been robbing hitters (of hits) for years, I know because they got me plenty of times. When you don't see them every day you wonder if it's just against you, but they do it every day."
They are at the pinnacle of excellence defensively, which by itself would be noteworthy. Yet you can also argue their defensive skills are secondary to the caliber of offense Renteria and Rolen bring to the St. Louis lineup.
Offensively this tandem ranks near the top in all of the important statistical categories. Pick any starting left side in baseball last season and the only pair in either league that comes close to matching Renteria and Rolen's offensive production was Boston's, with third baseman Bill Mueller and shortstop Garciaparra.
As far as starting left side tandems, Renteria and Rolen's 354 hits trailed only the 369 by Mueller and Garciaparra. Their 194 runs was third in baseball to the 213 by A-Rod and Hank Blalock and the 205 by the Boston duo. "R & R's" 204 RBIs trailed only the Texas twosome [208] and Oakland's Miguel Tejada and Eric Chavez (207). Renteria and Rolen's combined batting average of .308 trailed Boston's by five points.
The 41 homers hit by Renteria and Rolen ranked sixth among left sides, trailing Texas (76), Oakland (56), Florida (Mike Lowell and Alex Gonzalez combined for 50), Boston (47) and the Chicago White Sox (47 by Jose Valentin and Joe Crede). Renteria and Rolen led baseball's left side combos in steals (47) by a wide margin. In the all-important on-base percentage rankings, the St. Louis pair finished at .388, 12 points ahead of second-place Boston.
Both are poised for another outstanding year. Renteria and Rolen made their debuts in 1996, both are 28 years old (Rolen turns 29 on April 4) which means both are entering the period of what usually are the peak years for players.
Some might argue the New York Yankees, with Rodriguez now at third base and Derek Jeter at short, will field a better all-around left side than Renteria and Rolen, but scouts will tell you Jeter cannot compare to Renteria defensively and the Cardinal shortstop runs better and posted better offensive numbers last year. And it remains to be seen how well A-Rod adjusts to his new position.
The New York tandem might hit more homers because of A-Rod and drive in more runs, but when you factor in defense, speed, arms, on-base percentage and the other all-around yardsticks, Renteria and Rolen should get the nod.
Boston's tandem also deserves mention but even if you grant the Red Sox pair the slight edge as hitters an objective comparison has to give the all-around nod to Renteria and Rolen because of their defensive and speed advantage.
"They're guys I'd pay to see," said Houston first baseman Jeff Bagwell, who knows something about complete players. "Those two over there are as good as it gets (on the left side). They beat you with the big hit or the great play."
In the final all-around analysis this pair of Cards trumps all.
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