Understated And Underrated
Renteria Doesn't Talk A Good Game - He Just Plays One
By Chris Snow, Globe Staff
April 01, 2005
They go by different surnames - Ramirez,
Ortiz, and
Renteria. Edgar Renteria is three years younger than Manny Ramirez,
three months
older than David Ortiz. Yet you'd think Ramirez and Ortiz, whom media
have had
to bypass to get at Renteria's locker this spring, were older siblings
safeguarding the youngest. Ramirez one day even tapped a writer on the
arm with
a bat, announcing that Renteria's media session was complete.
"Oh no, he can handle it," Ramirez said recently. "We just want
him to focus
on the little things he needs to do. It's a new team. He needs to fit
in the
right way."
As Ramirez said this he pulled up a few clubhouse chairs.
He positioned
two side by side, then the other facing the two. He motioned to
Renteria to sit
next to him and to a reporter to occupy the other seat.
The visitor asked Renteria about the lineup - he was initially
penciled in to
hit second, then moved to fifth, which is his preference. Ramirez
turned to
Renteria and translated the question into Spanish, though the
Colombian-born
shortstop needed no such assistance.
Renteria, taken aback, shot Ramirez a quizzical glance and said
nothing.
Ramirez, unfazed, began to make stuff up: "Edgar say that he's
new, he's
going to do whatever they want him to do . . . "
Renteria, who left St. Louis this winter to sign a four-year, $40
million
contract with the Red Sox, interjected: "Hitting second, hitting fifth,
sometimes it doesn't matter where I hit."
Ramirez began again.
"Edgar is a guy who's going to hit .300 and win a Gold Glove," he
said. "He's
a guy who will do a lot of special things, be a runner, get a big hit,
that's
part of his game. He's not going to be like Nomar [Garciaparra]. He's
not going
to hit .350.
"Edgar is a guy that everybody loves him in the clubhouse. Always
happy,
always trying to bring everybody together. That's what we need here. We
don't
need people to come in and hit 40 home runs or 50. We want to be
together and go
and have fun."
Could it be said any better?
Never short-changed
Bostonians have been spoiled by the shortstop position since
1996. That was
the year the kid from Southern California arrived with his lovable
idiosyncrasies and a swing that reminded Ted Williams of Joe DiMaggio.
Then, on
July 31, 2004, the Sox dealt Nomar Garciaparra, welcoming Orlando
Cabrera,
unforgettable for his infectious disposition and flawless fielding.
Renteria, a .289 career hitter with 83 home runs in 4,922
at-bats, will not
hit with the power or precision of Garciaparra (.322, 182 homers in
4,133
at-bats). In fact, since 1996, the year he debuted with the Marlins,
Renteria
has 1,059 singles, more than anyone in baseball except Derek Jeter
(1,252),
Garret Anderson (1,073), and Johnny Damon (1,073). Of Renteria's 1,423
hits,
74.4 percent have been singles vs. 60.5 percent of Garciaparra's.
Despite Cabrera's reputation as the flashier fielder, Renteria
has won two
Gold Gloves, one more than Cabrera, and won both (2002, '03) in the
time since
Cabrera won his (2001).
"When Orlando came here he played Orlando baseball," Kevin Millar
said.
"Nomar was probably the second-best player that this organization ever
had,
behind Ted Williams. But we got OC, who came in here and brought an
energy here,
his style of play. He was bunting, he was hit-and-running, he was
slapping the
ball to right. He had a great glove.
"Now you've got a guy like Edgar Renteria, who has a little bit
of
everything. He's driven in 100 runs, he's won a Gold Glove, he's stolen
30-plus
bags in this league. So you've got a combination of those two guys."
Renteria, because of his distaste for the limelight and lack of
power, will
never be classified with Garciaparra, Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez. But,
all three
reached the Show at a similar time - A-Rod in 1994, Jeter in '95,
Garciaparra
and Renteria in '96 - and, long balls aside, they've produced at
similar clips.
Consider the statistics for all shortstops since 1997, the first
full season
Garciaparra, Jeter, A-Rod, and Renteria played in the majors at the
same time.
Renteria is third in hits (1,290), trailing Jeter (1,539) and
Garciaparra
(1,309). He's third in doubles with 246, behind Garciaparra (291) and
Jeter
(254). And he's fifth in RBIs with 534, trailing A-Rod (846), Miguel
Tejada
(754), Garciaparra (694), and Jeter (608).
Renteria, meanwhile, has not been on the disabled list since
1998.
Garciaparra (four), Jeter (three), and Rodriguez (two) have combined
for nine
visits to the DL since Renteria's last.
How did Renteria injure himself that last time, in 1998? "I slid
into second
base and put my knee down," he said.
What he didn't mention was that he was safe at second, and that
slide
produced the 40th stolen base of his '98 season. He's stolen 221 bases
since the
beginning of the '97 season, tops among major league shortstops. Jeter
is third
with 187, A-Rod fourth with 155, Garciaparra 13th with 81. Renteria,
though, was
caught stealing 87 times, more than Jeter (45) and A-Rod (40) combined.
"He's pretty much Jeter, without that notoriety," Johnny Damon
said. "He's
that solid of a player."
Want more? Besides Ramirez and Ortiz, Renteria is the only other
Sox player
to have knocked in 100 runs (he plated an even 100 in 2003). Damon (94
in '04)
never did that, nor did Trot Nixon (94 in '02) or Millar (96 in '03).
Early last month Sox manager Terry Francona announced that
Renteria would bat
second, then changed his mind, sliding Nixon into the two-hole and
moving
Renteria to fifth. That amendment is exactly what Renteria would want,
according
to his former manager.
"Edgar Renteria is a classic winning player," said the Cardinals'
Tony La
Russa. "He will do whatever gives you the best chance to win, first,
second,
third, fourth, ninth. If you tell Edgar that's what he needs to do to
help the
club win, he'd hit ninth. But if you said, OK, all things being equal,
what
would you prefer to do, he loves to hit with men on base."
Either way, La Russa concluded, "They're not going to have any
problem with
Edgar. He's a winner, man."
Baby of the family
Renteria was the youngest of 14 kids. Six died as infants. Those
who lived
shared one room with four beds. Of the 14, the baby, Edgar, was the one
who made
it big.
"I think it's because when you were younger you take something
from everybody
else," Renteria said. "All my brothers, they play baseball. One
brother, he had
great hands, but he no hit. The other he can hit but he can't catch any
balls.
"I'm the youngest. Maybe I took a little of everything to do it.
You think
about that. He's the youngest, too."
Renteria looked at Ramirez.
"Four girls," Ramirez confirmed. "I'm the only boy."
Renteria's love as a child was soccer, though he played baseball
as well. He
met Cabrera in a youth tournament when he was 11 or 12, and,
interestingly, was
recommended to the Marlins by Cabrera's father, a Colombian scout.
"Orlando's dad was a great guy," Renteria said. "He always worked
with
Colombian players. He told me I'd be in the big leagues because of the
way I
played."
Renteria signed illegally in 1992 at age 15. His birth
certificate had been
forged to make him a year older and eligible to sign. Despite all his
time spent
since then in the United States - he played four minor league seasons,
three
years in Florida, then six in St. Louis - he's never quite let the
media in.
"The people say I don't like to talk," Renteria said. "But I
don't have
nothing to say. I love the game. I get a base hit. I don't need to say
anything.
Maybe my glove and my bat sometimes talk for me."
"Yeah," Ramirez said, interjecting. "He's like Vladi Guerrero.
Gree-aat guy,
man. He's like that, shy, quiet. But awesome guy, man."
Renteria is interesting and funny, but few people see that. For
instance,
Renteria mentioned how he and Ramirez owned homes in the same Florida
neighborhood.
"He moved to Miami now," Ramirez said. "I live where the poor
people live,
Fort Lauderdale. He lives in Miami near the water."
Asked if he lived near the water, Ramirez said, "No, I don't like
water. I'm
saving money."
Renteria cut in, saying, "He no catch the fish. He eat the fish."
Those humorous moments figure to occur often deep in the Sox
clubhouse but
rarely with a camera rolling. Just how Renteria, the most understated
player in
baseball, likes it.
"I got asked last year, 'Who is the most underrated player in
baseball?' "
said Sox reliever Matt Mantei, Renteria's Florida teammate in '97 and
'98. "I
said, 'Edgar.'
"He hits .300 every year, plays great defense, is one of the best
clutch
hitters in the game, doesn't get a lot of recognition. He's quiet, laid
back,
plays for his team. He's awesome. He hasn't changed a bit."
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