Long Year For Shortstop
By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff
October 09, 2005
Edgar Renteria was always the silent one in the Red Sox
clubhouse, buried in
his locker in the corner of the room, his quiet demeanor contrasting
strongly
with those of the players in the lockers around him. He wasn't hitting.
He wasn
't fielding. He wasn't the player he had been, the one he was supposed
to be. He
made no statements, didn't complain, yet he seemed to be suffering
because of
the anticipation that comes with a four-year, $40 million free agent
deal.
He was suffering, apparently, just not from the
expectations.
"He's had a lot of things that nobody ever knew,"
manager Terry
Francona said in his postmortem on the Red Sox season yesterday. "He
had a groin
the last two weeks that was not feeling very good. We tried to protect
him as
much as we could. Sometimes we didn't run on the bases where maybe we
could
[have]."
And, Francona said, it wasn't just the shortstop's groin,
it was also
Renteria's lower back, an area he seemed to be constantly concerned
with,
especially on the field. He could be seen, after certain plays, lifting
his arm
and stretching his back, which seemed to indicate some ache or
soreness.
While Francona indicated that motion might just have been a
practiced
mannerism, he does believe there has been a problem, though Renteria
who was not
in the clubhouse to answer questions yesterday is not expected to
require
surgery.
"I think a lot of our players deal with nagging injuries
throughout the
course of the year," general manager Theo Epstein said. "Edgar, this
wasn't one
of his best seasons. I think he's going to have a great offseason. I
think he
feels that obligation to come into camp in great shape next year and
have a
terrific season for us.
"Players' careers don't play out in a linear fashion. There
are ups and
downs. He'd admit this wasn't one of his best seasons. He called it one
of his
more frustrating seasons. He'll take the steps necessary to improve
upon that."
Injured or not, Renteria disappointed those looking for a
successor to
Nomar Garciaparra. Some couldn't understand the big bucks signing of
Renteria at
a position that had a rising star (Hanley Ramirez) in the farm system
and a
short-term option in Orlando Cabrera, whom the club let go. And that
was before
the season.
In his first year in Boston, the former Cardinal and Marlin
experienced
the worst defensive season (30 errors) in his 10-year career and it
could have
been worse. John Olerud, a superior defensive first baseman, snagged
more than a
couple of errant throws, saving additional nicks in the shortstop's
statistical
line.
Compounding the issue, Renteria had an abysmal April in
which he hit just
.228 with an on-base percentage of .283. It got better, but not by
much. He
finished the season at .276, better than only Kevin Millar and Trot
Nixon among
the Sox regulars, from a player whose career average was .289 before
2005.
"Every player goes through difficulties," Francona said.
"Getting a big
contract doesn't mean players aren't going to have frustrations or
difficulties.
They have to be able to handle the burden of that responsibility. With
a lot of
money comes expectations from fans, media, and everybody. When they go
through
struggles, they have to be able to handle that."
But it isn't quite that simple. Though Renteria has been
criticized
roundly and his number of errors has brought on much of that his
offensive
production isn't as down as it might seem. Other than a stellar 2003
season, one
that now appears to be an aberration, Renteria never has hit higher
than .309
and never has had more than 83 RBIs.
In his final season with the Cardinals, 2004, the
Colombian-born shortstop
hit 11 points higher than this season, swatted two more home runs, and
drove in
two more runs. He had five more total bases and scored 16 more runs
this year.
Renteria, unlike the rest of the infield and, potentially,
two-thirds of
the outfield, should be back in a Red Sox uniform come Opening Day. The
question
is whether his hitting stroke, or his defense, will return with him.
"I think what we'll see is a guy that won't go through an
April like he
did," Francona said. "That was a very difficult month for him.
"Next year when he comes to spring training, he won't be
introducing
himself, he'll be welcoming people back as one of our leaders. That
will ease
the burden a lot."
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