Renteria Arrives In Search Of Second Ring
New shortstop wants same thing Braves are chasing
By David O'Brien
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
December 13, 2005
Don't tell the Braves' new shortstop that Turner Field is a house
of
postseason horrors for Atlanta. Edgar Renteria has nothing but fond
playoff
memories of the place --- and aims to produce more.
Above restoring his status as an All-Star and Gold Glove-caliber
player,
Renteria wants to win another World Series ring, to go with the one he
earned
with the Florida Marlins in 1997.
"The most important thing is, I want to help the team win the
championship,"
the amiable Colombian said at a news conference Monday at Turner Field,
four
days after the trade that brought him to Atlanta from Boston.
"I'm still looking for that [second World Series championship].
It's been a
long time since '97. I want to win another."
He was a shy 22-year-old on a balmy October 1997 night when he
became a hero
in Miami and Colombia, hitting a bases-loaded, two-out single in the
bottom of
the 11th inning for a Game 7 victory over Cleveland.
He had three hits that night, and 12 nights earlier he had two
hits, two
walks and two runs at Turner Field when the Marlins beat the Braves in
the
decisive sixth game of the NL Championship Series. He also helped St.
Louis in a
division series sweep of Atlanta in 2000 that was capped at Turner
Field.
"Good ballpark," he said. "Great organization. I'm so happy to be
here. I
always wanted to play for Atlanta."
His older brother Edison was a minor league coach for the Braves
in the
1990s, and another brother played for the Braves' Dominican Republic
rookie
team.
But it was his performance for nearly a decade that led the
Braves to inquire
about his availability after losing free agent Rafael Furcal to the
Dodgers.
"We could not have acquired a more perfect player for us,"
general manager
John Schuerholz said of Renteria, who has three years left on a $40
million
contract signed last winter. Atlanta is responsible for $18 million.
The Braves traded top third-base prospect Andy Marte for
Renteria, 30, and
cash from the Red Sox to offset the remainder of the contract.
"When we lost Rafael Furcal to the Dodgers, it was very important
to us to
end up with the most reliable shortstop we could," Schuerholz said.
Renteria is a .288 career hitter in 10 seasons and averaged 11
homers, 35
doubles and 74 RBIs over the past seven. He batted .330 with 100 RBIs
for St.
Louis in 2003. But last year in his only season with the Red Sox, he
had a
career-high 30 errors and his fewest homers (eight) since 1998.
"I don't have anything to prove," he said, a smile negating any
edginess.
His pride took a hit last season. The usually steady shortstop
had a bad
season at a most inopportune time --- for a Boston team that didn't
meet
expectations, and passionate fans who put a lot of the blame on their
high-priced shortstop.
He struggled in early season cold, played with back and groin
injuries that
he refused to use as excuses, and was booed increasingly by Fenway Park
denizens.
"I never had that happen to me," said Renteria, whose Boston
teammates,
notably Kevin Millar, came to his defense and tried to get fans off his
back. "I
never got booed before. And I didn't know how to deal with that."
Renteria has always been a slow starter, as his .264 career
average in April
attests. His marks rise to .288 in May, .289 in June, .303 in July and
.305 in
August.
"I start slow, and maybe [Boston] fans don't know me," said
Renteria, who hit
.228 with nine RBIs in 25 games through May 2, as Red Sox Nation got
antsy.
He rebounded to bat .307 with 43 RBIs and a .368 on-base
percentage over his
next 95 games through Aug. 27, then cooled to .224 over his last 33
games.
He agrees his game is better suited to the NL, where hitting
behind the
runner, moving men over, bunting and doing all the little things are
more
appreciated.
"In Boston, everybody could hit a three-run homer," Renteria
said.
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