Renteria Eager To Regain Top Form
Shortstop ready to prove his glove can still be golden
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
February 28, 2006
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- When Edgar Renteria arrived in Braves camp last week, he immediately commented on the beautiful surroundings at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex.
While Disney officials have created some picturesque landscapes, any new surroundings might have been deemed beautiful by Renteria, who hasn't shed a tear since learning he'll no longer have to call Fenway Park his home office.
Since being traded by the Red Sox in December, Renteria has looked forward to the opportunity to prove that his one year in Boston was a fluke and that he's capable of being a productive big leaguer for many years to come.
"It feels good," said Renteria as he put on his Braves jersey earlier this week. "From the first day when they traded for me, I felt my mind was cleared. Everything was perfect."
In contrast, the 2005 season that Renteria spent with the Red Sox was anything but perfect. Having arrived as the prize offseason acquisition of the reigning world champs, the talented shortstop exited Boston having endured the harsh criticism of the fans who had quickly turned against him.
Now Renteria has a fresh start with a Braves organization that believes a new environment is exactly what the 30-year-old shortstop needs to regain his status as one of the game's top players. He's played in two World Series, participated in four All-Star Games, won three Silver Slugger Awards and captured two Gold Glove Awards.
Obviously, he has the resume to indicate he might be a great replacement for Rafael Furcal, Atlanta's former strong-armed shortstop who signed with the Dodgers just four days before the Red Sox sent Renteria and cash to the Braves in exchange for top prospect Andy Marte.
"I've liked Edgar for a long time," Chipper Jones said. "I thought we should have been in the running for him a long time ago. He's a clutch hitter, situational hitter, Gold Glove-caliber shortstop. You can't ask for anything more."
Renteria's struggles in Boston began when he hit .228 in April. The resulting boos got even louder as he amassed a career-high 30 errors. It didn't matter that he managed to end the season hitting .276 with eight homers and 70 RBIs -- the same number of runs driven in by Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.
To Red Sox fans, Renteria had fallen far below their expectations. In fairness to them, this wasn't the same guy who had hit .297 and averaged 10 homers and 80 RBIs with the Cardinals between 2002-04. Nor was he the sure-handed fielder who had totaled just 27 errors in his final two seasons with St. Louis.
While Boston fans gave up on him, the Braves were more than willing to give him another chance. He's a strong asset in the clubhouse and someone who has been known to come through in the clutch.
In the 11th inning of Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, Renteria, then just 22 years old, delivered the game-winning single for the Marlins. During his career, he has hit .296 with runners in scoring position.
"I respect him as a player that I've played against about as much as anybody," John Smoltz said. "That's a high regard when you talk about the likes of who I've played against. He plays the game right, plays with his head and you never hear anything about him bad. I think he's going to wear our uniform about as well as most have."
Given a chance to blame the conditions of the infield at Fenway Park, the sometimes unsavory temperatures in Boston or the pressure of playing in front of the seldom-forgiving Red Sox fans, Renteria has chosen to blame last year's struggles on himself.
During the offseason, Renteria hired a personal trainer and worked hard to get himself into top playing shape. He intends to take numerous ground balls over the next week and give himself the best chance to prove his glove can still be golden.
"The only way you get better is by working hard, and that is what I plan to do," Renteria said.
Renteria's greatest benefit might be playing for the ever-encouraging Bobby Cox in a city where the fans are much more forgiving. Although he didn't meet expectations in his first year with the Braves last year, Tim Hudson says Atlanta "is one of the easiest places to play."
"Everybody knows how awesome he was in St. Louis, and then he goes over to Boston, and Boston is a tough place to play," Hudson said. "Anybody can go there and struggle their first year."
Veteran left-handed reliever Mike Remlinger, who is in Braves camp as a non-roster invitee, played with Renteria in Boston last August. It was a month in which the veteran shortstop looked like his old productive self, hitting .342 and recording 20 RBIs.
During that time, Remlinger was reminded why Renteria has always been so popular with his teammates.
"Defensively, he's a guy I'd always love to have playing shortstop behind me," Remlinger said. "Offensively, he was always the guy who, the bigger the situation was, the harder it was to get him out.
"I think he's going to go back to doing what he did in St. Louis. He's a quality individual. In the three weeks I was around him, he was exactly what I thought he was. He's the type of guy who will thrive in this environment."
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