Steady Eddie: Relaxed Renteria Feeling At Home In Atlanta
Gwinett Daily Post
March 16, 2006
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Genius is not required to comprehend that Edgar Renteria is quickly adjusting to his new uniform and team, even if the on-field results are a to-be-determined venture.
More mornings than not, a group of young Latin players, as many as five or six, surround the new Atlanta shortstop's locker in the team's spring clubhouse.
It's not that Renteria is a boisterous individual who commands attention with antics. The native of Colombia describes himself as a quiet guy who likes going about his business.
Renteria's obvious popularity, his teammates say, lies more in that laidback attitude. And, it seems, that's what makes him feel an immediate comfort in an Atlanta locker room that has long been noted for its relaxed ambiance.
"It fits," Renteria said Wednesday morning in one of the few alone-time moments he has in the clubhouse. "From the first day, I've felt comfortable here."
Perhaps the 30-year-old's first day with the Braves resulted in more of a personally relaxed vibe than he ever felt in Boston, where he was roasted last season for not being the consistent player - offensively or defensively - that he was perceived to be coming in.
The three-time Silver Slugger winner hit .276 with 70 RBIs. That was 12 points off his career average, but just one RBI apart from his season average.
Defensively, though, Renteria committed 30 errors - more than any other player in the majors. With St. Louis, the two-time Gold Glover had just 27 the previous two years. He has said the suspect Fenway field played a part in that.
"Anybody that has an average year there is going to take heat," Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said, alluding to the pressure to succeed in Boston's intense media market "We understand that. It's too bad because he's such a great player."
Renteria's agent, Jeffrey Lane, said things just got away from his client.
"I think the whole thing was a snowball thing," Lane said in December at Renteria's Atlanta introduction. "He just wasn't the same Edgar that he was in the past."
Contrary to his nickname - "Steady Eddie" - Renteria's 2005 was marked offensively by supreme inconsistency. He hit .228 in April before rebounding to hit .354 in May. He dropped back to .251 in June and July, but again rebounded to hit .342 in August. He slipped back to .224 in September.
Left unimpressed by the overall results, Boston traded Renteria to Atlanta on Dec. 9 for third base prospect Andy Marte, who was later shipped to Cleveland for outfielder Coco Crisp.
What stunned Lane was the fact that the Red Sox agreed to pay $8 million of Renteria's salary in the remaining three years of his contract. They'll also pick up Renteria's $3 million buyout in 2009 should the Braves decide against his $11 million club option.
Essentially, Lane agreed, the four-time All-Star was given away.
"That's what is seems like to me," he said. "There's no way to sugarcoat that."
Everyone associated with the Braves seems eager to welcome Renteria, open-armed.
Cox has lauded his work ethic and smooth swing all spring. After a two-run single Wednesday against the Dodgers, Renteria's Grapefruit League average is up to .304. He hit his first home run Sunday against his former team, St. Louis.
"He's been one of the finer ballplayers in this league the past six, seven years," Cox said. "He battles in every at-bat. I like that kind of hitter."
The season in Boston notwithstanding, because of his reputation for consistency, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said he'd like to have Renteria perhaps more than outgoing Atlanta shortstop Rafael Furcal.
"He'll be very good for the Atlanta Braves," La Russa said. "He didn't quite jell in that Boston situation, but he can play anywhere. So many people have exaggerated that year."
The Braves didn't even really have the opportunity to mourn the loss of Furcal. He signed with the Dodgers on the first Sunday in December. By Thursday morning, Renteria was a Brave.
Good thing, first baseman Adam LaRoche said.
"I don't think we'd have survived the season without having a shortstop that can produce," LaRoche said. "He's proven he can do that for a long time."
Renteria's best season came in 2003 when he hit .330, drove in 100 runs, stole 34 bases and won his second Gold Glove with the Cards.
Marcus Giles likened the potential void in the lineup to "a grand canyon."
"It was going to be the biggest hole ever," said Giles, who will move into the leadoff slot so Renteria can hit second. "It's almost a sigh of relief to know you've got somebody that good to come in and fill the big shoes of (Furcal)."
The team couldn't have picked Renteria up soon enough, third baseman Chipper Jones said.
"I thought we should have been in the running for him a long time ago," he said. "He's a clutch hitter, a situational hitter and a gold-glove shortstop. You can't ask for anything more."
And Renteria said he desires nothing more than the new start he finds himself immersed in.
"You just know when you're going to feel good, when a team has that feeling," he said. "To me, everybody's positive, everything's positive."
Back to 2006 Articles Page