With Distractions Behind Him, Renteria Is Happy And Healthy
By Joe Strauss
Of the Post-Dispatch
March 11, 2002
Fernando Vina has played next to Edgar Renteria for three seasons, been his closest friend in the clubhouse for just as long and again has a locker beside him this spring.
As Cardinals second baseman, Vina knows each of Renteria's mannerisms, whether they be at shortstop or within an animated conversation. He sees Renteria healthy, confident and happy, and notes the stark contrast to much of last season.
"If you're around him, you know he's more at ease," Vina said. "You know he is more relaxed with what's going on now."
Last season threatened to swallow Renteria. A lower back condition followed him into the season and a bigger swing robbed him of offensive consistency. However, the Cardinals peaked in the second half last season partly because Renteria shook several troubled months. Combined with the early August acquisition of pitcher Woody Williams and the offensive surge by center fielder Jim Edmonds, Renteria's presence helped transform an underachieving first half into a league-best 93 wins.
"Pressure doesn't seem to faze him," Vina said. "He seems to get better with pressure. Not only defensively, but offensively. If you look at his career, he's knocked a lot of people in with two outs and runners in scoring position. He comes up big when he needs it."
Renteria came up biggest when he ended Game 7 of the 1997 World Series for the Florida Marlins with an 11th-inning single off Cleveland's Charles Nagy.
Earlier in that postseason, Renteria had singled home the game-ending run in Game 1 of the playoffs vs. the San Francisco Giants. He was 22 at the time.
The Cardinals acquired Renteria from the Marlins after the 1998 season. In a way, the move shaped his perspective last summer as he heard unfounded rumors that the Cardinals were prepared to trade him following a lackluster start.
Coupled with his cranky back, the uncertainty created a distraction that tugged at Renteria until the July 31 waiver deadline passed.
"When you're hurt, you can't play," says Renteria, who also endured a quadriceps injury last season. "You don't feel good; you don't feel healthy. At the same time, everybody was saying I was going away. That creates pressure. It's on your mind. It doesn't go away. But when they told me I was staying, it gave me a kind of confidence and let me play my game."
General manager Walt Jocketty and manager Tony La Russa took turns trying to calm Renteria's fears last summer. Nothing worked, however, like the turning of the calendar. Signed through 2003, Renteria is viewed as a cornerstone, not a pebble to be discarded.
"He can do things most guys at his position can't do," La Russa says. "Plus, he's a weapon. He can hurt you at the plate."
There is no single play that defines Renteria for Vina. Instead, it is the sum of his talents, a package perhaps surpassed only by the Giants' Rich Aurilia among National League shortstops. A former runner-up as rookie of the year, the two-time All-Star hopes for a return to his 2000 form. Named a Silver Slugger that season, he batted .278 with a career-high 16 home runs and 76 runs batted in while stealing 21 bases and scoring 94 runs.
"He makes me better as a second baseman," Vina said. "And in turn, I think I help make him a better shortstop. We've played together three years now. We should make each other better."
La Russa theorizes that the 2000 season led Renteria to a power hitter's mentality and contributed to last year's struggles. "He might have got caught in between," La Russa said.
While his back barked, Renteria hit .235, .224 and .218 in the season's first three months. Trade speculation only fed his desperation to turn around his season. He pressed, and it showed.
"He didn't play his game in the first half," Vina recalled. "It wasn't the Edgar Renteria I knew. But then he turned it on in the second half and the playoffs. He's a gamer. That's what I like."
Renteria admits the passing of the waiver deadline helped clear his mind. He batted .321 in August and .303 in September, giving him a .283 average after the All-Star break compared with .236 before it.
"He didn't want to go anywhere," Vina said. "He'd played here a number of years and wanted to stay. He's such a good-hearted, emotional guy, it bothered him. Once it got behind him, it's easy to see what he did."
Renteria isn't concerned about looking back. By reaching the postseason, he salvaged last season. This year, he intends take a more measured approach unclouded by rumors, injuries or unrealistic offensive goals.
"I just want to play my game," he said. "People sometimes forget I'm only 26 because I've been playing for awhile. But I'm still young. I'm still getting better."
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