Ex-Manatee Shines For St. Louis
By Scott Brown, FLORIDA TODAY
March 6, 2003
VIERA -- On a steamy day that called to mind St. Louis in the middle of summer, the Cardinals left most of their marquee players back in Jupiter.
Edgar Renteria did make the trip to Space Coast Stadium and it wasn't just noteworthy because Renteria is arguably the best all-around shortstop in the National League.
Wednesday also turned out to be a homecoming of sorts for Renteria.
The former Florida Marlin started his professional baseball career in Brevard County. He played for the Gulf Coast League Marlins in 1992 and two years later he spent the entire season with the Brevard County Manatees.
The numbers he put up with the Manatees in 1994 -- a .253 batting average and no home runs in 439 bats -- hardly suggested he would one day blossom into an offensive threat at the major league level.
Last year, though, Renteria quietly had one of the best seasons by a National League infielder. The Colombia native hit. 305 with 36 doubles and 11 home runs. His 83 RBI tied a team record for runs driven in by a shortstop and he also stole 22 bases.
He also played his usual sparkling defense in the field.
One of four Cardinals to win a Gold Glove in 2002, Renteria didn't take long Wednesday to show why the position once held down by Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith is in more than capable hands these days.
On a high chopper that had infield single written all over it, a hard-charging Renteria cleanly fielded the ball and gunned down Fernando Tatis at first base. He seemingly did it in one motion, making the difficult look routine.
"He's a real good two-way player and that's important in the National League," said Jim Leyland, who managed Renteria in Florida and is now a scout for the Cardinals. "He's gotten a lot of big hits for them over the last few years."
Renteria, of course, owns the biggest hit in Marlins history.
That came with two outs in the 11th inning of the seventh game of the 1997 World Series. Renteria singled in Craig Counsell to give the Marlins a 3-2 win and a world championship in just their fifth year of play.
"Every kid dreams of that when they play baseball," said Renteria, who went 0-for-3 in St. Louis's 1-0 win against the Montreal Expos in front of 3,077 fans Wednesday. "I'm never going to forget that."
Indeed, Renteria can still you without hesitation what pitch Cleveland's Charles Nagy threw -- a slider -- when he bounced the ball through the middle of the infield.
"I was looking for a fastball and I made an adjustment on the slider," Renteria said.
Renteria made the All-Star team the following season but was traded during the offseason as part of the infamous salary purge that nearly killed baseball in South Florida in 1998.
The Marlins shipped Renteria to St. Louis in December for pitchers Armando Almanza and Braden Looper and infielder Pablo Ozuna.
Almanza is a situational reliever, Looper has yet to emerge as the team's closer and Ozuna is no longer with the organization.
Put another way, it looks like the Cardinals got a steal.
Because he accomplished so much at such a young age, it is easy to forget that Renteria is only 27 and just entering his prime.
"For a young player, he's always been ahead of his time maturity-wise," said Leyland, who spends spring training with the Cardinals. "He's one of those guys that has a lot of fun playing the game, yet he's very serious about it. That's a nice combination to have."
When asked about what he did for fun when he played in Brevard County, Renteria said, "sleep."
That may say as much about a growing boy needing rest as it does the quiet nightlife around here.
One thing that is certain: Renteria has distinguished himself more than any former Manatee, a group that includes All-Stars Ryan Dempster and Randy Winn and Kevin Millar.
After helping the Cardinals to the National League Championship Series last year, the two-time All-Star has his sights set on one thing this season.
"World Series, buddy," Renteria said smiling.
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