Renteria Is Again Getting Big Hits And A Lot Of RBIs
Dan O'Neill Post-Dispatch
April 27, 2003
If a baseball fan was asked to name the most productive shortstop in baseball, the stock answer would include names such as Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra, Miguel Tejada or Derek Jeter.
But the correct answers were on the field on Saturday at Pro Player Stadium - the Cardinals' Edgar Renteria and Florida's Alex Gonzalez.
Gonzalez was batting .282 with four home runs and 18 runs batted in as the Marlins prepared to play host to the Cardinals. Renteria's overall numbers were even stronger. He came into the second game of the three-game series batting .345 with four homers and a club-leading 17 RBIs. Jim Edmonds pulled alongside Renteria with his 17th RBIs during the Cardinals 5-3 loss.
Last year's Gold Glove winner and Silver Slugger winner at the position, Renteria finished spring training with just one hit in his final 18 exhibition at-bats. But when the bell rang, he woke up. Renteria started Game No. 22 leading the NL with 12 multihit games.
"He likes driving in runs," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "Some guys like to score runs. He likes to score runs, too, but he especially likes to drive them in. And he's good at it because he can handle so many different pitches. That's what makes him such a tough out. That's why he has a well-deserved reputation for getting RBIs against good pitchers."
Renteria's .586 slugging percentage is third among the regulars on the Cardinals. He leads the team with 51 total bases, which includes 30 hits and nine doubles. He is tied with Scott Rolen for the team lead with 16 runs. Renteria is batting .286 with runners in scoring position, after batting .372 with runners in scoring position last season.
Renteria, 27, is competing in his eighth major league season. "I'm still the same hitter, but I have more experience," said Renteria, who batted .305 with 11 home runs and 83 RBIs last season. "I work hard at it, and I know what I'm doing now when I work. I know the things I have to work on."
Renteria acknowledged he is at his best when he uses the whole field. On Friday, he drove in a run in the first inning with a deep fly ball to right-center field. Later, he doubled down the line in right to plate another run as the Cardinals broke open the game. "That's my stroke, always," Renteria said. "Sometimes, when I struggle, it's because I try to pull everything."
While the pace will fluctuate during the season, Renteria is currently in stride to drive in more than 100 runs. No Cardinals shortstop has ever crossed that triple-digit bridge. Last season, Renteria tied the club record for RBIs by a shortstop when he collected 82. He added an RBI as a pinch-hitter.
Renteria, who takes delight in his clutch-hitting ability, may be just reaching his prime as an offensive threat. "I think, physically, I have changed," Renteria said. "As I have gotten older, I have gotten stronger. I work to get stronger and stay in shape.
"I take a lot of pride in driving in runs and getting big hits. I concentrate harder in those situations, against a good pitcher, and I don't try to do too much. I just want to take what the pitcher gives me and put the ball in play."
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