Iván Rodríguez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Detroit Tigers — No. 7 | |
| Catcher | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| June 20, 1991 for the Texas Rangers | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2006) |
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| Batting Average | .304 |
| Home Runs | 277 |
| RBIs | 1,119 |
| Gold Gloves | 12 |
| All Star Appearances | 13 |
| Former teams | |
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Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 30, 1971, in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico), nicknamed "Pudge," is a professional baseball player currently playing for the Detroit Tigers. Iván is considered by many to be the greatest defensive catcher ever.[1][2] He was a member of the world champion Florida Marlins in 2003, and again reached the World Series as the starting catcher for the 2006 Detroit Tigers.
When Rodríguez made his major league debut with the Texas Rangers on June 20, 1991, he became the youngest person to catch in a major league game that season[3]---the youngest catcher in the expansion era was Brian Milner of the 1978 Toronto Blue Jays at 18 years 7 months.[citation needed] He immediately established himself as an excellent hitter who was also proficient in throwing out would-be base-stealers. In fact, no other catcher in the past 35 years has been as successful at this aspect of the game, with Rodríguez throwing out 48% of attempted basestealers through May 2006, far more than the runner-up during this period, the late Thurman Munson.[citation needed] During his time with the Rangers, he was awarded the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1999.
Although he has had the nickname "Pudge" since his youth, Rodríguez was often compared early on to the veteran catcher Carlton Fisk, who was also called "Pudge." Fisk retired early in Rodríguez's career, and fans and sportswriters viewed it as the passing of the torch from one Pudge to another.
When his contract with Texas ran out following the 2002 season, Rodríguez signed with the Florida Marlins for one year. By then a major-league veteran of over a decade, he helped lead the young team to victory in the World Series. In the off-season, he left Florida to sign with the Tigers. In 2005, he walked only 2.1% of the time, the worst rate in baseball.[1] On October 26, 2005, Major League Baseball named him the catcher on their Latino Legends Team.
On May 9, 2006, Rodríguez played first base for the Tigers. That game, a 7-6 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, was the first time that he played a position other than catcher in his 1,914 Major League games.[4] On August 15, 2006, he also made his first Major League appearance at second base, after regular second baseman Placido Polanco was injured in a game in Boston.
In Jose Canseco's book Juiced, Rodriguez was named as having used steroids during his days with the Texas Rangers. Suspicion arose when he reported to spring training in 2005, the first year of league-wide drug testing, 20 pounds lighter.
[edit] References
- ^ "Marlins stunned by Pudge signing", MLB.com, dated 22 January 2003, retrieved 2 February 2007
- ^ "Q & A With Pete Rose", Time.com, dated 19 January 2004, retrieved 2 February 2007
- ^ "1991 American League Expanded Leaderboards", baseball-reference.com, retrieved 2 February 2007
- ^ Kerzel, Pete, "Notes: Pudge nudged to first", MLB.com dated 9 May 2006, URL retrieved 6 March 2007
[edit] External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
- Iván Rodríguez at ESPN.com
- Profile at Puerto Rico Herald
- Iván Rodríguez at the Internet Movie Database
| Preceded by Juan González |
American League Player of the Month April 1998 |
Succeeded by Bernie Williams |
| Preceded by Joe Randa |
American League Player of the Month August 1999 (with Rafael Palmeiro) |
Succeeded by Albert Belle |
| Preceded by Juan González |
American League Most Valuable Player 1999 |
Succeeded by Jason Giambi |
| Preceded by Benito Santiago |
National League Championship Series MVP 2003 |
Succeeded by Albert Pujols |
| Preceded by Melvin Mora |
American League Player of the Month June 2004 |
Succeeded by Mark Teixeira |
