Rod Barajas turns 50 today.
Rod was with the Blue Jays for two seasons, 2008-2009, in the middle of a 14-year major league career.
In 2008, the Jays signed Barajas to be a backup to Gregg Zaun. Then, three things happened all around the same time:
- Zaun missed about three weeks with an injury.
- The Jays fired John Gibbons and hired Cito Gaston.
- Barajas hit a little hot streak.
Like many catchers, Barajas was a streaky hitter. In May 2008, Rod hit .370/.424/.630. You can trust me that those numbers didn’t represent Rod’s abilities, but the streak came at a good time. Rod had a new manager; first impressions are a big deal, and he played
daily for a stretch. So, he impressed Cito. That would have impressed anyone. In July, he hit .179/.188/.269, but by then, Cito liked him. Zaun wasn’t thrilled to lose his job when he was out with an injury.
Rod might have been the better choice anyway; he was an excellent defensive catcher. He threw out 34% of base stealers in his two seasons with the Jays. Roc was tough, good at blocking the plate, and a good receiver. And he had occasional power. Zaun left after the season as a free agent.
Rod hit .237/.275/.406 in 229 games, with 30 home runs, 120 RBI, 37 walks, and 137 strikeouts over the two seasons.
Rod played 14 years, hitting .235/.284/.407 with 136 home runs and 480 RBI, playing for seven different teams.
Candy Maldonado turns 65 today.
Candy played three seasons for the Blue Jays. We acquired him in a trade from the Brewers on August 9, 1991. We sent Bob Wishnevski and William Suero to Milwaukee. You are a better man than I if you know who either of those two is. He played for us in 1992, our first World Series season. Then, he left the team as a free agent. We signed him again at the start of the 1995 season.
The season that counts is 1992. Candy hit .272/.357/.462 with 20 home runs and 66 RBI in 137 games, playing primarily left field. He was never a terrific outfielder, but he did lead the AL in assists that year with 12. In the ALCS, he hit .273/.360/.545 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI. He wasn’t quite as great in the World Series, hitting .158/.238/.316 with 1 home run and 2 RBI, but we’ve forgiven him because we won. That got him his one World Series ring.
I always liked Candy. He wasn’t great, but he had his moments. As a Jay, he hit .272/.363/.462 with 34 home runs and 119 RBI in 250 games. In a 15-year career, he hit .254/.322/.424 with 146 home runs and 618 RBI in 1410 games. He is a member of the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame and the Puerto Rico Hall of Fame.
Happy Birthday to both. I hope it is a good one.
