Rod Barajas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rod Barajas |
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Barajas with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2012
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| Catcher | |||
| Born: September 5, 1975 Ontario, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 25, 1999, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 3, 2012, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .235 | ||
| Home runs | 136 | ||
| Runs batted in | 480 | ||
| Managerial record | 1–7 | ||
| Winning % | .125 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Rodrigo Richard Barajas (born September 5, 1975) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played for several teams in Major League Baseball (MLB). These teams included the Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
One of his biggest achievements was winning the 2001 World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks. They beat the New York Yankees, who had won the championship three times in a row. After his playing career, Barajas also worked as a coach and even as an interim manager for the San Diego Padres. He also played for the Mexico national baseball team.
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Rod Barajas's Baseball Journey
Starting in the Minor Leagues
Rod Barajas began his professional baseball journey with the Arizona Diamondbacks. They signed him as a free agent on December 23, 1996. He started in the minor leagues, which are lower levels of professional baseball. His first team was the Lethbridge Black Diamonds in the Pioneer League. He played very well, hitting for a high batting average of .337 in 51 games. He then worked his way up through the Diamondbacks' minor league system.
Making it to Major League Baseball
Barajas made his first appearance in Major League Baseball (MLB) on September 25, 1999. This was with the Arizona Diamondbacks against the San Francisco Giants. He didn't get any hits in that game. However, he hit his first career home run in the very last game of the season on October 3, 1999. This home run was against the San Diego Padres. He played in 10 games for the Diamondbacks in 1999 and 2000. During this time, he hit two home runs and played catcher without making any errors.
Winning the World Series
In 2001, Barajas was a backup catcher for the Diamondbacks. He didn't hit very well, with a batting average of just .160 in 51 games. But he was still a strong defensive player, making only one error. He was part of the Diamondbacks team that won the 2001 World Series. In Game 5 of the World Series, he hit a home run against Mike Mussina of the New York Yankees. This was a big moment in his career.
In 2002, he continued as a backup catcher. He played in 70 games, hitting .234 with three home runs. He also had 23 RBI. He played catcher perfectly, not making any errors. In 2003, he played in 80 games, hitting .218 with three home runs and 28 RBI. After this season, he became a free agent.
Playing for the Texas Rangers
Before 2004, Rod Barajas had never played more than 80 games in a season. He also hadn't hit more than three home runs or batted higher than .234. In January 2004, the Texas Rangers signed him. He earned a spot on the team as a backup catcher during spring training.
When the starting catcher got injured, Barajas took over the main catcher role. That season, he set new personal bests. He played in 108 games, hit 15 home runs, and had 58 RBI. His batting average was .249. In 2005, he continued as a starter, hitting .254 with a career-high 21 home runs and 60 RBI in 120 games. In 2006, he shared time at catcher and finished the season hitting .256 with 11 home runs.
Time with the Philadelphia Phillies
In December 2006, Barajas signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. He shared time playing catcher with Carlos Ruiz. He batted .230 with four home runs in 48 games for the Phillies. After the season, the Phillies decided not to keep him, and he became a free agent again.
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Joining the Toronto Blue Jays
On January 24, 2008, Barajas signed a one-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was supposed to be a backup catcher. However, due to the struggles of the starting catcher, Barajas became the main catcher. He continued in this role in 2009. In 2008, he hit .249 with 11 home runs and 49 RBI in 104 games.
In 2009, Barajas played in 125 games. He hit .226 with 19 home runs and a career-high 71 RBI.
Playing for the New York Mets
On February 24, 2010, Barajas signed a one-year contract with the New York Mets. He was named their starting catcher for opening day. On May 7, 2010, he hit the first "walk-off" home run ever at Citi Field. A walk-off home run is one that ends the game immediately. He became the first Mets catcher since 2005 to hit 12 or more home runs.
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With the Los Angeles Dodgers
On August 22, 2010, the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Barajas. In his very first game with the Dodgers, he hit two doubles and a three-run home run. He was the first Dodgers player to get three extra-base hits in his first game with the team. He also hit a home run in his first home game at Dodger Stadium.
Barajas played in 25 games for the Dodgers in 2010. He hit .297 with five home runs and 13 RBI. He signed a new contract to stay with the Dodgers for 2011. In 2011, he played in 98 games, hitting .230 with 16 home runs and 47 RBI. He became a free agent after that season.
Final Stop: Pittsburgh Pirates
On November 10, 2011, Barajas signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2012, he played in 104 games for the Pirates. He hit .206 with 11 home runs and 31 RBI. The Pirates decided not to keep him for the 2013 season.
He briefly signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks again in 2013 but was released before the season started.
Life After Playing: Managing and Coaching
After his playing career, Rod Barajas moved into managing and coaching. Before the 2014 season, he became the manager for the Arizona League Padres, a minor league team. He later managed the San Antonio Missions and the El Paso Chihuahuas, which are also minor league teams.
In October 2018, Barajas became the bench coach for the San Diego Padres. On September 21, 2019, he was named the interim manager for the Padres. This meant he took over as manager for a short time. He managed the Padres for the last eight games of that season. After that, he became the Padres' catching and quality control coach.
In November 2022, Barajas was hired by the Miami Marlins as their quality assurance coach for the 2023 season. He was later let go along with the rest of the Marlins coaching staff in October 2024.
Rod Barajas's Family Life
Rod Barajas is of Mexican descent. His parents are from Baja California. He is married to Stacie, and they have a large family. They have four sons named Andrew, Bryce, Rod Jr., and Jace. They also have four daughters named Aunalilia, Aubrielle, Starlette, and Emiko.
Rod went to Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe Springs, California. He also attended Cerritos Community College. He grew up in Norwalk, California.
