Rod Barajas turns 48 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 as 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. In his two seasons with the Jays, he threw out 34% of base stealers. Roc was tough, good at blocking the plate, and a good receiver. He also 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 for 14 years, hitting .235/.284/.407 with 136 home runs and 480 RBI, for seven different teams.
Candy Maldonado turns 63 today.
Candy played three seasons for the Blue Jays. On August 9th, 1991, he came to us in a trade from the Brewers. We sent Bob Wishnevski and William Suero to Milwaukee. You are a better man than I if you know who either of those two are. 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 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.