Fernando Tatís
| Fernando Tatís | |
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| Utility player | |
| Born: September 5, 1975 San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic |
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| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| July 26, 1997 for the Texas Rangers | |
| Career statistics (through 2010) |
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| Batting average | .265 |
| Home runs | 113 |
| Runs batted in | 448 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Fernando Tatís, Jr. (born January 1, 1975) is a Major League Baseball utility player, who is currently a free agent. He previously played for the Texas Rangers (1997–1998), St. Louis Cardinals (1998–2000), Montreal Expos (2001–2003), Baltimore Orioles (2006) and New York Mets (2008–2010). Tatis holds the Major League record for RBI's in an inning, a feat he achieved by hitting 2 Grand Slams in one inning during an April 23, 1999 game, also becoming the only player in Major League history to hit two grand slams in one inning.
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[edit] Playing career
At 17 years old, Tatís was signed as an amateur free agent by the Texas Rangers on August 25, 1992. He made his Major League Baseball debut with the Rangers at third base almost five years later on July 26, 1997 and would go on to play 60 games with the Rangers in his rookie season. At the trade deadline on July 31, 1998, the Rangers traded Tatís along with Darren Oliver and Mark Little to the St. Louis Cardinals for Royce Clayton and Todd Stottlemyre.
Tatís enjoyed a career year in 1999 with the St. Louis Cardinals, when he hit 34 home runs with 107 RBI and 21 stolen bases while posting a .298 batting average. On April 23, 1999, Tatís made history by hitting two grand slams in a single inning; the only player to do so in the history of the MLB. He hit both against Chan Ho Park of the Los Angeles Dodgers. With this feat, Tatís also set a Major-League record with eight RBI in a single inning. After only playing in 96 games in 2000 due to injury, Tatís was traded to the Montreal Expos with Britt Reames for Dustin Hermanson and Steve Kline. Unfortunately for the Expos, Tatís would only play in 208 games over the span of three seasons for them due to various injuries and time on the disabled list.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays signed Tatís and invited him to spring training in 2004, but he did not make the Devil Rays squad and was subsequently released. Tatís would not play professionally for two seasons, instead spending time with his family in the Dominican Republic. The impetus for Tatís to return to baseball lay in his desire to build a church in his hometown of San Pedro de Macorís. Soon after he told his family of his plans, the Baltimore Orioles signed Tatís to a minor-league contract on November 25, 2005.[1] He played most of the season for their AAA affiliate, the Ottawa Lynx, eventually playing in 28 games for the Orioles after being recalled on July 21, 2006.[2]
In 2007, Tatís was invited to Los Angeles Dodgers spring training. Tatís was granted his request for a release on March 14 after being assigned to minor-league camp. Nine days later, he signed a minor-league contract with the New York Mets, and he spent the whole 2007 season with their AAA affiliate, the New Orleans Zephyrs. Before Tatís began his most recent stint in the majors with the Mets, the church he was saving for had been built.[3]
On May 11, 2008, Tatís was called up from New Orleans to replace Angel Pagán because Tatís had started to play outfield in the minors to become a utility player.[4] On May 28, he hit a walk-off double against Justin Miller to defeat the Florida Marlins in the bottom of the 12th inning. This was Tatís's first career walk-off hit. Tatís has played most of his time in the corner outfield positions for the Mets due to injuries to starters Moisés Alou and Ryan Church.[5] On September 16, Tatis separated his shoulder diving for a ball in a game against the Nationals. New York's team physician diagnosed the injury as a Grade III separation, but he missed the rest of the 2008 regular season. On October 23, 2008, Tatis received The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award for the National League.
Tatís was named to the Dominican Republic roster for the 2009 World Baseball Classic as an injury replacement for Alex Rodriguez. As of May 2009, he is the most-played utility man for New York. He plays first base, second base, third base, and both corner outfield positions. He also played shortstop for only the 4th time on May 17, when he replaced Alex Cora. If needed, he can also play the catching position.
Tatis re-signed with the Mets on January 29, 2010 for one year with a $1.7 million salary.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ DiComo, Anthony (July 28, 2008). "For want of a church, Tatis reborn". MLB.com. http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080728&content_id=3213361. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
- ^ "Orioles purchase contract of 3B Tatis from minors". SportsTicker. July 21, 2006. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=oriolestatis&prov=st&type=lgns. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
- ^ Kimball, Josh (July 30, 2008). "Desire to Build a Church Led to Player's Major League Comeback". The Christian Post. http://christianpost.com/article/20080730/desire-to-build-a-church-led-to-player-s-major-league-comeback.htm. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
- ^ Hubbuch, Bart (May 11, 2008). "Santana gets OK to start vs. Yankees". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/seven/05142008/sports/mets/santana_gets_ok_to_start_vs__yankees_110722.htm. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
- ^ "Marlins homer to take lead, but Tatis' double lifts Mets in 12th". Associated Press. May 28, 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280528121. Retrieved August 13, 2008.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
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