Renteria Cites Injuries, Infield for His 2005 Woes

by jhamrahi @ Talking Chop on Dec 12, 2005 3:17 PM EST

According to the Boston Globe, Edgar Renteria wanted out of Boston after a lackluster first season with the Red Sox.

Renteria claimed that the infield in Boston contributed to his career high 30 errors. "It's one of the main reasons why I didn't feel comfortable," he said, yesterday when reached by phone in Miami.

"The ball bounces too much in the field of the shortstop, where I play," he said. The field is not good like other stadiums. One day it's bad, the next day, it's worse...I was uncomfortable the whole year."

Renteria also stated that he was 50-60% for parts of the season and that injuries to his back and leg contributed to his poor play, especially in the field.

Whether or not Renteria is just making excuses for last season, nobody really knows. He acknowledged the fact that he wasn't "proud" of his season which bodes well for the Braves.

Like Chipper Jones, Renteria has been working with a personal trainer since November in the hopes of regaining his speed and quickness.

He certainly appears determined to bounce back from a very mediocre year. Let's hope that Atlanta provides the environment for Edgar to succeed.

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Memories

He will not have infield problems in Atlanta. To me, one of the turning points in the franchise revolved around the infield. In the 1980's, the infield at Fulton County Stadium was horrendous, one of the worst in the majors. It was maintained by road-pavers -- I'm not making that up -- and was so rocky that one infielder (Royster?) took fielding practice in a motorcycle helmet. Ozzie Smith became a national figure by making an unbelievable play off a ground ball that bounced off a Fulton County infield pebble.

I still remember the day in early 1991 when I went to a game and the groundskeepers hustled out between innings, raked and smoothed the field and hustled out with more professionalism and more verve than the frickin' team ever had in the 80's. That was when I realized good things were ahead.

Occasionally blogging on the Braves since December 2005 at http://michaelsiegel.net/?sectionid=4

by mhsiegel14 on Dec 14, 2005 3:02 AM EST reply actions