Rod Barajas
Rod Barajas
Rodrigo "Rod" Richard Barajasis a Mexican American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates. Barajas has also played with the Mexico national baseball team...
almost ball coming hand looked pitch strike time
That was the first time that coming out of his hand almost every pitch looked like a strike and then the ball would move. It was very promising.
life lose seemed seen
That's the most life I've seen in El Duque's fastball, but he seemed to lose it after 100 pitches.
coming doors front guys job latin open starting
I think . . . we started from way behind. Slowly, gradually, it is starting to get there. With the job that (Mets GM) Omar Minaya's doing, and other guys that are coming up, I think it's going to open up more doors for Latin guys and African-Americans in the front office.
catching critique game great hardest instead job lights night spring talked tim
It's tough. You never want to critique another catcher, especially with Tim Wakefield on the mound. I talked to their players; they say Bard did a great job catching him in Spring Training. But when the lights come on and it's a night game instead of a day game, it's tough. It's the hardest job in baseball.
felt game played record road win
It was huge. We've felt like we've played better than our record indicates on this road trip, and to come back and win a game like this, it's a big boost.
ability enjoy face natural
I just want him to enjoy it. You never know if he's going to face him again. You don't want to put too much into it, you just let his natural ability take off.
almost ball body catch change finding knee matter move quickly relaxed sideways stance time turn
I just change my whole approach. My stance is completely different. I go down almost on one knee and turn my body almost sideways so I have more time and I can catch the ball deeper. It's a matter of finding something you can feel comfortable with. You want to be relaxed and be able to move your glove quickly from side to side.
great guy hits team top
It's great to set records. We have a team that hits from top to bottom. For me to be the guy to set that record, I'm excited.
against anybody best close games parity playing run staying teams though win
There's so much parity in our division, I don't think anybody is going to run away with it. Even though we're not playing our best baseball, we're staying close. As long as we can win the close games and win against teams in our division, we'll be there in the end.
bottom continue develop establish guys hope next pitchers quality struggled
The young pitchers have struggled some, but they need to go out there and establish themselves. If you want to be around next year, you have to go out and pitch. That's the bottom line. I hope we continue doing that and these guys develop into quality guys on our staff.
early faces names shake
At least by that time, I should have all the names and faces memorized. I'm here early every morning. I'll shake a lot of hands.
catcher catching good hard hold quality struggles tells time trying
It's a quality pitch. I had a hard time catching it, and that's a good sign. When a catcher struggles trying to hold on to the knuckleball, that's what you want. That's tells you it's a good pitch.
experience guys nice quality
They're quality guys with quality arms. They're guys who have been around for a while and have been successful. They're winners. That kind of experience is nice to have.
behind confidence strike throw verge
Right now, we have to throw more fastballs and changeups on the verge of a walk, and that's not where we want to be. We want to be where, if we're behind in the count, we have the confidence to throw the knuckleball for a strike and not have to give in.