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...
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.
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.
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.
admire battle bumps mind
R.A. is the kind of person who will battle through it if there are bumps in the road. He has set his mind on making it with the knuckleball, and he has already come a long way with it. You have to admire what he is doing and how he is doing it.
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.
couple definitely faced guys help last level looks seen talking
From what I've seen him throw, and talking to other guys who have faced him the last couple of years, he's back to the level he was with Florida. He looks incredible. He definitely could help us in the pen.
baseball game happens
I'm a professional baseball player. Nothing that happens during a game is going to take me away from doing my job.
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.
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.
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.
fighting fights-and-fighting good quality teams whenever win
Whenever you play teams fighting for the playoffs, good quality teams, you want to try to win series, and we were able to do that here,
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.
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.