Andres Galarraga

At 62 years old, Andres Galarraga has this physical status:

Galarraga began his professional career in Venezuela at the age of 16. Despite his large physical size, he was nicknamed The Big Cat (textually translated from English as El Gran Gato), but his nickname in Venezuela was El Gato). Galarraga was a five-time National League (NL) All-Star, won two NL Gold Glove Awards and two NL Silver Slugger Awards, and received two MLB Comeback Player of the Year Awards, the second time after a triumphant return to baseball following cancer rehabilitation.

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Career

The Leones del Caracas has signed Galarraga as a catcher and third baseman. In the 1978-1979 season, he made his debut. Galarraga's former employees included big-leaguers Tony Armas, Bo Daz, Manny Trillo, Gonzalo Márquez, and Leo Hernández. Galarraga began as a service man, but three seasons later, he became the team's regular first baseman. He was signed by the Expos in 1979 at the request of team manager Felipe Alou. Any MLB scouts believed the 17-year-old power-hitting prodigy was too overweight to play professionally at that point.

Galarraga played with this team until 1993, when he resigned from Venezuelan Winter League.

Galarraga played for the West Palm Beach Expos (1979, 1982-1983), The Miami Suns (1984), and the Indianapolis Indians (1985).

In 1984, Galarraga was named the Most Valuable Player for Jacksonville in the Southern League, with a.289 batting average, 27 home runs, and 87 runs batted (RBI). He also led the league in total bases (271), slugging percentage (.508), intentional base on balls (10), and in double plays (130) and total chances (1428) at first base. Galarraga's record in 121 games with Indianapolis was ranked as the Triple-A International League's Rookie of the Year prior to his major league debut.

On August 23, 1985, Galarraga made his Montreal debut. He suffered over the course of the season, batting.187 (14-for-75), with two home runs and four RBI in 24 games. Galarraga got off to a promising start in 1986 when he sustained a knee injury; at the time, he had already posted eight home runs and was leading all NL rookies with 25 runs batted in. On July 10, Galarraga underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. He was activated a month earlier but only to be recalled the next day after pulling muscles in his rib cage. Galarraga returned to action in September, with a.271, 10 home runs, and 42 RBI in 105 games.

Galarraga survived a difficult rookie year and enjoyed a steady 1987 season, despite being overshadowed by some of their teammates. He hit.305 with 13 home runs, 90 RBI, and finishing second in the league in doubles (40). Galarraga was solid defense, being able to scoop throws out of the dirt, and superb quickness, winning the 3-6-3 double play despite his size. Whitey Herzog, the Cardinals' manager, named him "the best-fielding right-handed first baseman I've seen since Gil Hodges."

Galarraga came out of the shadows to become the best player on the Expo in 1988. He had an MVP-caliber season, with a.302 batting average, 99 runs, 29 home runs, and 92 RBI. Galarraga also led the league in hits (184) and doubles (42), winning an All-Star berth for the first time in his career. At the end of the season, he was named Player of the Year by the Montreal Expos.

The 1989 Big Cat had a rough season, but it wasn't all bad. As he tailed off after the All-Star game, Galarraga became a victim of Montreal fans' rage. Galarraga led the league in strikeouts (158), but his output fell to.257, 23 home runs, and 85 RBI. He was five RBI shy of being the first Expo to put together three seasons with 90 or more RBI. Despite the tough season, Galarraga blasted his first grand slam, robbed home for the first time in his career, and was honoured with a Gold Glove Award for his outstanding play at first base.

Exposiz's 1990-years in Galarraga had Expos to be concerned that the team should reduce its hopes for the slick-fielding first baseman. For the second straight season, the Big Cats failed to meet the exacting conditions he set in his first two full seasons. Galarraga's record stood at.256 with 20 home runs and 87 RBI, nearly mirroring his previous season's. He led the league in strikeouts for the third year in a row; pitchers exploited Galarraga's stamina at the plate; pitchers neglected him, but didn't give him good pitches to hit. Galarraga continued to put inordinate contributions on the field, scooping up infielder's errant throws, starting 3-6-3 double plays, and winning his second Gold Glove, despite no change with the bat. He had a six-RBI game, two four-RBI games, and his first game outside-the-parks.

Galarraga's worst offensive season of his career in 1991 was slowed due to injuries. He suffered from a strained left hamstring between May and July and then underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair damage to his left kneecap's undersurface. In 53 games without him, Montreal missed Galarraga's glove as well as his bat, committing 43 infield errors. In 107 games, Galarraga had a.219, 9 home runs, and 33 RBI. For the second time in his career, he returned home for the 100th time in his career, leading to his 100th home run. Galarraga was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for starting pitcher Ken Hill at the end of the season.

Galarraga had a second shot with the 1992 Cardinals, but a pitch broke his wrist early in the season and didn't recover until July. After the All-Star break, Galarraga batted.296 and struck all ten of his homers after July 1 for a.497 second-half slugging percentage. He had a.243 batting average and 39 RBI, but he left a positive impression on Cardinals batting coach Don Baylor. In the off-season, Baylor became the first Rockies manager to go to Galarraga and sign him as a free agent.

Galarraga's career was revived by joining the Rockies, giving him a new lease on life. He solidified his reputation as an excellent hitter in a 1993 season in which he flirted with the.400 mark for the majority of the season. Galarraga's final batting average was up by 127 points over his previous year's average of.370. He led National League batters in batting average, and that was the highest average for a right-handed hitter since Joe DiMaggio batted.381 in 1939.

Despite missing 42 games due to various injuries, the Big Cat compiled 56 multi-hit games to lead the league. He had 22 home runs, 98 runs, 35 doubles, four triples, a.403 on-base percentage, and his.602 slugging percentage was second in the league, second in the league. Galarraga's.370 mark made him the first player on an expansion team as well as the first Venezuelan to win a batting tournament. In the championship run, Tony Gwynn finished.358 to finish as runner-up.

Galarraga finished 10th in the MVP competition, but received the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year award. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery for the third time this year.

Galarraga set a new National League record in April by driving in 30 runs in a month in a strike-shortened 1994 season. He seemed to be on his way to a fruitful year in 2019, but his right hand fractured on July 28. Colorado had risen to within a half-game of the first place Los Angeles Dodgers at the time of Galarraga's injury. The Rockies went 3–10 the remainder of the way without him. Galarraga led the team with 31 homers (fifth in the league), as well as 85 RBI with 85 runs.

Galarraga claimed a home run in three straight innings on June 25, 1995, tying a record for the first time. He ended the season with a.280, 31 home runs, and 106 RBI. Galarraga's numbers were aided by the fact that he stayed healthy for the first time in four years. The Rockies had four players with 30 or more home runs, the 1977 Dodgers had four players with 30 or more home runs. Galarraga spoiled Paul Wagner's hopes for a no-hitter by singing two out in the ninth, the only blow Wagner would have allowed in defeating the Rockies 4–0 on August 29, the first game of the season.

Galarraga has evolved into one of the top RBI-men in baseball over the next few seasons, hitting in 411 runs between 1996 and 1998 (150, 140, and 121). He batted.304,.348, and.305, respectively, with 47, 41, and 44 home runs. Some commentators believed Galarraga's fame were due to the thin-air, mile-friendly Coors Field, but he also belted several homers on a road that traveled more than 450 feet (140 meters).

A mammoth grand slam off Kevin Brown on May 31, 1997, and the upper deck at Florida Marlins' Pro Player Stadium was perhaps the most famous home run Galarraga hit. It may also be his most disputed home run, with a distance measured at 573 feet (175 m) and then 529 feet (161 m). It was a record for both the Rockies and the stadium at the time. The distance was recalculated by ESPN's Home Run Tracker in 2011 to 468 feet (143 meters). In two games that went 455-foot (139 m) and 451-foot (137 m) respectively, Galarraga smashed two homers, totaling 1,435 feet (437 m) each.

To make room at first base for prospect Todd Helton, the Rockies cut Galarraga at the end of the season. Galarraga was the club's all-time leader in home runs (172) and RBI (579) at the time of his release. He joined the Atlanta Braves as a free agent.

He hit.305, with 44 home runs and 121 RBI in Galarraga's first season (1998). In consecutive seasons with two different clubs, he was the first player in MLB history to reach 40 or more home runs in consecutive seasons.

Galarraga suffered a sore back in 1999 spring training. The team's trainers and team doctor's care provided hydrobaths, massages, muscle relaxers, and stretching, but it didn't ease the nagging pain. Galarraga was referred to a medical oncologist in Atlanta for a thorough physical examination and an MRI. Galarraga had a tumor called non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of lymphatic cancer, on the second lumbar vertebra in his lower back. He missed the entire 1999 season due to chemotherapy drugs. Vinny Castilla, the Rockies' third baseman and ex-teammate, transitioned from number 9 to number 14 on his jersey for a brief period of time, to honor Galarraga's cancer fight.

Galarraga returned to action in Spring 2000 after being subjected to chemotherapy and a strict workout regimen. Galarraga defeated in the losing run with a home run in his third at-bat of the 2000 season. He was tied for first place in home runs in the National League in April and May, and he was batting.300.

Galarraga batted.302, with 28 home runs and 100 RBIs at the end of the season. The Sporting News named him as the second National League Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Galarraga had asked for a two-year deal, but the Braves' most it could afford was a one-year deal. He eventually decided to become a free agent and signed with the Texas Rangers, who were willing to guarantee Galarraga the two years he desired.

Galarraga was badly affected by the change of baseball leagues in 2001. He found himself "lost" in a different league, facing various pitchers, and being trapped in a back-up situation with actor Rafael Palmeiro as the Texas Rangers' main first baseman. Galarraga was primarily used as a designated hitter (DH), as a pinch-hitter, and occasionally as a starter against left-handed pitchers. In 72 games, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants after a disappointing.235 batting average, 10 home runs, and 34 RBI.

Galarraga joined the Expos for the full season in 2002. Since signing a minor league deal prior to the season, he rejoined the Giants in 2003. Galarraga batted.301, with 12 home runs and 42 RBI as a part-time Giants player.

Galarraga's cancer resurfaced in 2004, and he underwent two three-week cycles of chemotherapy and was hospitalized for 23 days for additional treatment. It was the same non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that had sidelined Galarraga in 1999, but the Salt Lake City Stingers beat it for the second time. Galarraga returned to the major leagues when rosters were enlarged in September. Despite the fact that he served primarily as a bench player in Anaheim, Galarraga was highly regarded in the clubhouse, particularly among younger players like Vladimir Guerrero, for whom Galarraga became a voice of knowledge. He appeared in a few games, including one home run — Galarraga's 399th and final home run of the city's legendary big league career.

Galarraga's 2005-year-old Tommy Cote, a former Yankee team that had invited him to spring training, was still in doubt about whether the 43-year-old would be a good match for their roster. Galarraga demonstrated that he had some gas left in the tank offensively by socking three home runs, but he was less hesitant on the defensive front. Galarraga officially withdrew training on March 29, 2005, saying that it was "the right time to give a younger guy a chance to play." He retired with a.288 batting average, 399 home runs, and 1,425 RBI. Galarraga ranked 36th all-time at the time of his retirement, falling just one home run short of 400 career home runs.

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