Miguel Tejada

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Miguel Odalis Tejada (born Tejeda, May 25, 1974) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB).

He played for six different teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, before short stints with the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and Kansas City Royals. Tejada spent his first six seasons in MLB with the Athletics, where he began a streak of 1,152 consecutive games that ended with the Orioles on June 22, 2007.

He is a six-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner.

In 2002, he won the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, and was the 2005 All-Star Game MVP.

Tejada's nickname is "La Guagua", which means "the bus" in certain Spanish dialects, as Tejada was known for his ability to drive in runs. On February 11, 2009, he pleaded guilty to one count of perjury for lying to Congress in his testimony on whether Rafael Palmeiro lied about his steroid use.

On August 17, 2013, MLB suspended Tejada for 105 games for violating MLB drug policy.

It was the third-longest non-lifetime suspension ever issued by MLB for a drug-related violation.

Early life

Tejada grew up in extreme poverty in Baní, a city about 40 miles (65 km) southwest of Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic. He grew up idolizing the Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. Tejada's rise from the slums of Baní through the minors and into the Major Leagues is chronicled in the book Away Games: The Life and Times of a Latin Ballplayer by Marcos Breton and Jose Luis Villegas. Away Games describes the struggles of Dominican players in general and Tejada in particular as they arrive in the U.S. speaking very little English, often in small towns playing for minor league teams, with dreams of making it big.

Personal life

Tejada has a chicken farm in Florida where he lives with his wife, Alejandra, and his daughter, Alexa. His son, Miguel Jr., was a shortstop in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

On August 20, 2015, Reorg Research reported that Tejada had filed for bankruptcy.

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Professional career

Tejada rose quickly into a top-notch player, with early signs of success. He made it to the Majors in the 1997 season by joining a struggling Oakland Athletics team. Despite the fact that he only reached.202 in 26 games this year, the A's saw promise in Teja's 23-year-old Tejada. During the season, his success with the Edmonton Trappers (AAA) in the Pacific Coast League was bolstered by his return to the minors to lead the Trappers to their first PCL championship this year. In 1998, he was given the opportunity to start a shortstop job.

Over the next two years, the A's and Tejada have steadily improved. His hitting improved as he gained more control at the plate. He hit.233 with 11 home runs in 1998, and in 1999, he soared to.251 with 21 home runs.

Tejada and a core group of young players led their A's to their first American League Western Division title in eight years in 2000 after a solid 87-win campaign in 1999. The A's won 91 games, despite being boosted by first baseman Jason Giambi's MVP award-winning appearance and 30 home runs. In the first round of the postseason, the A's defeated the New York Yankees 3–2.

Tejada had a similar offensive year in 2001, peaking at.267 with 31 homers. With a 102-59 record, the A's captured the American League wild card. However, the A's lost in five games to the Yankees in the postseason, blowing a 2-0 lead in the series.

Tejada's breakout year came in 2002. The A's lost two of their main offensive players, Jason Giambi, to the New York Yankees during the offseason, and a leg injury to slugger Jermaine Dye. Tejada's 34 homers and led the A's to their second Western Division title in three years. The team's record of 20 games winning streak was set during their campaign. Tejada scored one-out, game-winning runs in the 18th and 19th games of that season: a three-run homer offset Minnesota Twins closer Eddie Guardado for a 7–5 win and a bases-loaded single against Kansas City Royals reliever Jason Grimsley to break a 6–6 tie. With 18 robbery in less than two years, Tejada displayed no discernible speed on the basepaths. He was given the 2002 American League MVP award for his efforts. However, the A's dropped in their fifth game of the ALDS this year, this time to the Minnesota Twins for the third year in a row.

Both the A's and Tejada got off to a rocky start in the first month of the season, with the shortstop hitting under.200 for the first month. The A's won their second straight Western Division championship and their third in four years, thanks to improved play in the second half of the season. Tejada saw 27 homers for the year, down from his numbers in 2002, but shortstops are also ranked in several offensive categories.

The Boston Red Sox's potent offense barely edged out the A's in the first round of a heated series, this time in five games. At the series's conclusion, Tejada was known for his public display of indignation against Boston starting pitcher Derek Lowe for what he saw as offensive gestures. Lowe denied the charge, saying that his fist pump was only used for celebration.

Tejada had established himself as one of baseball's best shortstops by the 2003 season. The A's refused to re-sign the free agent, citing budget issues and the arrival of a young Bobby Crosby, so Tejada has signed a six-year, $72 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles during the offseason.

Tejada's number had been blocked on his arrival in Baltimore, having been barred from his position in Oakland since 2004. Tejada, a Baltimore shortstop, had a strong and durable shortstop with unusual power numbers for a middle infielder, as an Oriole.

Tejada took the Century 21 Home Run Derby in Houston on July 12, 2004. Tejada scored 27 home runs in the tournament, with 15 of them being a record in the second round. Lance Berkman, the Houston Astros' outfielder who would later become his teammate) 5–4 in the final round of the tournament. Both records were broken in Detroit by Bobby Abdudu the following year. Tejada earned his first Silver Slugger Award in 2004 after a career of 34 home runs and an MLB-leading 150 RBIs.

Although Tejada did not compete in the Home Run Derby in 2005, he was an All-Star and starter for the AL. Tejada had a sacrifice RBI against John Smoltz of the Atlanta Braves in his first All-Star appearance and was part of an all-Oriole double play with teammate Brian Roberts. He was named All-Star MVP after winning a Chevrolet Corvette, thanks in part to his efforts.

Tejada asked the Orioles for a trade in 2005, citing unhappiness with the team's development as the team's fate, while briefly focusing on his suspected non-involvement in Palmeiro's steroid controversy. Weeks would pass by before Tejada relaxed on the prospect of being traded away, although the Oriolis would eventually try to offload him during the 2006 All-Star break (with the Los Angeles Angels being one of the teams that failed to sell the asking price).

On July 1, 2006, Tejada played in his 1,000th straight game.

Tejada's streak started at 1,151 games after he was struck on his left wrist by a pitch on June 20, 2007. He went up to bunt in the first inning, bunted into a force play, and was replaced by a pinch runner the next day. Following that game, it was revealed that he had a fractured wrist. On June 22, he was placed on the disabled list, snapping his streak of 1,152 games in Major League history, behind Cal Ripken Jr. (2,632), Everett Scott (1,277), and Steve Garvey (1,217).

Tejada was traded to the Houston Astros for five players, including SP Troy Patton, OF Luke Scott, RP Dennis Sarfate, and RP/SP Matt Albers, who were all drafted on December 12, 2007.

On July 7, 2008, Tejada scored his 1,000th career at PNC Park. Tejada leading off the eighth stole second from one out and advanced to third on Padres' first baseman Adrián González' sacrifice fly in the 2008 All-Star Game.

He grounded himself into 32 double plays in the 2008 season, the most in the major leagues. In 2009, he converted the majors in grounding into double plays, this time with 29. He was the first player in major league history to lead the league in double plays grounded to five times.

Tejada decided to a one-year contract with the Orioles worth $6 million on January 23, 2010.

The Orioles traded Tejada to the San Diego Padres for minor league pitcher Wynn Pelzer on July 29, bringing Tejada to the San Diego Padres. Tejada of the Los Angeles Dodgers made his 300th home run on September 22, with Ted Lilly of the Los Angeles Dodgers hitting his 300th home run of his career.

Tejada has been with the San Francisco Giants for one year and $6.5 million. After batting.239 with four home runs and 26 RBIs in 91 games, he was called up for assignment on August 31, 2011. On September 8, 2011, he was released.

Tejada and the Orioles signed an agreement on a May 6, 2012 deal. He didn't make the Major League roster, but he continued to play for the Norfolk team until requesting his outright release, which was released on June 25, 2012.

Tejada joined the Kansas City Royals in a minor league contract on December 31, 2012. He was expected to receive $1.1 million in performance bonuses worth an additional $400,000 if he made the Royals Major League 40-man roster for 2013.

Following two positive drug tests for amphetamines, Tejada was banned from Major League Baseball for 105 games from August 17, 2013. Tejada seemed to have been applying for a therapeutic use exemption while using the drug to treat a medical condition, but he did not appeal the decision. Tejada was not eligible to play in the remaining 41 games of the 2013 season due to a calf injury sustained prior to the ban, although they did count towards his suspension. He was also not allowed to participate in the first 64 games of the 2014 season.

Tejada signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins on May 16, 2014. Before being called up by the Marlins, Tejada had to play the remaining 64 games on his suspension. The Marlins released Tejada on August 2, 2011.

Tejada was eligible to vote in the Hall of Fame in 2019, but was disqualified for the 2020 election.

Tejada had a career batting average of.285 runs, 468 doubles, 2307 home runs, 1302 RBI, 85 stolen bases, 553 walks, and a.456 on-base percentage in 2171 games over 16 seasons (2407-for-8434) in 2171 games over 16 seasons. He had an overall.971 fielding percentage as a shortstop, defensively.

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