Rod Barajas
Rodrigo Richard Barajas Sr.
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 250 lb.
- School Cerritos College
- High School Santa Fe High School (Santa Fe Springs, CA)
- Debut September 25, 1999
- Final Game October 3, 2012
- Born September 5, 1975 in Ontario, CA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Rod Barajas won a World Series ring, homering in Game 5 of the 2001 World Series as the backup catcher to Damian Miller with the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks. He earned his first starting job following an injury to Gerald Laird with the 2004 Texas Rangers and enjoyed his best season in 2005, batting .254/.306/.466 with 21 home runs and 60 RBI in 120 games. He bounced around the rest of his career, finishing with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2012. In the 2009 World Baseball Classic, the California native backed up Miguel Ojeda as the Mexican team catcher. He was 3 for 6 with two walks. Barajas is of Mexican American heritage [1], thus allowing him to play for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic.
Following his playing days, Barajas joined the San Diego Padres organization and worked for several years as a minor league coach and manager. He began 2014 as manager of the AZL Padres before being promoted to hitting coach of the Lake Elsinore Storm on June 25th. Barajas returned to Lake Elsinore in 2015 before receiving another mid-season promotion to manager of the San Antonio Missions on June 17th, replacing Jamie Quirk. After the 2015 season, he managed the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League. Barajas moved up to the AAA El Paso Chihuahuas in 2016 and managed there for three seasons. He led the Chihuahuas to three consecutive Pacific Coast League division titles and their first PCL championship in 2016.
The Padres promoted Barajas to the major league staff in 2019 as the team's bench coach. He took over as interim manager on September 21st when manager Andy Green was fired with 8 games left to play. The Padres went just 1-7 in that span, and Barajas lost out to Jayce Tingler in the team's search for a new permanent skipper after the season. Still, he was retained on the coaching staff in 2020 as catching and quality control coach and stayed for all of Tingler's tenure, until the end of the 2021 season.
In 2022 the Los Angeles Angels hired Barajas as the organization's minor league catching coordinator. He only stayed in this role one year before moving to the Miami Marlins as the major league field coordinator under new manager Skip Schumaker. The year was a success as the Marlins reached the playoffs in 2023. Barajas retained his position in 2024, but the team had a disastrous season, and the entire Marlins coaching staff was fired at the conclusion of the debacle.
Rod won first team All-Conference honors at Santa Fe High School and was team MVP at Cerritos Junior College during his amateur playing career. He is married with six children; his wife is named Stacie and the couple have sons named Andrew, Bryce, Rod Jr. and Jace, and daughters named Aunalilia and Aubrielle. [2]
Notable Achievements[edit]
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (2005)
- Won a World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001
Preceded by Andy Green |
San Diego Padres Manager 2019 |
Succeeded by Jayce Tingler |
Year-By-Year Managerial Record[edit]
Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | AZL Padres | Arizona League | 1-3 | -- | San Diego Padres | -- | Replaced by Anthony Contreras (19-33) |
2016 | El Paso Chihuahuas | Pacific Coast League | 73-70 | 5th (t) | San Diego Padres | League Champs | |
2017 | El Paso Chihuahuas | Pacific Coast League | 73-69 | 5th | San Diego Padres | Lost League Finals | |
2018 | El Paso Chihuahuas | Pacific Coast League | 82-57 | 2nd (t) | San Diego Padres | Lost in 1st round | |
2019 | San Diego Padres | National League | 1-7 | 5th | San Diego Padres | replaced Andy Green (69-85) on September 21 |
References[edit]
among others:
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