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After playing out his contract
with the Texas Rangers, former Cerritos College
catcher/first baseman
Rod Barajas
has signed a one-year contract on December 21 with
the Philadelphia Phillies that will pay him $2.5
million. The club holds the option for the 2008
season.
Barajas was the Rangers Opening
Day catcher the last two seasons and was with Texas
for three years after playing the first five years
of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He
batted .256 last season with 11 home runs and 41 RBI
in 97 games, which included hitting .326 against
National League pitching. In his three seasons in
the American League, Barajas ranked fourth in the
league among catchers with 47 home runs, which
included a career-high 21 home runs in 2005.
Back in 2001, Barajas played on
the World Champion Diamondbacks and batted .333 with
two home runs in the playoffs, including one in the
Fall Classic off New York Yankee pitcher Mike
Mussina. Barajas has a career average of .240 with
58 home runs and 225 RBI.
While playing for the Falcons
from 1994-95, Barajas was a 1st Team All-South Coast
Conference selection as a designated hitter his
freshman year and was a 2nd Team selection as a
first baseman his sophomore campaign. He was voted
the team's Most Valuable Player as a freshman and
was one of their team captain's as a sophomore, as
the team made their last appearance in the state
championship game, where they lost to Santa Ana
College. Although he was undrafted, Barajas was
signed by the Diamondbacks at a tryout camp and was
one of the first players signed by the organization. |
