Willy Taveras
Encyclopedia
Willy Taveras is a Major League Baseball
center fielder
.
season, mostly as a pinch runner
.
In , he led the majors in infield hit
s (71), bunt hits (31), and singles (152), and was tops among rookies in runs (82), hits (172), and stolen bases (34; 6th in the NL). He hit .291. Taveras was the Astros' starting center fielder during his rookie season (2005), replacing Carlos Beltrán
, who signed with the New York Mets
in the offseason. After the season, Taveras was voted National League
Rookie of the Year by the players (Ryan Howard
of the Philadelphia Phillies
won the actual Rookie of the Year Award).
In , Taveras' batting average regressed to .278, though he again led the majors in bunt hits (21) and had 33 stolen base
s (10th in the NL), but just 30 RBI.
and Jason Hirsh
by the Astros to the Colorado Rockies
for Rockies pitcher
s Jason Jennings
and Miguel Asencio
.
In a 22-inning game played between April 17–18, , at Petco Park
, Taveras set a Rockies' club record with 10 at-bats in the game.
He led MLB with 68 stolen bases during the 2008 season, http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/sortable_player_stats.jsp?teamPosCode=all&statType=1&statType=Overview§ion1=null&timeFrame=1&Submit=Submit&c_id=mlb&sitSplit=&venueID=&baseballScope=mlb&timeSubFrame=2008&&sortByStat=SB and led the NL with 24 bunt hits. http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=2&season=2008&month=0 At the same time, his .296 slugging percentage was the lowest in the majors. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2008-advanced-batting.shtml Defensively, however, he had the lowest fielding percentage of all major league center fielders, .976. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/fielding?groupId=9&season=2008&seasonType=2&split=84&sortColumn=errors
On December 12, 2008, the Rockies non-tendered Taveras, making him a free agent.
In his debut with the Reds, he hit a pinch-hit triple in the 8th inning after being down with the flu for over a week.
In 2009, Taveras had the lowest slugging percentage, .285, and the lowest on-base percentage, .275, of all National League players with at least 350 plate appearances. On February 1, 2010, Taveras was traded along with Adam Rosales
to the Oakland Athletics for Aaron Miles
and a player to be named later. He was later designated for assignment by Oakland. Taveras declined a Triple-A assignment and was granted free agency.
with an invite to spring training. He played 27 games, and on May 21, 2010 he was granted his unconditional release.
. He was assigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley
.
On June 29, 2010, he was released after playing 23 games for the IronPigs, batting .208 in 96 AB's, with nine stolen bases.
On August 15, 2010, Taveras signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers
.
. His career-high in walks is 36, resulting in a low on base percentage
. In addition, Taveras is an exceptionally poor power hitter, producing the lowest slugging percentage among all regular major league outfielders for both the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He has great speed and has been clocked at 3.57 seconds from home to first as a right-handed hitter. Taveras has also led the league in infield singles, and his BABIP (batting average on balls in play) was .374 in 2007.
against the St. Louis Cardinals
, he made a catch while running up Tal's Hill in Minute Maid Park
's deep center field to end the 8th inning and preserve a 2-1 lead. He scored the winning run as a pinch-runner the inning before on a short sacrifice fly to center field.
On Mother's Day
, May 14, 2006, Taveras was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a pink bat
to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation. Taveras had a 30-game hitting streak that ended August 29, 2006, during a game in which he was hit twice by Milwaukee Brewers
pitcher Tomo Ohka
. His streak is a franchise record, breaking the record of 25 previously held by Jeff Kent
. He is the 42nd player in MLB history with a hit streak of 30-or-more games.
He fielded former teammate Craig Biggio
's 3000th career hit and threw him out trying to advance to second base.
Taveras has played in the World Series
twice; once for the Astros in 2005
and once for the Rockies in 2007
. Both teams were swept.
.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
.
Houston Astros
Taveras played in 10 games at the end of the AstrosHouston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
season, mostly as a pinch runner
Pinch runner
A pinch runner is a baseball player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing a player on base. In the typical case, the pinch runner is faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been substituted...
.
In , he led the majors in infield hit
Infield hit
An infield hit is an outcome in baseball in which the batted ball stays in the infield but neither the batter nor any of the runners are put out. If the batter and the runners reach safely due to an error, it is not considered an infield hit. Runners normally only advance one base in an infield...
s (71), bunt hits (31), and singles (152), and was tops among rookies in runs (82), hits (172), and stolen bases (34; 6th in the NL). He hit .291. Taveras was the Astros' starting center fielder during his rookie season (2005), replacing Carlos Beltrán
Carlos Beltrán
Carlos Iván Beltrán is a Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:In his youth, Beltrán excelled in many sports, with volleyball and baseball being his favorites. At his father's urging, he gave up volleyball to concentrate on baseball when he was seventeen...
, who signed with the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
in the offseason. After the season, Taveras was voted National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
Rookie of the Year by the players (Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard
Ryan James Howard is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Nicknamed "The Big Piece", Howard stands and weighs . He bats and throws left-handed....
of the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
won the actual Rookie of the Year Award).
In , Taveras' batting average regressed to .278, though he again led the majors in bunt hits (21) and had 33 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s (10th in the NL), but just 30 RBI.
Colorado Rockies
On December 12, 2006, Taveras was traded along with Taylor BuchholzTaylor Buchholz
Taylor Buchholz is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Biography:...
and Jason Hirsh
Jason Hirsh
Jason Michael Hirsh is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who is a free agent.Hirsh was a dominant minor league pitcher in 2005–06, winning the Double-A Texas League Pitcher of the Year Award and the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year Award in successive seasons, as he went...
by the Astros to the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
for Rockies pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
s Jason Jennings
Jason Jennings
Jason Ryan Jennings is an American Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent.-High school/college years:...
and Miguel Asencio
Miguel Asencio
Miguel DePaula Asencio is a Major League Baseball pitcher. He began his pro-career in in the Dominican Republic. In eleven games, he went 0-2 with a 6.55 ERA....
.
In a 22-inning game played between April 17–18, , at Petco Park
PETCO Park
Petco Park is an open-air ballpark in downtown San Diego, California, USA. It opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the home park of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. Before then, the Padres shared Qualcomm Stadium with the NFL's San Diego Chargers...
, Taveras set a Rockies' club record with 10 at-bats in the game.
He led MLB with 68 stolen bases during the 2008 season, http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/sortable_player_stats.jsp?teamPosCode=all&statType=1&statType=Overview§ion1=null&timeFrame=1&Submit=Submit&c_id=mlb&sitSplit=&venueID=&baseballScope=mlb&timeSubFrame=2008&&sortByStat=SB and led the NL with 24 bunt hits. http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=2&season=2008&month=0 At the same time, his .296 slugging percentage was the lowest in the majors. http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2008-advanced-batting.shtml Defensively, however, he had the lowest fielding percentage of all major league center fielders, .976. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/fielding?groupId=9&season=2008&seasonType=2&split=84&sortColumn=errors
On December 12, 2008, the Rockies non-tendered Taveras, making him a free agent.
Cincinnati Reds
On December 27, 2008, Taveras signed a two-year deal worth $6.25 million with the Cincinnati Reds.In his debut with the Reds, he hit a pinch-hit triple in the 8th inning after being down with the flu for over a week.
In 2009, Taveras had the lowest slugging percentage, .285, and the lowest on-base percentage, .275, of all National League players with at least 350 plate appearances. On February 1, 2010, Taveras was traded along with Adam Rosales
Adam Rosales
Adam M. Rosales is an American Major League Baseball infielder for the Oakland Athletics.He made his major league debut as a pinch hitter for the Cincinnati Reds on August 9, 2008...
to the Oakland Athletics for Aaron Miles
Aaron Miles
Aaron Wade Miles is a Major League Baseball infielder who is currently a free agent.-Houston Astros:Miles was originally drafted by the Houston Astros in the 19th round of the 1995 amateur draft...
and a player to be named later. He was later designated for assignment by Oakland. Taveras declined a Triple-A assignment and was granted free agency.
Washington Nationals
On February 15, 2010, Taveras signed a minor league contract with the Washington NationalsWashington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
with an invite to spring training. He played 27 games, and on May 21, 2010 he was granted his unconditional release.
Philadelphia Phillies
On June 3, 2010, he signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. He was assigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a minor league baseball team that plays in the International League. The IronPigs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The team plays their home games at Coca-Cola Park, which is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
.
On June 29, 2010, he was released after playing 23 games for the IronPigs, batting .208 in 96 AB's, with nine stolen bases.
On August 15, 2010, Taveras signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
.
Return to the Rockies
On January 25, 2011, Taveras signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies.Scouting report
Taveras has good skills for slap-hitting; however, he strikes out frequently (103 times in 2005) and rarely walksBase on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
. His career-high in walks is 36, resulting in a low on base percentage
On base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...
. In addition, Taveras is an exceptionally poor power hitter, producing the lowest slugging percentage among all regular major league outfielders for both the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He has great speed and has been clocked at 3.57 seconds from home to first as a right-handed hitter. Taveras has also led the league in infield singles, and his BABIP (batting average on balls in play) was .374 in 2007.
Other
In Game 4 of the 2005 NLCS2005 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriIn the series opener, the Cardinals won 5–3 behind a strong pitching performance by Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter and a two-run home run by Reggie Sanders in the first inning...
against the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, he made a catch while running up Tal's Hill in Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park is a ballpark in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States that opened in 2000 to house the Major League Baseball Houston Astros....
's deep center field to end the 8th inning and preserve a 2-1 lead. He scored the winning run as a pinch-runner the inning before on a short sacrifice fly to center field.
On Mother's Day
Mother's Day (United States)
In the United States, Mother's Day is an annual holiday celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Mother's Day recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well the positive contributions that they make to society....
, May 14, 2006, Taveras was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a pink bat
Pink bat
In baseball, pink bats are limited-supply baseball bats manufactured by Louisville Slugger for use by select Major League Baseball players on Mother's Day, first introduced in 2006 in association with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization...
to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation. Taveras had a 30-game hitting streak that ended August 29, 2006, during a game in which he was hit twice by Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
pitcher Tomo Ohka
Tomo Ohka
is a Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher who is currently playing for the Yokohama BayStars. Previously, Ohka played with the Boston Red Sox , Montreal Expos , Washington Nationals , Milwaukee Brewers , Toronto Blue Jays , and Cleveland Indians...
. His streak is a franchise record, breaking the record of 25 previously held by Jeff Kent
Jeff Kent
Jeffrey Franklin Kent is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman. Kent won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, and is the all-time leader in home runs among second basemen...
. He is the 42nd player in MLB history with a hit streak of 30-or-more games.
He fielded former teammate Craig Biggio
Craig Biggio
Craig Alan Biggio is a former Major League Baseball second baseman, catcher, and outfielder. He played his entire 20-year baseball career with the Houston Astros . He ranks 21st all-time with 3,060 career hits, and is the ninth player in the 3000 hit club to get all his hits with the same team. He...
's 3000th career hit and threw him out trying to advance to second base.
Taveras has played in the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
twice; once for the Astros in 2005
2005 World Series
The 2005 World Series, the 101st Major League Baseball championship series, saw the American League champion Chicago White Sox sweep the National League champion Houston Astros four games to none in the best-of-seven-games series, winning their third championship and first since 1917.Home-field...
and once for the Rockies in 2007
2007 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsThe Red Sox cruised to a blowout win in Game 1 behind ALCS MVP Josh Beckett, who struck out nine batters, including the first four he faced, en route to his fourth win of the 2007 postseason...
. Both teams were swept.
Career highlights
Player's Choice Rookie of the YearPlayers Choice Award
The Players Choice Awards are annual Major League Baseball awards, given by the Major League Baseball Players Association .The Players Choice Awards are given following a secret ballot by players. Four awards go to a player in each league, while two awards each go to one player in all of Major...
.
- 2005 Sporting News Rookie of the YearThe Sporting News Rookie of the Year AwardThe Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award was established in 1946 by The Sporting News .*In 1947-48, and again in 1950, a single award was given for all of Major League Baseball....
- Named to 2006 Dominican Republic World Baseball Classic teamDominican Republic national baseball teamThe Dominican Republic national baseball team is the national baseball team of the Dominican Republic.-World Baseball Classic Roster:- Dominican Republic:Manager: 17 Felipe Alou...
. - 30 game hitting streakHitting streakIn baseball, a hitting streak refers to the number of consecutive official games in which a player gets at least one base hit.According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is ended when a player has at least 1 plate appearance and no hits...
(AstrosHouston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
franchise record).
See also
- List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases