Augie Ojeda
Encyclopedia
Octavio "Augie" Ojeda (born December 20, 1974, in Los Angeles
, California
) is an American
professional baseball
infielder
who is a free agent. He attended the University of Tennessee
, throws right-handed, and is a switch hitter
.
, but he did not play for the Orioles organization until due to his participation in the 1996 Summer Olympics
. He shot through the Orioles system in 1997, playing for the Single-A Frederick Keys
, Double-A Bowie Baysox
, and Triple-A Rochester Red Wings
. In total, he had a .344 batting average
and also showed good plate discipline with 57 walks
compared to only 39 strikeout
s. In , Ojeda played mostly for Double-A Bowie and his batting average slumped to .264, though he again showed good plate discipline, with 39 walks and 31 strikeouts. In , he played 134 games for Bowie and 1 game for Rochester. He batted .267 and had a career-high 10 home run
s and 60 RBIs
. On December 14, 1999, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Richard Negrette.
in . He spent most of June in the majors, making his debut on June 4 and also was called up after rosters expanded in September, overall in the majors, Ojeda batted .221. He spent all of in the majors, where he batted only .201 in 144 at bat
s. He began in the majors, but was sent down in June after batting only .186. He again found success in Triple-A, batting .299 and again walking more than he struck out. In , Ojeda batted .251 in Triple-A and spent August and September with Chicago. On November 24, 2003, he was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Twins
.
after the season.
for Iowa, but hit just .248. He made his first pitching
appearance in 2006, pitching 1 inning, giving up 1 hit
and 1 walk, but not allowing a run
. He was granted free agency at the end of the season.
, but started the season with Triple-A Tucson
for his first season in Arizona's organization. Ojeda hit .323 with Tucson to earn a major league call up in June, where he spent the rest of the season. He batted .274 in the majors and also pitched 1 inning. On August 14, D-Backs starter
Byung-Hyun Kim
got only 1 out with 17 pitches, and gave up 4 runs. With the bullpen
weary, Ojeda had to make an emergency appearance on the mound. He pitched a perfect 8th inning becoming only the third D-Backs position player to ever pitch in a game. Ojeda batted .286 in 21 postseason at-bats for the D-Backs in the NLDS
and NLCS
, as the Rockies beat them in the NLCS. He started on the major league squad as a utility infielder.
, but after hitting just .200, he was released on July 9.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
who is a free agent. He attended the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, throws right-handed, and is a switch hitter
Switch hitter
In baseball, a switch-hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed.-Baseball:Usually, right-handed batters hit better against left-handed pitchers and vice-versa. Most curveballs break away from batters hitting from the same side as the opposing pitcher. Such pitches are often...
.
Baltimore Orioles
Ojeda was drafted in the 13th round of the draft by the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, but he did not play for the Orioles organization until due to his participation in the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
. He shot through the Orioles system in 1997, playing for the Single-A Frederick Keys
Frederick Keys
The Frederick Keys minor league baseball team is the "High-A" class A baseball affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for Star Spangled Banner poet Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. The team mascot is a coyote known as...
, Double-A Bowie Baysox
Bowie Baysox
The Bowie Baysox are a minor league baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the class-AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League...
, and Triple-A Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
. In total, he had a .344 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and also showed good plate discipline with 57 walks
Base 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...
compared to only 39 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s. In , Ojeda played mostly for Double-A Bowie and his batting average slumped to .264, though he again showed good plate discipline, with 39 walks and 31 strikeouts. In , he played 134 games for Bowie and 1 game for Rochester. He batted .267 and had a career-high 10 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 60 RBIs
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. On December 14, 1999, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Richard Negrette.
Chicago Cubs
Ojeda batted .280 in 113 games for Triple-A IowaIowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs are a Triple-A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, that plays in the Pacific Coast League. Their home games are played in Des Moines, Iowa, at Principal Park.-Franchise history:...
in . He spent most of June in the majors, making his debut on June 4 and also was called up after rosters expanded in September, overall in the majors, Ojeda batted .221. He spent all of in the majors, where he batted only .201 in 144 at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s. He began in the majors, but was sent down in June after batting only .186. He again found success in Triple-A, batting .299 and again walking more than he struck out. In , Ojeda batted .251 in Triple-A and spent August and September with Chicago. On November 24, 2003, he was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins released Ojeda on December 21, but re-signed him two days later. He spent the next two seasons with the Twins organization. In Triple-A in , he batted just .245, but hit .339 in the majors from August to the end of the season. was the first time in five seasons he did not appear in the majors; he struggled in Triple-A with a .224 batting average. He became a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
after the season.
Chicago Cubs
On January 3, , Ojeda signed with the Cubs again. He was the starting shortstopShortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
for Iowa, but hit just .248. He made his first pitching
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...
appearance in 2006, pitching 1 inning, giving up 1 hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
and 1 walk, but not allowing a run
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
. He was granted free agency at the end of the season.
Arizona Diamondbacks
On February 5, , he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and was a non-roster invitee for spring trainingSpring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
, but started the season with Triple-A Tucson
Tucson Sidewinders
The Tucson Sidewinders were a minor league baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona. The team, which played in the Pacific Coast League, was the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks major-league club....
for his first season in Arizona's organization. Ojeda hit .323 with Tucson to earn a major league call up in June, where he spent the rest of the season. He batted .274 in the majors and also pitched 1 inning. On August 14, D-Backs starter
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
Byung-Hyun Kim
Byung-Hyun Kim
Byung-Hyun Kim is a South Korean professional baseball pitcher for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball. He is best known for his years with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox. In 2001, Kim took over mid-season as the Diamondbacks' closer and saved 19...
got only 1 out with 17 pitches, and gave up 4 runs. With the bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
weary, Ojeda had to make an emergency appearance on the mound. He pitched a perfect 8th inning becoming only the third D-Backs position player to ever pitch in a game. Ojeda batted .286 in 21 postseason at-bats for the D-Backs in the NLDS
National League Division Series
In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series determine which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series...
and NLCS
National League Championship Series
In Major League Baseball, the National League Championship Series is a round in the postseason that determines who wins the National League pennant and advances to Major League Baseball's championship, the World Series, facing the winner of the American League Championship Series. The reigning...
, as the Rockies beat them in the NLCS. He started on the major league squad as a utility infielder.
Return to the Cubs
On January 27, , Ojeda signed with the Cubs again as a non-roster spring training invitee. He played 18 games for IowaIowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs are a Triple-A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, that plays in the Pacific Coast League. Their home games are played in Des Moines, Iowa, at Principal Park.-Franchise history:...
, but after hitting just .200, he was released on July 9.