Roberto Petagine
Encyclopedia
Roberto Antonio Petagine (icon; born June 7, 1971 in Nueva Esparta
, Venezuela
) is a left-handed
first baseman
for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
in Nippon Professional Baseball. His Major League Baseball
career includes brief stints with the Houston Astros
(1994), San Diego Padres
(1995), New York Mets
(1996 and 1997), Cincinnati Reds
(1998), Boston Red Sox
(2005), and Seattle Mariners
(2006), but he is best known for his success in the Japanese Central League
between 1999 and 2004 where, as a member of the Yakult Swallows
(1999–2002) and Yomiuri Giants
(2003–2004), he was among that country's premier offensive players.
after starting his career in Venezuela with the Leones del Caracas baseball team in which he contributed with his power for several campaigns becoming a star and a well-known baseball player in his country. Later that year, he played his first pro season with the rookie-level GCL Astros of the Gulf Coast League
. His production there, and the following year with Single-A Burlington, was solid (if unspectacular). Petagine would go on to substantial minor league success in his early to mid 20's, but even his early stats hinted at the trends that would define—and perhaps curse—his career in American baseball: always having an above-average OBP, but relatively little home run
power, by the standards historically applied to first basemen.
A solid contact hitter who used the whole field with occasional pull power, the young Petagine was indeed most noteworthy for his control of the strike zone, and more specifically for the exceptional rate at which he drew walks
. His breakout years were in 1992 through 1994, as he moved through the minors to Triple-A, cumulatively averaging an OBP above .400 and a .500+ slugging percentage.
Baseball America
twice ranked him among the Astros' top ten prospects (in 1992 and 1994 http://www.astroland.net/baseballamericatopprospects.html); he was a three-time All-Star
(1996–1998) in Triple-A; and he won the International League
's MVP
Award in back-to-back years: 1997 as a member of the Mets' Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk
and 1998 as a member of the Reds' Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis
. Despite his early successes, though, Petagine would never become a regular in the majors, nor receive much chance to play his way into the role; he was traded three times between December, 1994 and February, 1998, and in December 1998 the Reds sold his contract to the Yakult Swallows
.
, as he won three Gold Gloves, two home run titles and one Central League MVP award while playing for the Yakult Swallows (1999–2002) and Yomiuri Giants
(2003–04). For Yakult and Yomiuri, Petagine hit
.317 with 223 home runs and 594 RBI
in 756 games.
In 2003-04, Petagine became the highest paid baseball player in Japan. The Giants acquired him to take the place of departed Hideki Matsui
who came to the United States to play for the New York Yankees
. However, he was forced to play as an outfielder
because there was also infielder
Kazuhiro Kiyohara
.
, preventing him from making the 25-man roster. In August, first baseman John Olerud
was placed on the 15-day disabled list
and his roster spot was filled by Petagine, who'd had a productive Triple-A season (including a .327 batting average with 20 home runs and 69 RBI in 74 games at Pawtucket
). In 18 games with Boston, he hit .281 (9-for-34) with one home run and nine RBI.
The Red Sox declined to sign Petagine for the 2006 season. He signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners, and was invited to spring training. After a productive spring, he made the major league team as a backup to Richie Sexson
. On July 9, 2006, he was designated for assignment by the Mariners.
In 2008, Petagine played first baseman for the Diablos Rojos del Mexico
of the Mexican League.
Jamie Brown
. The contract was worth $250,000 throughout the year of 2008.
Nueva Esparta
Nueva Esparta State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It comprises Margarita Island, Coche, and the largely uninhabited Cubagua.The state is the smallest one in area, and is located off the northeast Caribbean coast of Venezuela. It is the only insular state of Venuezuela...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
) is a left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
in Nippon Professional Baseball. His Major League Baseball
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...
career includes brief stints with the Houston Astros
Houston 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...
(1994), San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
(1995), 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...
(1996 and 1997), Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(1998), Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
(2005), and Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
(2006), but he is best known for his success in the Japanese Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
between 1999 and 2004 where, as a member of the Yakult Swallows
Tokyo Yakult Swallows
is a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League.The Swallows are named after their corporate owners, the Yakult Corporation. From 1950 to 1965, the team was owned by the former Japanese National Railways and called the Kokutetsu Swallows; the team was then owned by the newspaper Sankei...
(1999–2002) and Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
(2003–2004), he was among that country's premier offensive players.
Minor league career
Petagine entered professional baseball on February 13, 1990, at the age of 18, when Houston signed him as an undrafted amateur 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 starting his career in Venezuela with the Leones del Caracas baseball team in which he contributed with his power for several campaigns becoming a star and a well-known baseball player in his country. Later that year, he played his first pro season with the rookie-level GCL Astros of the Gulf Coast League
Gulf Coast League
The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...
. His production there, and the following year with Single-A Burlington, was solid (if unspectacular). Petagine would go on to substantial minor league success in his early to mid 20's, but even his early stats hinted at the trends that would define—and perhaps curse—his career in American baseball: always having an above-average OBP, but relatively little 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...
power, by the standards historically applied to first basemen.
A solid contact hitter who used the whole field with occasional pull power, the young Petagine was indeed most noteworthy for his control of the strike zone, and more specifically for the exceptional rate at which he drew 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...
. His breakout years were in 1992 through 1994, as he moved through the minors to Triple-A, cumulatively averaging an OBP above .400 and a .500+ slugging percentage.
Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
twice ranked him among the Astros' top ten prospects (in 1992 and 1994 http://www.astroland.net/baseballamericatopprospects.html); he was a three-time All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
(1996–1998) in Triple-A; and he won the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
's MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
Award in back-to-back years: 1997 as a member of the Mets' Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk
Norfolk Tides
The Norfolk Tides are a minor league baseball team in the Triple-A International League. They play at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia. Since 2007 they have been a farm team of the Baltimore Orioles; prior to that, they had a 38-year affiliation with the New York Mets.-Franchise history:The...
and 1998 as a member of the Reds' Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...
. Despite his early successes, though, Petagine would never become a regular in the majors, nor receive much chance to play his way into the role; he was traded three times between December, 1994 and February, 1998, and in December 1998 the Reds sold his contract to the Yakult Swallows
Tokyo Yakult Swallows
is a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League.The Swallows are named after their corporate owners, the Yakult Corporation. From 1950 to 1965, the team was owned by the former Japanese National Railways and called the Kokutetsu Swallows; the team was then owned by the newspaper Sankei...
.
Petagine in Japan
A new home helped revitalize Petagine's career. Let go by the Reds in 1998, he proved a welcome addition in the Japanese Central LeagueCentral League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
, as he won three Gold Gloves, two home run titles and one Central League MVP award while playing for the Yakult Swallows (1999–2002) and Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
(2003–04). For Yakult and Yomiuri, Petagine hit
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 :...
.317 with 223 home runs and 594 RBI
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...
in 756 games.
In 2003-04, Petagine became the highest paid baseball player in Japan. The Giants acquired him to take the place of departed Hideki Matsui
Hideki Matsui
is a Japanese Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.After playing the first ten seasons of his career for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he played the next seven seasons, from 2003–2009, for the New York...
who came to the United States to play for the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. However, he was forced to play as an outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
because there was also 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...
Kazuhiro Kiyohara
Kazuhiro Kiyohara
is a former professional baseball player in Japan, having played in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league for 23 seasons. He retired following the 2008 season.-Biography:...
.
Return to North American baseball
Before the 2005 season, the Boston Red Sox agreed to a minor league contract with Petagine. He underwent knee surgery in 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...
, preventing him from making the 25-man roster. In August, first baseman John Olerud
John Olerud
John Garrett Olerud , is a former American first baseman in Major League Baseball. Olerud played with the Toronto Blue Jays , New York Mets , Seattle Mariners , New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox ....
was placed on the 15-day disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
and his roster spot was filled by Petagine, who'd had a productive Triple-A season (including a .327 batting average with 20 home runs and 69 RBI in 74 games at Pawtucket
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...
). In 18 games with Boston, he hit .281 (9-for-34) with one home run and nine RBI.
The Red Sox declined to sign Petagine for the 2006 season. He signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners, and was invited to spring training. After a productive spring, he made the major league team as a backup to Richie Sexson
Richie Sexson
Richmond Lockwood "Big Sexy" Sexson is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for five teams from 1997 to 2008...
. On July 9, 2006, he was designated for assignment by the Mariners.
In 2008, Petagine played first baseman for the Diablos Rojos del Mexico
Diablos Rojos del México
Diablos Rojos del México is a professional baseball team in the Mexican League.This team is located in Mexico City. The team name, Diablos Rojos del México, means Mexico City Red Devils. It is often believed that they are named after the Cincinnati Reds. That is, however, not the case...
of the Mexican League.
Korean baseball
On May 12, 2008, the LG Twins announced that he would join the team, in substitution for starting pitcherStarting 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....
Jamie Brown
Jamie Brown (baseball)
Jamie Monroe Brown is a relief pitcher formerly in Major League Baseball, who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws right-handed.Brown played briefly for the Boston Red Sox in the season...
. The contract was worth $250,000 throughout the year of 2008.