USA TODAY International Edition
Rock, Pudge: Small in size but not stature
Hall opens door for big talents in Raines, Rodriguez
Tim Raines gave up football for the diamond because he knew his diminutive size would prove no handicap.
The fact that he and Ivan Rodriguez are headed for induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday proves he was right. Both barely measure 5- 9.
Fewer than 20 earlier members of those enshrined in Cooperstown, N. Y., are that short or even shorter. But baseball is a game of inches in many ways.
“They were smaller in size but not smaller in stature,” says Al Clark, a major league umpire from 1976 to 2001. “It’s all about tenacity, mind- set, getting yourself ready to play and making yourself as good as you can be.”
According to Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox, “Size doesn’t matter. Look at ( 5- 6) Jose Altuve — he’s one of the top five ballplayers in the game today. He can beat with you with power, speed or defense.
“We had ( 5- 9) Glenn Hubbard, another little guy who could play. And we played against Freddie Patek, a shortstop who was only 5- 4 but could really play, too.”
During careers that lasted more than 20 years, Raines stole 808 bases and rifle- armed Rodriguez caught a record 2,427 games.
“People think the big sluggers are the best players, but there’s so much more involved,” says Craig Biggio, another basestealer who reached Cooperstown and played against both. “It takes good work by the guys at the top of the order; you’re not going to win otherwise. For Tim and Pudge to get in this year, and myself a couple of years ago, shows the little man is not unappreciated anymore.” ‘ I ALWAYS RAN ON MY OWN’ Raines reigned at the top of the Montreal Expos lineup from 1979, when he broke into the majors, until 1990. He was off and running almost immediately, stealing 71 bases in his first full season and reaching at least 70 in each of the next five seasons. No one has duplicated that feat.
“My football background helped me a lot as a basestealer,” he tells USA TODAY Sports. “As a running back, you have to be quick and react fast. That plays a big role when you’re at first base and running on the pitcher.
“I never got a sign to steal — only a sign not to steal. I always ran on my own.”
The seven- time All- Star reached a career- high 90 steals in 1983, one of four seasons he finished first in the National League. He also led the major leagues in runs twice.
Raines had a great role model in Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, another diminutive player whose blend of speed plus power produced two MVP awards.
“He had a small strike zone, too, and that helped him get on base more often,” Raines says. “I felt I had a pretty good eye at the plate and made the pitchers throw strikes more often.”
A natural right- handed hitter who became a switch- hitter after he was drafted, Raines credits Montreal teammates Andre Dawson and Gary Carter for helping him learn the game and serve as solid role models who helped straighten him out after he used cocaine early in his career.
Raines was elected to Cooperstown in his 10th and final year on the ballot, most likely because he played his career in the shadow of Rickey Henderson, considered the best leadoff hitter of all time.
Raines eschews comparisons with Henderson, the season ( 130) and lifetime ( 1,406) leader in stolen bases.
“I didn’t study him much at all,” Raines says. “We had totally different styles. He took a shorter lead. I took a bigger lead. And our first step was totally different.” PUDGE NABBED HONORS Rodriguez’s résumé includes 13 Gold Gloves, 14 All- Star selections and MVP awards in the regular season ( 1999 American) and a league championship series ( 2003 NL).
Jeff Torborg was the Chicago White Sox opposing manager when the Texas Rangers brought Rodriguez to the majors in 1991. “The night he was supposed to get married, they called him up,” Torborg says. “By the time we got him with the ( Florida) Marlins in 2003, he was an important cog in that world championship team. What a talent he was — what a defensive catcher. I’m not sure I’ve seen anybody better. Great arm, good hands and a compact build that kept him low in the strike zone. He made good progress as a hitter.”
Rodriguez finished his career hitting .296, two points higher than Raines, and had 311 home runs, 35 of them during his 1999 MVP season that included a .332 average and 113 RBI.
Suspicions arose later in his career about whether Rodriguez used steroids. In 2005, former Texas Rangers teammate Jose Canseco accused him of doing so. He also lost significant weight before MLB began testing for performance- enhancing drugs with penalties in ’ 05.
Still, Rodriguez joins Johnny Bench as the only catchers chosen on the first ballot. He also becomes the fourth Puerto Rican elected, joining Roberto Clemente, Roberto Alomar and Orlando Cepeda.
“I didn’t anticipate him hitting as well as he did,” Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan says of his one- time Texas battery mate. “He developed as he went along. But I was there when they brought him up as a 19- year- old. He was very athletic, with an unbelievable arm. He set up well and shifted well. He was a pleasure to throw to.”
Rodriguez recalled the first time he caught Ryan: “Nolan and I went into a room with pitching coach Tom House and had a three- minute meeting before the game. Nolan said all I had to do was put my fingers out and he would throw to me. It worked very well since he almost threw his eighth no- hitter.”
Rodriguez, who acquired the nickname Pudge in the minor leagues, helped five of his teams reach postseason play, and one of them, the 2003 Marlins, to win the World Series after Jack McKeon took over for Torborg.
“I think I proved heart matters more than height,” Rodriguez says. “It doesn’t matter how big you are. I was a short guy playing with big guys but played hard and respected the game. I tried to take my game to another level.”