Augie Ojeda

Last updated

Augie Ojeda
DSC03653 Augie Ojeda.jpg
Ojeda with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2008
Infielder
Born: (1974-12-20) December 20, 1974 (age 49)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Batted: Switch
Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 4, 2000, for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 2010, for the Arizona Diamondbacks
Men's baseball
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1996 Atlanta Team

Octavio Augie Ojeda (born December 20, 1974) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, and Arizona Diamondbacks. [1]

Contents

Amateur career

A native of Los Angeles, California, Ojeda attended Cypress College and the University of Tennessee. In 1994, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League. [2]

Professional career

Baltimore Orioles

Ojeda was drafted in the 13th round of the 1996 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles, but he did not play for the Orioles organization until 1997 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 strikeouts. In 1998, 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 1999, he played 134 games for Bowie and 1 game for Rochester. He batted .267 and had a career-high 10 home runs and 60 RBIs. 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 Iowa Cubs in 2000. He spent most of June in the majors, making his major league debut on June 4 and was also called up after rosters expanded in September, overall in the majors, Ojeda batted .221. He spent all of the 2001 season in the majors, where he only batted .201 in 144 at bats. He began 2002 in the majors, but was sent down in June after only batting .186. He again found success in Triple-A, batting .299 and again walking more than he struck out. In 2003, 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 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 2004, he batted just .245, but hit .339 in the majors from August to the end of the season. 2005 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 agent after the season.

Chicago Cubs

On January 3, 2006, Ojeda signed with the Cubs again. He was the starting shortstop for Iowa, but he 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.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On February 5, 2007, he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and was a non-roster invitee for Spring Training, 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 3rd 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 2008 on the major league squad as a utility infielder. [3]

Return to the Cubs

On January 27, 2011, Ojeda signed with the Cubs once again this time as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training. He played 18 games for the Iowa Cubs, but after hitting just .200, he was released on July 9. [4]

Personal life

He currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Grace</span> American baseball player (born 1964)

Mark Eugene Grace is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman who spent 13 seasons with the Chicago Cubs and three seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks of the National League (NL). He was a member of the 2001 World Series champion Diamondbacks that beat the New York Yankees. Grace batted and threw left-handed; he wore jersey number 28 and 17 during his rookie season of 1988, and he kept number 17 for the remainder of his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Baylor</span> American baseball player and manager (1949-2017)

Don Edward Baylor, nicknamed "Groove," was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. During his 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), Baylor was a power hitter known for standing very close to home plate and was a first baseman, left fielder, and designated hitter. He played for six different American League (AL) teams, primarily the Baltimore Orioles and California Angels, but he also played for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, and Boston Red Sox. In 1979, Baylor was an All-Star and won the AL Most Valuable Player Award. He won three Silver Slugger Awards, the Roberto Clemente Award, and was a member of the 1987 World Series champion Minnesota Twins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Cintrón</span> Puerto Rican baseball player and coach (born 1978)

Alexander Cintrón is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball infielder and current hitting coach for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Nationals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Hill (pitcher)</span> American baseball player (born 1980)

Richard Joseph Hill, nicknamed "Dick Mountain", is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, and San Diego Padres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darnell McDonald</span> American baseball player (born 1978)

Darnell Tyrone McDonald is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 2004 and 2013 for the Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Chicago Cubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eli Whiteside</span> American baseball player (born 1979)

Dustin Eli Whiteside is an American former professional baseball catcher who is currently a roving catching instructor for the San Francisco Giants. He stands 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall, weighs 220 pounds (100 kg). He batted and threw right-handed. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, and Chicago Cubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Fontenot</span> American baseball player (born 1980)

Michael Eugene Fontenot Jr. is an American former professional baseball infielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and Philadelphia Phillies. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Fontenot was commonly used at second base, shortstop, or third base during his career. He won a World Series with the Giants in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Moore (baseball)</span> American baseball player

Scott Alanboyd Moore is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros. He played with the St. Louis Cardinals organization until his release in May 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 National League Championship Series</span> Baseball tournament

The 2007 National League Championship Series (NLCS), the final round of the 2007 National League playoffs, began on October 11 and ended on October 15. It was a best-of-seven series, with the West Division champion Arizona Diamondbacks facing the divisional rival wild card winner Colorado Rockies. The Rockies swept the series in four games to win their first ever pennant, extending a 17–1 run to 21–1 in the process. The Rockies won the opportunity to play the American League champion Boston Red Sox in the 2007 World Series, where they were swept 4-0. Colorado's NLCS sweep was only the second NLCS sweep since the seven-game format was adopted in 1985, with the first being the Atlanta Braves' sweep in 1995.

Kenneth Gregory Steenstra is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs. He attended Wichita State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 National League Division Series</span> American baseball games

The 2007 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2007 National League playoffs, began on Wednesday, October 3 and ended on Saturday, October 6, with the champions of the three NL divisions and one wild card team participating in two best-of-five series. They were:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wesley Wright</span> American baseball player

Dequam LaWesley Wright is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game</span> 2007 Major League Baseball tie-breaker game

The 2007 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2007 regular season, played between the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies of the National League's (NL) West Division to determine the NL wild card. It was played at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, on October 1, 2007. The Rockies won the game 9–8 in thirteen innings on a controversial play at home plate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Matusz</span> American baseball player (born 1987)

Brian Robert Matusz is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago Cubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lou Montañez</span> American baseball player (born 1981)

Luis Anibal Montañez is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welington Castillo</span> Dominican baseball player (born 1987)

Welington Andrés Castillo, nicknamed "Beef" after Beef Wellington, is a Dominican former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago White Sox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jemile Weeks</span> American baseball player (born 1987)

Jemile Nykiwa Weeks is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, and San Diego Padres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zach Davies</span> American baseball player (born 1993)

Zachary Ryan Davies is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, and Arizona Diamondbacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergio Alcántara</span> Dominican baseball player (born 1996)

Sergio Junior Alcántara Hernández is a Dominican professional baseball infielder in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, and San Diego Padres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Meisinger</span> American baseball player

Ryan Thomas Meisinger is an American professional baseball pitcher for the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals, and Chicago Cubs.

References

  1. "World Baseball Classic: Team Mexico taking on old prejudices". Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  2. "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  3. "Willis ends long winless skid as Marlins beat Arizona 14-5". August 14, 2007, Associated Press. Retrieved on August 18, 2008.
  4. Links, Zach (July 9, 2011). "Cubs Release Augie Ojeda". MLBTradeRumors.com. Retrieved July 10, 2011.