Rod Barajas: Difference between revisions

On October 11, 2007, the Phillies declined his option making him a free agent, and on January 24, {{Baseball year|2008}}, Barajas signed a deal with the [[Toronto Blue Jays]], the team he backed out of a contract with the previous off-season, this time as the backup to incumbent catcher [[Gregg Zaun]]. Zaun had signed a two-year deal with the team only after negotiations with Barajas fell apart.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080124&content_id=2354820&vkey=hotstove2007&fext=.jsp |title=Jays sign Barajas to one-year deal |accessdateaccess-date=September 17, 2008 |work=[[MLB.com]] |publisher= |date= }}</ref> Blue Jays general manager [[J.P. Ricciardi]] said he had no hard feelings towards Barajas. Zaun was supposed to be the starting catcher, but due to his poor offensive numbers and overall difficulties, manager [[Cito Gaston]] made Barajas the starter after he took over for [[John Gibbons]]. He took over the starting catching job from Gregg Zaun, and continued in that role in 2009. He finished the 2008 season batting .249 with 11 home runs, 49 RBIs, a .294 on-base percentage, and a .410 slugging percentage over 104 games.

In his first game with Los Angeles against the [[Milwaukee Brewers]], Barajas hit two doubles and a three-run home run. Barajas became the first Dodger to hit three extra-base hits in his first game with the club. In his first home game in Dodger Stadium, Barajas hit a home run in the fifth inning.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100830&content_id=14111762&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |title=Kuroda flirts with no-no in Dodgers' victory |first=Evan |last=Drellich |date=August 30, 2010 |publisher=MLB.com |location=Los Angeles |at=Paragraph 9 |access-date=August 30, 2010 |quote=Rod Barajas, 0-for-9 in his career against Halladay and a Dodger for less than a week, caught the near no-hitter and hit a fifth-inning solo homer in his Dodger Stadium debut. Barajas grew up in nearby Ontario, Calif. }}</ref>

On November 10, 2011, Barajas signed a one-year contract with a club option for 2013 with the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]].<ref>[http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111110&content_id=25949478 Rod Barajas agrees to one-year deal with Pirates] ''MLB.com''</ref> The Pirates declined his 2013 option on October 31, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121031&content_id=40134698&vkey=news_pit&c_id=pit|title=Pirates exercise Alvarez's option, decline Barajas'|work=MLB.com|last=Singer|first=Tom|date=October 31, 2012|accessdateaccess-date=November 3, 2012}}</ref>

In October 2018, he was named as the bench coach for the [[San Diego Padres]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://krod.com/rod-barajas-promoted-as-san-diego-padres-bench-coach/|title=Rod Barajas promoted as San Diego Padres Bench Coach|author=Adrian Broaddus|website=[[KROD|Sports 600 ESPN]]|date=October 31, 2018|accessdateaccess-date=October 11, 2019}}</ref> On September 21, 2019, Barajas was named the interim manager for the Padres following the team's firing of [[Andy Green (baseball)|Andy Green]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/rod_barajas_takes_over|title=Padres interim manager Rod Barajas takes over team with eight games to go|website=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]]|date=September 21, 2019|accessdateaccess-date=October 11, 2019}}</ref> He was named the Padres catching and quality control coach prior to the 2020 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://padres.mlblogs.com/padres-announce-2020-major-league-coaching-staff-12feb0a29faf|title=Padres Announce 2020 Major League Coaching Staff|website=[[MLB.com]]|date=December 5, 2019|accessdateaccess-date=December 5, 2019}}</ref>

! colspan="9"| Reference:<ref>{{cite web|title=Andy Green|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/greenan01.shtml|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdateaccess-date=July 11, 2016}}</ref>

Barajas is of Mexican descent. His mother and father are from [[Michoacán]] and [[Baja California]], respectively.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bennett|first=Keith|title=Arizona Immigration Law Critcized {{sic|hide=y|reason=spelling error in source title}} By Mets' Rod Barajas|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/388453-arizona-immigration-law-critcized-by-mets-barajas|website=[[Bleacher Report]]|date=May 5, 2010|access-date=February 25, 2018}}</ref> He and his wife Stacie have four sons, Andrew, Bryce, Rod Jr. and Jace, and three daughters, Aunalilia, Aubrielle, and Starlette.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070719&content_id=2097584&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi|title=Notes: Germano eager to face Phillies Let go in Spring Training, Padres righty enjoying solid '07|accessdateaccess-date=September 17, 2008|website=[[MLB.com]]|date= }}</ref>