Andres Galarraga

Simply Baseball Notebook, etc.

Andres Galarraga

'CAREER PATHS': April 2005

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Montreal Expos 1985-91: A product of Montreal's farm system, Galarraga broke into the bigs in '85. He broke out in '88 hitting .302 with 29 HR and 92 RBI and earned his first All Star birth. He would hit 23 and 20 home runs in the next two seasons, but his average dipped into the .250s. His defense did not suffer though; he won Gold Gloves in '89 and '90. During 1991, his final season in Montreal, injuries limited him to 107 games and he hit just .219. Following the season, he was dealt to St. Louis for pitcher Ken Hill.

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St. Louis Cardinals 1992: Galarraga's season in St. Louis was a frustrating one, he played in only 95 games hitting .243. He was granted free agency following the season and signed with the expansion Rockies.

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Colorado Rockies 1993-97: "The Big Cat" quickly established himself as the star of the expansion Rockies, hitting .370, winning the NL batting title, and going to the All Star game in '93. He took advantage of the Rocky Mountain air in '96 and '97 by clouting 47 and 41 HR and driving in 150 & 140 runs respectively.

Galarraga was a highly sought free agent following the 1997 season and inked 3 year, $25 million contract with the Atlanta Braves.

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Atlanta Braves 1998, 2000: Galarraga contiued his success in Atlanta, hitting .305 with 44 HR and 121 RBI in '98. But, he was diagnosed with cancer prior to the '99 season, which would cause him to miss the entire year. He would return, however, in 2000 and hit .302 with 28 HR and 100 RBI in his last season in Atlanta. A free agent following the season, the veteran agreed on a 1 year, $6 million contract with Texas.

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Texas Rangers 2001: Galarraga struggled during his 72 game stint in Texas, hitting just .234. He was dealt to the Giants in July.

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San Francisco Giants 2001: Galarraga spent the final 49 games of the '01 campaign in the Bay Area. He finished on a high note, hitting .288 as a Giant. Once again a free agent after the season, he returned to Montreal, signing a one-year deal.

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Montreal Expos 2002: A fan favorite in Montreal, Galarraga performed solidly for the Expos, hitting .260 hit 9 homers in 292 at bats. A free agent following the season, he inked a contract to return to San Francisco.

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San Francisco Giants 2003: The 42-year-old played well in the Bay Area, hitting .301 with 12 homeruns in just 272 at bats. Unfortunately during the off-season, his cancer came out of remission, costing the veteran much of the 2004 season.

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Anaheim Angels 2004: Galarraga gradually regained his strength and signed a minor league with Angels, joining their Triple A affiliate, Salt Lake, in July. He was called up on September 1, and hit .300 with 1 HR in 10 at bats. The respected veteran inked a minor league contract with the Mets in February.

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New York Mets Spring 2005: Sitting at 399 career homeruns, Galarraga made one, final attempt at #400. It wasn’t meant to be. Realizing that he would not make the Mets 25 man roster, “The Big Cat” retired gracefully on March 29.

He finished his career with a .288 average, 2,333 hits, and 1,425 RBI.

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Galarraga's stats @ Baseball-Almanac.com

Galarraga's stats @ Baseball-Reference.com

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