Bench Spot #7 – SS Edgar Renteria
There were a number of candidates I thought of for this last spot. I originally though Frisch could hold down the shortstop spot if needed. However, I figured Frisch didn’t have the experience needed at short, to consistently back up Smith, and I may need a player to play more if and when Ozzie’s offense is a drag to the club.
So, I threw out a couple names to start. I looked up Marty Marion and the player the Cardinals’ traded for Ozzie Smith in Garry Templeton, but ultimately I went with Edgar Renteria. Renteria was a consistent player for the Cardinals in his six years there. Renteria slashed .290/.347/.420, with 287 extra-base hits (207 doubles, 71 homers, and nine triples), as well as winning the Gold Glove in 2002 and 2003.
Renteria was consistent offensively and defensively in his career with the Cardinals and played a nice role on those early 2000s teams, unfortunately Renteria left via free-agency after the 2004 season, unable to win the World Series with what I believe was the best team he ever played with. Renteria’s best season came in 2003, where he slashed .330/.394/.480 with his highest extra-base hits total of his career of 61 (47 doubles, 13 homers, and one triple), with a wRC+ of 128 (according to Fangraphs), again highest of his career.
Renteria is the best choice for a backup here. His pop, contact, and defense will be solid to back up the Hall of Famer in Smith.
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