Andrés Galarraga
Andrés José Padovani Galarraga (Spanish: [anˈdɾes ɣalaˈraɣa]; born June 18, 1961) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball first baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos (1985–1991 and 2002), St. Louis Cardinals (1992), Colorado Rockies (1993–1997), Atlanta Braves (1998–2000), Texas Rangers (2001), San Francisco Giants (2001 and 2003) and Anaheim Angels (2004). He batted and threw right-handed. During his playing days, Galarraga stood 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall, weighing 235 pounds (107 kg).
| Andrés Galarraga | |
|---|---|
Galarraga with the Expos in 2002 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: June 18, 1961 Caracas, Venezuela | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 23, 1985, for the Montreal Expos | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 2004, for the Anaheim Angels | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .288 |
| Hits | 2,333 |
| Home runs | 399 |
| Runs batted in | 1,425 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Member of the Venezuelan | |
| Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 2010 |
Galarraga began his professional career in Venezuela at the age of 16. He was nicknamed "the Big Cat" (textually translated from English as El Gran Gato, although his nickname in his native Venezuela was El Gato) for his impressively quick reflexes and seamless defensive skills as a first baseman despite his large physical size. Galarraga was a five-time National League (NL) All-Star, won two NL Gold Glove Awards and two NL Silver Slugger Awards, and won two MLB Comeback Player of the Year Awards, the second time after his successful return to baseball following cancer treatment.