Angel Berroa

Angel Maria Berroa Selmo is a professional baseball player from the Dominican Republic who plays as a shortstop. Berroa has also been known to double up as a third baseman for his teams, a position he played quite frequently throughout his career.

Berroa began his playing career in the MLB when he was signed up by the Oakland Athletics in 1997, as an undrafted free agent. He only began playing in 1999 after making his debut in the Arizona Fall League. Berroa was considered a strong future prospect for the Majors and was given a shot at the AA-League, in 1999 itself, to play for the Midland Rockhounds. The following year, Berroa was playing for the Visalia Oaks in the A-League and was given an honourable mention in the California League All-Star Team after recording 11 doubles and 11 stolen bases through the season.

In 2001, a fast rising Berroa was picked up by the Kansas City Royals in a three-way trade that also include the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Berroa spent 2001 with the A-League Wilmington Blue Rocks before moving up to the AA-League Wichita Wranglers within the same year.

Berroa was a strong performer that season and in September, he was given his MLB debut when he turned out on the field as a defensive replacement against the Cleveland Indians. 7 days later, Berroa recorded his first MLB hit against the Detroit Tigers. Although he played just 15 games in the MLB that year, Berroa’s .302 batting average, lasting 53 at-bats, was proof that he was up to the task at the highest level.

In 2002, Berroa was sent to the AAA-League with the Omaha Royals and spent almost the entire season there. He was picked for the World Team in the All-Star Futures Game and also in the Pacific Coast League All-Star Game. In September 2002, Berroa again returned to the MLB roster, this time ensuring that at the end of the season, he would be a part of the team.

Berroa began 2003 as the starting shortstop for the Kansas City Royals. Berroa began the season poorly, making 19 errors in 63 games. However, things would turn in his favour after he settled down into the season. Berroa hit 17 homers with 73 RBI at a batting average of .287. His 21 stolen bases, along with his other figures, ensured that even 21 errors for the entire season didn’t spoil his party when it came to running for the Rookie of the Year award for the American League.

Berroa was named as the Rookie of the Year in a controversial decision, beating Matsui to the award on the basis of his higher home run count and the fact that he played in a weaker team in the Kansas City Royals.

The Rookie of the Year title was the last of Berroa’s truly impressive season as his numbers just kept dipping over the next few seasons. Berroa had committed 77 errors between 2003 & 2005, leading all shortstops in the lowest fielding percentage for any American League shortstop for the same time span. This dip in performance came mainly during the “Age-row”, a situation where the American government realized that many Latin American players had revealed false ages when being scouted by MLB teams. Two years older than what he claimed to be, Berroa had a poor 2007 Spring Training, prompting the Royals to send him to the AAA-League. After two disappointing months with the Omaha Royals in 2009, Berroa was traded out to the Los Angeles Dodgers in June, 2008.

The Dodgers required someone to replace Rafael Furcal, their injured shortstop and this gave Berroa the chance to get back into the MLB. His 226 at-bats were more than what anyone thought he would get, while his .230 batting average was good enough to keep him playing in the roster. His performance improved as there was a clear improvement in his patience levels when on the plate.

In January of 2009, Berroa was traded out to the New York Yankees and his minor league contract was bought out by the Yankees in April, giving him a chance to play in place of the injured Cody Ransom. Almost 3 months later, Berroa was back in the lower divisions after Ransom returned from the Disabled List. In July, Berroa applied to being released and the Yankees decided to accept his request.

Berroa moved across town to join the New York Mets and was assigned to the AAA-League affiliates, the Buffalo Bisons. Despite being called up to the MLB roster in July, Berroa was sent back down in August without a single game. Berroa decided to move back to the Los Angeles Dodgers who offered him a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.