A-Rod, Jeter, Nomar, Omar … and Miguel Tejada are best all-around shortstops in majors; Oakland's All-Star middle infielder has performed at a level that places him among the elite players at his position

Baseball Digest, Nov, 2002 by Gwen Knapp

MIGUEL TEJADA HAS greatness in him. He continues to let it out, every drop of it, and thus has become the centerpiece of the Oakland A's, a player who robs opponents of base hits, pitchers of their dignity and spectators of their breath.

Last August, Tejada became only the fifth shortstop in major league history to pile up as many as 100 RBI in three consecutive seasons

Tejada is the future, the essence of a year in which Oakland was in the hunt for the A.L. pennant. He has shown some of his greatness already, but only some. There is more waiting to be released, to be cultivated.

"Miggy's still young and still growing as a player," said teammate Randy Velarde, who's been something of a mentor to the shortstop. "He has the ability, but he can still mature in some areas of the game."

Over the last three seasons, Tejada has become a tantalizing presence on the left side of the infield. At 25, he has evoked memories of Ernie Banks. He has hinted at joining Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra, becoming the fourth pillar in the era of the all-around play for shortstops.

He also has threatened to retreat from his own potential. He swings at pitches outside the strike zone, pitches that great hitters wouldn't consider pursuing. He gets away with it sometimes, but a superstar can't chase bad pitches and carry his team at the same time. Every time he goes on a hot streak, pitchers will stop throwing strikes and count on the impatient batter to cool himself off.

Last spring, stories pointed out Tejada's poor showing in exhibition games, his failure to run out ground balls and the slight paunch he brought with him to spring training. Heading into a season that could elevate him to a new level, he was pushing buttons for the basement.

"I don't care what any writer says about me," Tejada said. "They can write what they want. I just want to play my game."

Velarde knew that the stories could wound Tejada's pride, so he talked with the shortstop before the season opened. He reminded Tejada of what it means to be on the verge of superstardom.

"If you hit 30 home runs for two years, people expect you to keep doing it, "Velarde said. "That's the price of success."

In 2001, Velarde played with both Jeter and Rodriguez. He saw how hard they worked, how Rodriguez never acted as if he were playing for a team in the cellar, miles removed from the pennant race. He watched tapes of his swing, tapes of opposing pitchers.

Velarde told Tejada about Jeter and Rodriguez, gave him an insider's view of the elite, explaining that Tejada could join the club. He wanted the negative newspaper stories to take on a positive spin.

It has begun to work exactly that way. "He has a lot of pride," manager Art Howe said, confident that the arrival of the regular season would bring out the competitor in Tejada. "He played 162 games last year (2001) and all 126 games this season (through August 21). He's a workhorse."

Going into late-August, the right-handed hitting shortstop was batting .309 with 28 doubles, 27 homers, 89 runs scored and 109 runs batted in while striking out only 66 times.

From the start of the 2000 campaign and through August 26, 2002, Tejada has averaged 29 homers, 112 RBI and a .281 batting average while fielding at a .972 clip.

Earlier in the season, Tejada put together a 24-game hitting streak (July 12-August 6), falling short of the Oakland record of 25 set by Jason Giambi in 1997.

Velarde wouldn't mind seeing Tejada take some time off, particularly in the winter, when he plays in Latin American leagues, partly so that his Dominican compatriots can see him perform. As admirable as that instinct is, he might need to take care of his body more carefully to protect the greatness it contains.

"If he just did what he did the last two seasons, that would have been great. I did't want (him) to feel pressure to take over for Jason (Giambi)," Howe said.

But Tejada has played spectacularly and has improved his game offensively and defensively, and should be among the top MVP candidates in the American League.

The last thing Howe needed going into the season was an impatient-hitting shortstop becoming more impatient with himself, frustrated by unrealistic expectations.

But Tejada has learned to play the game without getting in his own way, with the joy that he has brought to the infield in the past, there are no expectations that seem unrealistic for him.

Shortstops With Three or More
Consecutive 100-RBI Seasons

Shortstop        Yrs.     Seasons       Season Average

Alex Rodriguez    5     1998-2002 ( )   123 RBI, 44 HR
Joe Cronin        5     1930-1934       117 RBI,  9 HR
Ernie Banks       4     1957-1960       123 RBI, 44 HR
Vern Stephens     3     1948-1950       147 RBI, 33 HR
Miguel Tejada     3     2000-2002 ( )   112 RBI, 29 HR

( ) Totals complete through August 26, 2002

By Gwen Knapp
The San Francisco Chronicle