Orioles Card "O" the Day

An intersection of two of my passions: baseball cards and the Baltimore Orioles. Updated daily?

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Tony Batista, 2002 Fleer Maximum #180

Tonight on Bizarre Batting Stance Theatre: Tony Batista and the Corkscrew. It's amazing that he was able to hit as many home runs as he did (221 in his career) with one foot pointed at the pitcher, another at first base, and his torso and head somewhere in between. On the other hand, the .299 career on-base percentage makes a little more sense.

3 comments:

Field of Cards said...

It's interesting to note that Tony Bautista's 2004 season with the Expos ranks as the second least productive 100 plus RBI season since 1972.

He had plenty of opportunities as evidenced by the 110 rbi totals, but he was in fact less valuable than a fringe-replacement player (.272 OBP).

Ryan said...

I really hated watching him play. His batting style was awkward and it even seemed a bit gimmicky....

Kevin said...

Ken - That's an incredible stat, and it shows you just how overrated RBI can be.

Ryan - His stance wasn't nearly as effective as Harold Baines' old front-leg-lift style.