Rocco Baldelli Career Tracker

rumors are floating around (yeah i know rumors) and some press write ups have kinda hinted but wont come straight out and say it. Rocco may have a muscle disease, and his career may be over.

he's not traveling with the team this weekend to get more test.

this came about, because he is not healing at all.

seems another good person in this world gets screwed while all the trouble makers keep going.

austin

This is old news, but...

Baldelli headed to DL with fatigue

ST. PETERSBURG -- Rays right fielder Rocco Baldelli is going on the disabled list for an indefinite period due to an abnormality that has kept him in a constant stage of fatigue.

Baldelli addressed a room full of reporters shortly before Wednesday afternoon's game between the Rays and the Yankees at Progress Energy Park, and the 26-year-old outfielder said he had some type of "metabolic, and/or mitochondrial abnormalities."

"Basically along the lines my body isn't making or producing ATP the right way, and therefore not allowing my muscles to work as they should and recover like they're supposed to on a day-to-day basis," he said.

Baldelli allowed that his condition is "difficult to explain."

"I go out there and my body is literally spent after a short amount of time on the field, which makes it extremely frustrating and difficult, but it's something that's kind of a reality right now, and we're dealing with the best we can," Baldelli said. "As far as my baseball career, I'm not here to tell you I'm retiring. We're still going to pursue any avenue that we can to try and figure out what is going on and have a better understanding of what is going on."

Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters the Rays will stick by Baldelli to the best of their abilities to help him out in whatever way they can. He also said Baldelli's condition will likely lead to the Rays not picking up the outfielder's option for the 2009 season.

Under the terms of the long-term contract Baldelli signed after the 2005 season, the Rays have until April 1 to decide whether to pick up his $6 million option for the 2009 season. If the Rays decline, they must pay him $4 million and Baldelli would become a free agent at the end of the 2008 season. If they exercise the option, the Rays would then have to face the same question of whether to renew him for 2010 and '11 at a cost of $17 million or buy him out at $2 million.

"Obviously, we'll wait until that date, but right now, I would say it's unlikely we'll pick up that option on April 1," Friedman said. "I've communicated that to him. But our commitment is for Rocco to be in this organization as long as he's in professional baseball. And so, for us, it's more procedural. While on April 1, if we decline the option, when the time comes, we'll do anything and everything to insure that he's part of this organization."

Friedman said the Rays will soon begin addressing what they will do without Baldelli, who was being counted on to be part of a "right-field triangle" with Cliff Floyd and Jonny Gomes in which two of the three would play right field and DH on a daily basis.

"He's going to start the year on the DL, and how long he will be on the DL remains to be determined," Friedman said. "Obviously, it puts us in a position where we're going to have to identify someone to play right field and DH in a platoon situation."

Rays manager Joe Maddon was asked about outfield scenarios, and he said they were in good shape with Carl Crawford in left field, B.J. Upton in center and Gomes in right. However, the backup center-field job is now an exposed area.

"That's a big part of it, because Rocco was being counted on to be that -- no question," Maddon said. "Things are changing now without Rocco out there, and we're looking as closely as we can at [John] Weber and [John] Rodriguez, of course.

"We've put [Ben] Zobrist out there, but, of course, he's hurt right now. So right now, it's kind of up in the air a bit. We have to totally fill that thing up in the next couple of weeks. But right now, it's just the guys who are here. And we're looking at them as close as we possibly can."

Maddon considers Weber a better fielder with a stronger arm than Rodriguez, but he considers Rodriguez a better offensive player.

Baldelli hopes to get back in the game
Outfielder takes BP with Rays, trying to return to action in 2008

ST. PETERSBURG -- A bearded Rocco Baldelli took batting practice Tuesday and still hopes to play this season.

The Rays outfielder is on the 60-day disabled list with a mitochondrial disorder, an abnormality that has kept him in a constant stage of fatigue.

Since Baldelli announced his disorder during Spring Training, his presence had been scarce until the current homestand.

"I had that little infection in my right leg a couple of weeks ago," Baldelli said. "So I couldn't do anything for a couple of weeks. I was doing nothing. I was resting and letting it heal up with some antibiotics. And I started working out again last week. That's pretty much it."

Baldelli has not played since last May. Under the terms of the long-term contract he signed after the 2005 season, the Rays had until April 1 to decide whether to pick up his $6 million option for the 2009 season, and they did not. By declining the option, Tampa Bay must pay him $4 million, and Baldelli will become a free agent at the end of the 2008 season. Had the Rays exercised the option, the team would have had to face the same question of whether to renew him for 2010 and 2011 at a cost of $17 million, or buy him out at $2 million.

Baldelli has a .282 career average in four Major League seasons, with 48 home runs and 221 RBIs; he hit just .204 with five home runs and 12 RBIs in 35 games in 2007.

"I'm still trying to come back and play ... just trying new things, and hopefully one of them works," Baldelli said. "I work out, throwing and hitting -- about as basic as it gets for baseball. At this point, it's all I really think I need to be doing. Do it for an extended period of time and hopefully my body responds well."

Baldelli said he is working "with a couple of doctors" and that he has learned more about his mysterious condition after more tests were conducted in April.

"They found some things out, but it's not worth mentioning because they have to run all their secondary tests now," Baldelli said. "That's what I'm waiting on."

Baldelli said he is feeling more optimistic.

"Shoot, when the team's playing this good, it's easy to be optimistic about anything," Baldelli said. "It gets you kind of excited just being around here. I was hitting BP, I was throwing, I don't know if I can do it every day, but as of now, I feel really good."

The Rays are equally optimistic.

"He's working hard and we're hopeful in the next couple of weeks we'll get a better sense about the 2008 season," said Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.

Baldelli smiled when the topic moved to his "Stanley Cup beard," which resembles the one Tom Hanks sported in the movie "Castaway."

"Now it's turned into my D-Rays beard -- not D-Rays," said Baldelli, recognizing his mistake. "I'll be doing that until the day I die."

Family says doctors misdiagnosed Rocco Baldelli's condition
Ken Bell

Story Created: Dec 16, 2008 at 10:45 PM EST

Story Updated: Dec 16, 2008 at 10:49 PM EST

GREAT NEWS FOR ROCCO BALDELLI. A VISIT TO THE CLEVELAND CLINIC LAST WEEK REVEALED THAT DOCTORS HAD MISDIAGNOSED HIS ILLNESS.

BALDELLI MISSED MUCH OF LAST SEASON, AND WHEN HE DID PLAY, HE WAS LIMITED BECAUSE OF EXTREME FATIQUE. DOCTORS THOUGHT IT WAS MITOCHONDRIAL DISORDER WHICH CAN BE FATAL.
THE BALDELLI FAMILY TOLD ME TONIGHT THAT THE CLEVELAND CLINIC DIAGNOSED HIS CONDITION AS CHANNEL-OPATHY, A NON-PROGRESSIVE, HIGHLY TREATABLE DISEASE.

CHANNEL-OPATHY IS A DISEASE INVOLVING DYSFUNTION OF AN ION CHANNEL. CHANNEL-OPATHIES ARE KNOWN TO INVOLVE THE ION CHANNELS FOR POTASSIUM, SODIUM, CHLORIDA AND CALCIUM.

ION CHANNELS ARE CRITICAL TO THE MEMBRANES SURROUNDING EVERY LIVING CELL.

BY THE WAY, THE BALDELLIS TELL ME ROCCO HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY THE RED SOX.

Baldelli: "An encouraging development"

Free agent OF Rocco Baldelli clarified the Rhode Island TV reports this morning, saying there has been an updated diagnosis that is "an encouraging development" and with adjustments to his current medication he hopes "to be on the field on a much more regular basis.''

Baldelli said he was not orginally "misdiagnosed" as reported by WLNE and WPRI, but that the original diagnosis of a mitochondrial disorder was "the best diagnosis at the time.''

His doctor at the Cleveland Clinic has since reviewed further and more sophisticated testing that indicates his condition is a less-severe and treatable channelopathy. With a modification of medicine Baldelli is currently taking and having good results from, he is optimistic about his health and his baseball career.

"It's definitely an encouraging development,'' Baldelli said this morning from his Rhode Island home. "Knowing this is a treatable condition, I feel this is a very positive thing for me and my baseball career. With this less-severe diagnosis, I hope to be on the field on a much more regular basis.''

Channelopathies are diseases involving dysfunction of ion channels that can involve potassium, sodium, chloride and calcium, and other areas, according to MedicineNet.com.

Baldelli became a free agent at the end of the season, as the Rays previously declined his 2009 option. He is free to sign with any team, including the Rays. He has been in discussions with more than a half-dozen including the Red Sox (with whom he reportedly visited personally), Yankees, Reds, Phillies and Rays.

The encouraging medical report should increase his appeal to teams, though there will still be some question as to how often he will be be able to play and whether he can be used more often in the field or primarily as a DH and pinch-hitter. The Rays have said they are open to bringing him back, but they apparently want to first address their quest to add a front-line hitter to their lineup and then see how and if Baldelli still fits.

Baldelli, 27, was sidelined much of the season due to what was described as a muscle fatigue disorder then rejoined the Rays in August and hit .263 with four homers and 13 RBIs in 28 games during the regular season, then hit .200 with two homers and six RBIs in eight postseason games, including a key single in Game 7 of the ALCS and a game-tying home run in Game 5 of the World Series.

Well that's good news.

Indeed

Good for him. Hes a good player and deserves to have a good career.

Somebody PLEASE sign him!

and they did!


my numba 2 a Red Sox man!

01/08/09 7:44 PM EST
Baldelli joins 'hometown' Red Sox
Rhode Island-born outfielder agrees to deal with Boston

By Ian Browne / MLB.com

BOSTON -- The unveiling played out in true storybook fashion for a kid who grew up smashing baseballs in Cumberland, R.I., dreaming of one day doing it about 50 miles to the north at Fenway Park.

There Rocco Baldelli was on a makeshift stage late on Thursday afternoon, celebrating his official signing with the Boston Red Sox. The cap was right below him, as was the white Red Sox jersey with No. 5 on the back. General manager Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona flanked the team's newest player.

The Red Sox needed a fourth outfielder; Baldelli, a Tampa Bay Ray his first six Major League seasons, needed a new home.

The fit was perfect, if not for all the uncertainty regarding Baldelli's health.

But the Red Sox were willing to take that risk because they saw and heard the commitment, openness and character of Baldelli. And Baldelli decided to come home, not just because it was an enviable thing to do, but because he could feel the Red Sox's commitment to him.

"Theo and the Sox, they pursued me not only as a player, but also to understand me as a person and to help me out any way they could on the field and off the field," said Baldelli. "I think, first of all, that's one thing that appealed to me. Also, obviously my family and all my friends are just as pleased as I am to hear the news."

Baldelli played just 28 games during the 2008 regular season because of what was diagnosed at the time as mitochondrial disease. But after the results of those extensive tests finally came back a couple of months ago, there was an update on his condition, one that offers additional hope in the way of medication and other treatment that will make the ailment far less severe.

"Going into last year, in dealing with the media in Tampa, I would always say, 'I'm having tests done and I'll have the results later,'" Baldelli said. "But the tests that I took way back when did come back, eventually. It took more than the length of the season to come back. But they came back. It was more of a rediagnosis than a misdiagnosis. I wouldn't call it that at all. At the time, that was the best thing we had to go with. That was the consensus among all the specialists I was working with. The results were positive. The results we got back were something I was excited about, both for my personal health and my ability to get on the field."

There are no guarantees, which is why the Red Sox and Baldelli reached an agreement that was more than fair to both sides. Baldelli will earn a base salary of $500,000, but there are several performance incentives, many of which are built around plate appearances. For example, that salary doubles if Baldelli winds up making 350 plate appearances, which is certainly conceivable.

"One factor for us was, right from the beginning, in our first meeting with Rocco and [agent] Casey Close, how open they were with the things that Rocco has been through," said Epstein. "They didn't hide the ball on anything. They were sort of looking for a partner in this process. As Rocco said, it's an ongoing process and we feel that, as a person and as a player, he's someone we want to invest our time and energy in. He has a really high upside, a high return, and he's a great fit for the organization in a lot of different ways, off the field and on."

Just because he is switching teams doesn't mean he will change uniform numbers, too. He'll be the first Red Sox player to wear No. 5 since Nomar Garciaparra departed on July 31, 2004.

"It was brought to my attention that, obviously, this is, and has always been, a very special number in this town," said Baldelli. "I recognize that as much as anybody. It was brought to my attention that there was a possibility I'd be able to wear it, it being the number that I wore my whole career. I accepted it. I think it's great, and I'm happy about it."

So, too, were the Red Sox, who have long been fans of Baldelli.

"There's a definite fit on this club for Rocco," Epstein said. "It seems like every offseason we've been looking for a really talented right-handed-hitting outfielder to complement the core of outfielders that we have. Rocco obviously is talented enough to start for many clubs. Due to circumstances the last couple of years, and the evolution of his career, this seemed like the right time, and the right fit, where he could help us out as an extra outfielder and be a pretty dynamic one."

Not that Baldelli, who is still just 27 years old, has lost hope of one day reclaiming his place as a mainstay in the outfield, be it with the Red Sox or another team.

"Absolutely, just the competitive nature of being an athlete, I don't think anyone wants to reserve themselves at the age of 27 to not playing every day," Baldelli said. "I do have hopes of getting on the field as much as possible. I don't know what that number is or what it could be, but it's something that I do think about. I think it's probably a positive, healthy thing to think like that rather than being resigned to playing once out of every X amount of days. It's something I hope for."

Francona, though he didn't much appreciate the prodigious homer Baldelli knocked over the Green Monster in Game 3 of the 2008 American League Championship Series, is looking forward to having him on board.

"He can play left, right and center," Francona said. "He can catch the ball. He can run the bases. He can hit a home run. And he's a great kid. But there are some risks. It seems like it's kind of worth it from our side, because he's very accountable as a player and a person, so that makes us feel good."

To make room for Baldelli on the 40-man roster, knuckleball pitcher Charlie Zink was designated for assignment.

Shortly after holding court with the media, Baldelli -- as had been scheduled all along -- received the Tony Conigliaro Award at Thursday night's Boston Baseball Writers Dinner.

The Tony Conigliaro Award -- named after the late Red Sox star of the 1960s and '70s -- is given to a player who overcomes adversity through spirit, courage and determination.

While Baldelli is known for his strong character, his bat also packs some wallop.

He came up a potential star, finishing third in the American League Rookie of the Year Award voting in 2003, when he hit .289 with 11 homers, 78 RBIs and 27 stolen bases.

After another solid season in 2004 (.280, 16 homers, 74 RBIs), injuries became a huge problem for Baldelli. He missed the entire 2005 season with a torn ACL in his left knee and a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Baldelli looked poised to get back into form when he hit .302 with 16 homers in 92 games during the 2006 season. However, he suffered a season-ending hamstring injury on May 15, 2007.

Then there was the frustration and uncertainty of 2008.

Now, Baldelli is hoping that things are ready to go his way again. And he will be in familiar surroundings.

"This is a very exciting day for the organization," Epstein said.

But far more exciting for the entire Baldelli family.

Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Baldelli set to make hometown debut
Boston (1-0) vs. Tampa Bay (0-1), Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. ET

Everywhere Rocco Baldelli goes these days, he seems to have a new friend.

"People are yelling your name everywhere you go for no apparent reason," said Baldelli.

The reason is that the Cumberland, R.I., native is now home, embarking on his first season with the Red sox.

While Baldelli soaked in Tuesday's Opening Day festivities, his season will truly start Wednesday night when he will his first start for Boston against left-hander Scott Kazmir and his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays.

Baldelli's career had encountered a road block the last couple of years as he dealt with chanelopathy, which causes excessive muscle fatigue. But the outfielder made it through Spring Training with no problems and is enthusiastic about the coming season.

"I went through some tough times the last year or two and I didn't know where my baseball career would be," Baldelli said. "If I knew then that at this point in my career I'd be playing for the Red Sox and being back home and feeling as good as I do, I'd be very pleased."

Unlike most players who come to the Red Sox, Baldelli needed no introduction to the inner workings of Fenway Park or their passionate fanbase.

"There's an energy here that I've seen since I was a kid. It's pretty unique," Baldelli said.

The right-handed hitter figures to give the Red Sox pop against lefties, and he also serve as a good option for manager Terry Francona in the late innings.

"I'm ready to go," Baldelli said. "I feel good. I feel strong. I really have no complaints at this point."

As for the pressure of being the hometown guy? Baldelli isn't too worried.

"I don't really worry about much, to be honest with you," Baldelli said. "I just kind of do my own thing, play, play hard, and hopefully things work out. That's kind of how I go."

Pitching matchup
BOS: LHP Jon Lester (16-6, 3.21 ERA in 2008)
The left-hander is coming off a breakthrough season. Aside from winning 16 games, he led the staff with 210 1/3 innings. He threw a no-hitter against the Royals at Fenway on May 19. He also had a shutout at Yankee Stadium on July 3. He was the American League's Pitcher of the Month in July, going 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA. Lester is 16-2 with a 3.30 ERA in 31 career games at Fenway. He is 4-0 with a 3.38 ERA against Tampa Bay. However, the Rays beat him twice in the American League Championship Series last October.

TB: LHP Scott Kazmir (12-8, 3.49 ERA in 2008)
Kazmir struggled throughout the second half of the 2008 season, primarily due to an inability to locate his slider, which historically has been his best pitch. In the first half, he posted a 3.02 ERA, and in the second he pitched to a 4.02 ERA. The left-hander enjoyed a nice spring that saw him find his slider and lock in his mechanics, which could be a precursor to a good season. Historically, he has enjoyed pitching at Fenway Park, where he is 4-4 with a 3.02 ERA in 11 career starts. He is 6-7 with a 3.62 ERA in 21 career starts against the Red Sox.

Tidbits
Carlos Pena is 5-for-16 lifetime against Lester with two homers and six RBIs. ... Dustin Pedroia has crushed Kazmir throughout his career, hitting .560 (14-for-25) with a homer and three RBIs. ... The Red Sox have sold out their last 470 home games, a Major League record. ... Francona has a fresh bullpen for this one, as Ramon Ramirez, Manny Delcarmen, Javier Lopez and Takashi Saito all went unused on Opening Day.

This game will be on ESPN2...