The Futility Infielder

When it comes to baseball phenomena I've observed in my lifetime, the line starts with Fernandomania. Nothing I've ever seen compared with the initial dominance of Fernando Valenzuela and the swirl of excitement surrounding the portly, unflappable 20-year-old southpaw from Mexico every time he took the hill for the Dodgers.

I'd been introduced to Valenzuela when he began making waves during his cup of coffee in 1980. Thrust into the middle of a tight NL West race, Fernando hurled 17.2 innings without allowing an earned run (he gave up two unearned runs in his debut), and garnered two wins in relief. Such was the rookie's impact that he even drew consideration from manager Tommy Lasorda to start the one-game tiebreaker with the Houston Astros. Alas, Lasorda picked Dave Goltz instead, and the Dodgers lost 7-1.

But Valenzuela immediately made his presence felt the next season. Pressed into duty as the team's Opening Day starter, he shut out the Astros, and just kept going. On the strength of his mysterious screwball and his mid-motion skyward gaze, he reeled off eight straight complete game wins, allowing only four runs in the process and capturing the imagination of two countries every time he pitched. Though the 1981 season was marred by the seven-week players' strike, Valenzuela's highlights and accomplishments that year (eight shutouts, Rookie of the Year, the Cy Young and a World Championship) remain some of my fondest baseball memories. Of course, the heavy usage later took a toll on his arm, but that's a story for another day.

Valenzuela's been in the news lately. Having finally hung up his spikes (he was still pitching in the Mexican Winter Leagues in January), El Toro recently launched a new career as a Spanish-language radio commentator for the Dodgers. The move has been treated by the Dodgers as the return of the prodigal son, complete with a ceremonial first-pitch celebration. With this new job, Valenzuela's come full circle, patching up relations with the team which sadly let him go in 1991 and now working alongside Jaime Jarrin, the Hall of Fame broadcaster who served as Fernando's interpreter early in his career. If I knew any Spanish beyond "mas cerveza, por favor," I'd be tempted to tune into their broadcasts via MLB.com.

Valenzuela's son is making news as well. Fernando Jr. was recently drafted in the 10th round by the San Diego Padres. While he shares his father's looks, physique, and left-handedness, the younger Valenzuela is a first baseman. In his first season at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (he transferred from Glendale Community College), El Toro Jr. hit .337 AVG/.456 OBP/.593 SLG in 63 games. He led the team in homers (14), RBI (75) and walks (45), tied in extra-base hits (34) and was within two of the team lead in total bases (144). He struck out only 24 times to go with those 45 walks (by far the best ratio on the team), so it's clear that he's got a good handle on controlling the strike zone. And he didn't make a single error at first base all season.

Of course, those stats should be taken in their proper perspective; the Rebels team hit .324/.417/.522, scoring 9.2 runs per game, while their opponents hit .292/.381/.430 and scored 6.5 per game. The entire Mountain West Conference hit .322/.397/.510 and scored 8.0 runs per game. Needless to say, the MWC has some extreme park effects at work, but then most of the teams play at altitudes higher than Coors Field. Still, Valenzuela was so highly regarded that he was named the MWC's MVP.

It's clear the kid's got some talent to go along with his good bloodlines. I look forward to watching his progress. Can another wave of Fernandomania be around the corner?