Velandia Making His Presence Felt

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Jorge Velandia had grown accustomed to the routine. As a reliable pro who was handy with the glove at various infield positions but not quite big-league ready at the plate, he would shuttle back and forth between Triple-A and the majors, always right there on the fringe.

Six times in seven seasons from 1997 to 2003, Velandia spent at least some time in the majors - including spending an entire (albeit injury-shortened) 1999 campaign on Oakland's big-league roster. At the end of his September call-up with the Mets in 2003, he had no reason to believe he would slog through almost four full seasons before breaking free of Triple-A again.

But he spent a year in Richmond without seeing Atlanta, then Indianapolis without a call to Pittsburgh and Charlotte without a summons to Chicago. And at age 32, with a wife and daughter at home in Illinois, he had no qualms about reporting to Durham when he didn't make the Devil Rays' roster this spring.

'I never thought about hanging it up, but I always thought, 'Am I going to get a second chance? Am I going to get another break?'' Velandia said. 'Sometimes early in my career, you took it for granted whenever you got called up, and they'd send you down, and then you'd get called up. But this one was really special for me.'

The Rays' players and coaches got to know Velandia a bit during spring training, but he already has made a significant impression in his first week with the team. Everyone seems to love having him in the clubhouse, and he has performed when given an opportunity - reaching base eight times in 12 plate appearances over three starts while playing flawless defense.

That last part isn't a surprise, as Velandia's glove has been major-league caliber for at least a decade.

'My thing is that I've never been able to hit in the big leagues,' he said. 'That's one of the reasons I always go down to Triple-A.'

Velandia had played in 150 big-league games entering this season and was carrying a .151 batting average - the lowest by a non-pitcher in major-league history with at least that many appearances. 'He's everything you want in a player and a friend,' said reliever Jeff Ridgway, who spent all season with Velandia in Durham before joining the Rays on Monday. 'He's always going to be there no matter what. He's just a fluid guy in the field, doesn't make errors, and the presence in the clubhouse is always positive. He's a guy you can go to with any question you have - just a real class act.'

Rays manager Joe Maddon raves about Velandia's presence, praising him as a 'steady, relaxed professional.'

The production that has gone along with it already has earned Velandia more playing time than expected, and he figures to get a few more starts before the season ends. Velandia will use any chance he gets to try to open the eyes of the Rays and any other organizations that might be paying attention, looking to position himself as well as he can heading into another spring training fraught with uncertainty.

'You always see nice stories with different guys around the league, and you always think to yourself, 'Is that going to happen to me?'' Velandia said. 'You play with a guy for a long time and he's in Triple-A for three or four years, and then you see him on TV doing it in the majors and you're like, 'Why not?''