Rod Barajas

Barajas was cruising I-10 on his way out of Phoenix, Arizona, when he got his first call from the big leagues in September 1999. Catcher Kelly Stinnett had sprained his left hand on a check swing, so the Arizona Diamondbacks needed a new backup catcher. They promoted glove-wizard Barajas from Double-A to fill the role.

Barajas made only five major-league appearances in his first sojourn with the team, but showed enough promise that by the beginning of 2001 manager Bob Brenly selected him to back up Damian Miller. With a lifetime batting average below .200, Barajas depends on his ability to handle pitchers and block sliders in the dirt to stay employed.