Miguel Tejada

Baltimore Orioles

By the end of the 2003 season, Miguel had established himself as one of baseball's premier shortstops. His value was too expensive for the low-budget A's, so he signed a luxurious six-year, $72 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

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As an Oriole, Miguel follows in the footsteps of likely hall-of-fame slugging shortstop Cal Ripken Jr.. Like Ripken, he is a strong and durable shortstop with the ability make the great play and deliver in the clutch. Ripken currently holds baseball's consecutive games record with 2,632 games. At the start of 2004, Miguel had his own streak of over 500 straight games played. He is currently alone at seventh on the all-time consecutive games streaks list with 896 games. Were he not to miss a game, he would approach Ripken's record in 2016. Tejada has repeatedly asserted that he is not interested in breaking Ripken's record.

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During the offseason, Miguel resides in the Dominican Republic with his wife, Alessandra, his daughter, Alexa, and his son, Miguel Jr. He is a hero to his countrymen and one of the most inspiring players in the game today.

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On July 12, 2004, Tejada won the Century 21 Home Run Derby in Houston. Tejada hit a record 27 home runs in the contest, with a record 15 homers in round two alone. He defeated Houston Astros star Lance Berkman 5-4 in the final round of the contest. Both records were broken the following year in Detroit by Bobby Abreu.

Related Topics:
July 12 - 2004 - Century 21 - Home Run Derby - Houston - Record - Home runs - Houston Astros - Lance Berkman - Detroit - Bobby Abreu

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He led the league with 150 RBI's in 2004.

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While Tejada did not participate in the Home Run Derby in 2005, he was an All-Star and starter for the AL. His presence was notable at the 2005 Home Run Derby as he actively cheered on countryman David Ortiz. In his first All-Star start, Tejada hit a solo home run against John Smoltz of the Atlanta Braves. It was enough to give him the honor of being the All-Star MVP, winning a Chevrolet Corvette with it.

Related Topics:
2005 - All-Star - AL - David Ortiz - Home run - John Smoltz - Atlanta Braves - All-Star MVP - Chevrolet Corvette

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