Андрес Галаррага: Венесуэлалық бейсбол жұлдызының өмірі мен мансабы

Venezuelan baseball player (born 1961)

Andrés José Padovani Galarraga (anˈdɾes ɣalaˈraɣa; born June 18, 1961) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball first baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos (– and ), St. Louis Cardinals , Colorado Rockies (–), Atlanta Braves (–), Texas Rangers , San Francisco Giants (2001 and ) and Anaheim Angels He batted and threw right handed. During his playing days, Galarraga stood 6 feet (2 m) tall, weighing
Galarraga began his professional career in Venezuela at the age of 16. He was nicknamed "the Big Cat" (textually translated from English as El Gran Gato, although his nickname in his native Venezuela was El Gato) for his impressively quick reflexes and seamless defensive skills as a first baseman despite his large physical size. Galarraga was a five time National League (NL) All Star, won two NL Gold Glove Awards and two NL Silver Slugger Awards, and won two MLB Comeback Player of the Year Awards, the second time after his successful return to baseball following cancer treatment.

Galarraga was signed by the Leones del Caracas as a catcher and third baseman. He made his debut in the – season. Some of the players Galarraga had as teammates included big leaguers Tony Armas, Bo Díaz, Manny Trillo, Gonzalo Márquez, and Leo Hernández. Galarraga originally started as a utility player, but three seasons later he became the regular first baseman of the team. At the recommendation of team manager Felipe Alou, he was signed by the Expos in 1979. At the time, some MLB scouts thought the 17 year old power hitting prodigy was too overweight to play professionally. Galarraga played with this team until 1993, when he retired from Venezuelan Winter League.

In Minor League Baseball (MiLB), Galarraga played for the West Palm Beach Expos (, –), Calgary Expos (1979–), Jamestown Expos , Jacksonville Suns , and Indianapolis Indians Galarraga was named Double A Southern League Most Valuable Player for Jacksonville in 1984, with a .289 batting average, 27 home runs and 87 runs batted in (RBI). Over the next few seasons, Galarraga developed into one of the best RBI men in baseball, driving in a combined 411 runs between and (150, 140, and 121). In the same period, he batted .304, .318, and .305, with 47, 41, and 44 home runs, respectively. Some critics argued that Galarraga's achievements were possible thanks to the thin air, mile high, hitter friendly Coors Field, but he also belted many homers on the road that traveled over 450 feet (137 m).

Perhaps the most famous home run Galarraga hit was a mammoth grand slam off Kevin Brown on May 31, 1997, which landed 20 rows deep into the upper deck at Florida Marlins' Pro Player Stadium. It may also be his most debated home run with a distance initially measured at 573 feet (175 m) and then 529 feet (161 m). At the time, it set a record for both the Rockies and the stadium. But in 2017, the Baseball Research Journal published an analysis by Jose L. Lopez PhD, and Oscar A. Lopez PhD—professors of Engineering at the Central University of Venezuela—that concluded that Galarraga's home run travelled between 517.5 and 529.4 feet. This makes Galarraga's May 31, 1997 grand slam one of the few pre Statcast home runs to be proven to have exceeded 500 feet. He finished his career with a .288 batting average, 399 home runs, and 1,425 RBI. Galarraga ranked 36th all time in career home runs at the time of his retirement.