If Ronny Cedeno can hit as well for the Cardinals as he hit against them, he’ll be a valuable addition.
Cedeno, a free-agent shortstop who has played in the major leagues for the Cubs, Mariners, Pirates and Mets, was signed to a one-year, $1.15 million contract by the Cardinals on Jan. 28, 2013. Cedeno, 30, is expected to provide insurance behind injury-plagued starting shortstop Rafael Furcal.
In eight big-league seasons (2005-2012), Cedeno has a .247 batting average and a .290 on-base percentage.
Against the Cardinals in his career, Cedeno has a .319 batting average and a .353 on-base percentage.
Cedeno has 72 hits against the Cardinals. That’s more than he has against any other team. A right-handed batter, Cedeno has a career-high 15 doubles against St. Louis.
After debuting with the Cubs in 2005 as a backup to shortstop Neifi Perez, Cedeno became the starter in 2006. (In a twist, the Cubs settled on Cedeno after failing to sign Furcal, who then was a free agent.)
In the Cubs’ first homestand of 2006, they swept a three-game series from the Cardinals. Cedeno impressed with seven hits in 11 at-bats, lifting his batting average to .556.
Cedeno was hailed as the best Cubs prospect in years and a likely contender for the 2006 National League Rookie of the Year Award.
“He needs time to set himself up in the big leagues,” Perez said to the Chicago Sun-Times of his successor. “Then, after that, he is going to be one of the best, I’m telling you that right now, because he has the hands, he has the bat, he has the speed.”
Said Cubs manager Dusty Baker of Cedeno: “We didn’t just give him the job. He earned it … We could use his speed, his athleticism and he gives us a lot of range at shortstop. He comes to play. He gives us a lot of energy.”
Cedeno didn’t contend for the rookie of the year honors. Instead, he hit .245 with an on-base percentage of .271 in 151 games for the 2006 Cubs. He also committed a career-high 23 errors at shortstop (and two at second base).
Still, Cedeno hit .379 (25-for-66) against St. Louis in 2006.
Other productive seasons Cedeno had versus the Cardinals were:
_ . 300 (6-for-20) in 2007 with the Cubs.
_ .500 (5-for-10) in 2008 with the Cubs.
_ .346 (18-for-52) in 2010 with the Pirates.
Cedeno hit three home runs against the Cardinals:
_ vs. Chris Carpenter, solo homer, July 30, 2006.
_ vs. Brad Thompson, solo homer, April 21, 2007.
_ vs. Jason Motte, two-run homer, Aug. 8, 2009.
Previously: Why Walt Weiss rejected bid to become Cardinals shortstop
