Rocco Baldelli’s name once invoked awe and excitement. He was the sixth overall draft pick in the 2000 draft, shot through the Tampa Bay (no longer Devil) Rays’ minor league system, and made his major league debut in 2003. In his rookie season, Baldelli batted a respectable .289 with 11 HR and 78 RBI while scoring 89 runs and stealing 27 bases landing him third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting behind Angel Berroa of KC and Hideki Matsui of NY.
Baldelli again put up good numbers in 2004 in 136 games, but then missed all of 2005, nearly half of 2006, and barely played in 2007. Instead of awe and excitement, his name became synonymous for the punchline of a joke, much the same way Mike Hampton’s name has been for several years.
Then in March, Baldelli was diagnosed with a mitochondrial disorder that left him severely fatigued after doing only minimal activity. The jokes and punchlines about Rocco turned into concern over whether the disorder would necessitate the retirement of the 26-year-old centerfielder, who had been thought to be a huge part of the Rays’ future success.
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