University of Tennessee Athletics
Four Former Vols on MLB Opening Day Rosters
April 12, 2004 | Baseball
April 6, 2004
Four former Tennessee baseball players are on the opening day rosters of Major League Baseball clubs, the league office in New York released Sunday.
Colorado first baseman Todd Helton, who led the Volunteers to the 1995 College World Series, returns for his eighth season in a Rockies uniform. The four-time All-Star matched Joe DiMaggio as the only players in the history of the game to hit at least .315 with 25 home runs and 95 RBI in each of their first six full seasons. He became one of only six players in ML history to record a .300 batting average, 30 HR, 100 RBI and 100 runs in five consecutive years...the others? Lou Gehrig (nine seasons, 1929-37), Babe Ruth (seven, 1926-32), Jimmie Fox (five, 1932-36), Frank Thomas (five, 1993-97) and Vladimir Guerrero (five, 1998-2002). Only Helton and Manny Ramirez have hit .300 with 30 HR and 100 RBI in every season since 1999. Helton enters 2004 as the active leader in career average (.337) and slugging percentage (.616) among all players with at least 3,000 plate appearances.
Major League veteran Joe Randa returns at third base for his eighth season in Kansas City and 10th overall. The 1991 Tennessee Volunteer turned in one of his best seasons as a Royal, hitting .291 in 131 games. His .291 average was his highest since hitting .304 with KC in 2000 while he matched a career-high with 16 home runs (also 1999), but did so in 25 fewer games. Randa also had an incredible defensive season as well, leading all Major League third basemen with a .980 fielding percentage, committing just 7 errors in 347 chances.
R.A. Dickey, a three-time All-America for the Vols, pitched in his first full season with Texas last year, appearing in 38 games for the Rangers and going 9-8 with a 5.09 ERA and one save. He went 5-5, 5.25 in 13 starts and 4-3, 4.81 in 25 relief appearances. Dickey finished second on the staff in strikeouts (94), was third in innings (116.2), and tied for third in wins (9), the latter matching the second most by an American League rookie. His .529 winning percentage was tops among AL rookies with 100 or more innings pitched. He also ranked third among AL rookies in strikeouts (94) and pitched fifth most innings (116.2).
The St. Louis Cardinals picked up journeyman pitcher Mike Lincoln, who played for the Vols in 1996, during the offseason after spending three years with Pittsburgh. The five-year veteran began last season at Triple-A Nashville on a rehab assignment before joining Pirates in early June. He made his season debut on July 1 versus Cincinnati and picked up his first Major League save on 7/20 vs. MIL (1 IP, 0 R), and converted each of his first three save opportunities.
Another former Volunteer will begin the 2004 season in the minor leagues as Minnesota's Augie Ojeda was optioned to Triple-A Rochester to start the season. He spent the last four seasons with the Chicago Cubs.
| VOLS ON OPENING DAY ROSTERS | |||
| Player | Position | Years at UT | ML Team |
| R.A. Dickey | RHP | 1994-96 | Texas Rangers |
| Todd Helton | 1B | 1993-95 | Colorado Rockies |
| Mike Lincoln | RHP | 1996 | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Joe Randa | 3B | 1991 | Kansas City Royals |
