San Diego – Eli Marrero wasn’t hot, he was sizzling. In the first two games of the Rockies’ three-game weekend sweep of the Padres, he was 5-for-8 with two doubles, a homer, four RBIs and a stolen base, jump-starting an offense that stalled in the season-opening series at Coors Field.
Sunday afternoon, however, Marrero was back on the bench, watching his new team pound out 18 hits in a 10-4 drubbing of the Padres.
“It’s fine,” he said. “I knew I would bounce around and jump in and out when they needed me. If I come to the ballpark and my name is not in the lineup, I don’t worry too much. We have a lot of young guys here, and they are the future of this team. You have to understand what your role is.”
When the Rockies signed Marrero, 32, to a one-year, $750,000 deal in January, they knew about his versatility, but weren’t sure how much pop was left in his bat.
“I’ve seen him be productive, so I thought he could be productive again,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “We looked at what he did last year and gave him a mulligan, because he was hurt.”
Marrero has paid immediate dividends. On Friday night, he played left field while Matt Holliday sat out with a stomach virus. On Saturday night, Marrero played right field in place of the struggling Brad Hawpe. Last Wednesday, Marrero caught the ninth inning against Arizona, his first major-league appearance behind the plate since May 10, 2003, with St. Louis. In a pinch, Marrero can play first base or center field, too.
Marrero missed the final two months of the 2005 season because of sprained thumb ligaments. In 54 games with Kansas City and Baltimore, he hit .181 with seven homers and 19 RBIs.
In spring training, Marrero showed he still had life in his bat, hitting .429 while showing off his versatility. The Rockies knew they had found their handyman.
“He’s a quiet kid, and I don’t think he gets too excited about anything,” Hurdle said. “That’s a good trait to have when you’re coming off the bench.”
In his 14th professional season, Marrero is hardly a kid, but he has packed plenty of life into his journeys. In 1980 his parents, Julian and Nancy Marrero, loaded the family into a fishing boat in Havana, Cuba, and set sail for Miami.
“Like everybody else, they were looking for a better life,” Marrero said. “I don’t remember much about it; I was only 6. But I do remember eating my first cheese- burger and drinking my first little carton of milk when I got to America. It’s funny how you remember little things like that.”
In 1997, Marrero got his first taste of the majors, playing 17 games for the Cardinals. The following spring, doctors discovered he had thyroid cancer.
“They found it during a routine physical at spring training,” he recalled. “At first I kind of freaked. I mean, I was only 23. I prayed a lot and got through it. Thank God they caught it in time.”
Surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis removed the tumor and radioactive iodine treatment killed off any remaining cancerous cells. Marrero now takes thyroid medication each day.
“I feel great,” he said.
Hurdle has designated Marrero as the Rockies’ No. 1 pinch hitter, at least until Jorge Piedra returns from the disabled list.
“I’ve had my ups and downs in this game, some bumps in the road,” Marrero said. “But you just have to keep going and make it as fun as possible. Right now, it’s fun.”
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
