Arizona Diamondbacks: where have you gone Erubiel Durazo?

Erubiel Durazo was a World Series champion for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and after a productive stint with the Oakland Athletics he disappeared.

I came across the name Erubiel Durazo and remembering him as a contributor on the Arizona Diamondbacks team which defeated the New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series, decided to look into his career numbers. I was surprised to see by 2005, at age 31 he had played his last Major League Baseball game.

Durazo was undrafted coming out of an Arizona Community College so he returned to his native Mexico to play professional baseball. After two years there the Diamondbacks signed him in 1999 and he tore through their minor league system.

He hit .404 with 24 home runs between AA and AAA and was eventually called upon to play for the big club. In 52 games with Arizona he hit .329 with 11 home runs.

The great showing in his first year could not keep him in the Majors over the next few years. He was up and down all four years he played with the Diamondbacks and was a decent hitter at all levels. Durazo was the designated hitter during the World Series and hit .400 with three walks in the three starts he collected.

Following the 2002 season he was traded to the Oakland Athletics for pitcher Elmer Dessens and cash.

Durazo became the regular designated hitter with the A’s while also playing part time at first base. In 2004, he had his best season in the Majors hitting .321 with 22 home runs and 88 runs batted in. The following year he played in only 41 games and was granted free agency at the end of the season.

At that point, he was a career .281 hitter and just 31 years of age, who could play first base though was better suited for the role of designated hitter. All he could muster was a minor league contract. A veteran of seven Major League seasons with a lot of playoff experience and no one wanted him.

Durazo had stints in the minors with three different organizations before heading back to Mexico to play professionally, where he continued to hit for a high average.

One wonders why Erubiel Durazo didn’t stick around the big leagues longer.