Glaus with the Blue Jays in 2007 spring training

Professional career

Through 10-plus seasons, Glaus has hit .256 with 307 home runs and 877 RBI in 1395 games. In 19 postseason games, he hit .347 with nine home runs and 16 RBI. Glaus has been selected to four All-Star Games.

Anaheim Angels

Glaus began his career with the Angels in and was installed as the team's starting third baseman in .

Glaus had a breakout season in , becoming the all time single season home run leader for third basemen in Angels history with 47.

Glaus started in the 2001 MLB All-Star Game and posted his second consecutive 40 home run season with 41 on the year.

In , Glaus failed to reach the 40 home run club for the first time since the 1999 season, but he managed to hit two home runs in helping the Angels make the playoffs for the first time in 16 years. The Angels beat the San Francisco Giants in 7 games to win their first World Series title in team history.

Glaus was a key member of the Angels' 2002 World Series championship team and was named the Most Valuable Player of that series.

Glaus followed that up with an another All-Star year in .

Glaus missed much of the season with a shoulder injury. 2004 was the last year of his contract with the Angels. As an established veteran, he was in demand on the free agent market and able to field lucrative offers for long term contracts. Although Glaus had spent his entire career an Angel, and was a fan favorite, the team decided not to pursue Glaus' return. Amid concerns about Glaus' future health after his injury, the team decided to go with the much lower-priced alternative of turning the third base position over to young prospect Dallas McPherson, whom they felt had a good chance to soon become as productive as Glaus had been.

Glaus ultimately signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks for $45 million USD over four years.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Glaus' season with the Diamondbacks was disappointing. His 24 errors tied him with David Wright for the most errors by a third baseman in the Major Leagues, and he had a Major League-low .946 fielding percentage at third. He was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in the off-season along with minor league shortstop Sergio Santos. The trade sent pitcher Miguel Batista and second baseman Orlando Hudson to the Diamondbacks. The Jays badly needed a power bat a year after letting go of Carlos Delgado, however the emergence of Hudson at second base has given the statistical advantage of this trade to the Diamondbacks ^[1]

Toronto Blue Jays

Although Glaus is a third baseman, he played a game for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Chicago White Sox on May 27, as a shortstop, due the demotion of Toronto shortstop Russ Adams. As Blue Jays manager John Gibbons pointed out, this change in position was only for one game. Glaus was not expected to do much fielding due to the fact the pitcher was known to induce many fly balls, instead of ground balls.^[2] This defensive alignment did not affect his hitting, going 2-4 with 1 HR. Since then, Glaus made several starts at shortstop, usually when the Blue Jays were facing National League opponents at their home ballpark, where there is no DH. The DH, Shea Hillenbrand, would play third base in this case.

After hitting 38 home runs and 104 RBI in the 2006 season, Glaus earned a single 10th place vote for the 2006 American League MVP Award.

In 2006 he had the lowest zone rating of any Major League third baseman (.741).

In Glaus's production was hampered all year by foot injuries and his production fell. His heel injury is one that can only be healed by rest, not surgery.

On December 13, 2007, he was cited in the Mitchell Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation Into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball^[3].

St. Louis Cardinals

Glaus was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for fellow third baseman Scott Rolen on January 14, . This worked out well for the Cardinals, as Glaus did about as well as, or better than, his career rates in most offensive categories: .270/.372/.483/.855 BA/OBP/SLG/OPS, compared to career .256/.360/.498/.858, for example, plus 27 HR and 99 RBI.^[4] Furthermore, Glaus committed only 7 errors in 146 games at 3B and is considered an NL Gold Glove candidate (to be announced in November), though Adrian Beltre of Seattle (14 E!) won the Fielding Bible Award for all MLB third basemen. In contrast, Rolen's injury-hampered season at Toronto resulted in numbers well below not only his usual performance but Glaus's 2008: .262/.349/.431/.780, 11 HR and 50 RBI, plus 11 E in 115 G at 3B.

Glaus usually occupies the 4 or 5 slot in the Cardinals' batting order. On September 3, 2008, he hit his 300th career home run off Doug Davis of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning.

Highlights

• 4 time All-Star (2000, 2001, 2003, 2006)
• World Series MVP Award (2002)
• Twice won Silver Slugger Award (2000-01)
• AL Home Run Champion in 2000, slugging 47.

Interesting Facts

• When Glaus comes to bat at St. Louis home games, the opening of "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne plays loudly over the Busch Stadium speakers.
• Glaus's wife is a competitive equestrian. Within Glaus's contract there is a specific bonus he is paid which dedicates up to $325,000 on his wife's equestrian expenses.
• Glaus is a 1994 graduate of Carlsbad High School.
• Glaus was once drafted by the San Diego Padres as their second round pick in , but turned down the contract before heading to UCLA.
• Nicknamed "Mighty" Troy Glaus by Blue Jays radio announcer Jerry Howarth (which was not picked up in St. Louis). In 2008 the title of "Mighty" was given to the Jays' left-handed-hitting Joe Inglett, who already has the nickname "Voodoo." (Is he now "Mighty Voodoo Joe Inglett"?)
• During in-game StL blog threads, Glaus is often called "Santa" and implored to deliver on fans' gift wishes.^[5]
• If you can make out the pronunciation aid at the top of this article, you are a splendid linguist. "Glaus" is generally pronounced like "gloss," rhymes with "boss." On occasion you might hear it pronounced to rhyme with "grouse." Never to rhyme with "gauze" or "Santa Claus."

References

See also

• List of Olympic medalists in baseball
• USA Baseball
• List of top 500 Major League Baseball home run hitters
• List of Major League Baseball home run champions
• List of Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

External links

• Troy Glaus: Behind the Dugout
• stlcardinals.scout.com Glaus Player Profile Page at Scout.com

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