Books and articles about Jeff Blauser

Blauser had good power for a middle infielder, but shaky fielding often forced him to yield time at short to defensive specialists like Andres Thomas and Rafael Belliard in the late innings. Neverthless, the California native was a mainstay on the Braves' pennant-winning clubs of the 1990s, reaching double digits in home runs in seven of his nine full seasons with the team.

SHOPPING » Look for Jeff Blauser books at BN.com » Look for Jeff Blauser books at Amazon.com Your purchases keep BaseballLibrary.com online. Thank you!

RELATED LINKS Submissions » My All-Time Braves Team by Michael Rapaport Around the Web » Jeff Blauser from baseball-reference.com Jump directly to Library content from any website!

Blauser was nearly left exposed by the Braves in the 1992 expansion draft (the club lost Vinny Castilla, Armando Reynoso and David Neid instead) but rewarded his club's confidence with a breakout season in 1993. Appearing in 161 games at short, he earned his first trip to the All-Star Game while hitting .305 with 15 homers and 73 RBIs. It marked the first time in his professional career that he had reached .300, becoming the first Braves shortstop to do so since Alvin Dark in 1948.

Three seasons passed before Blauser made another All-Star appearance. During that time he struggled with injuries and faced the wrath of Braves fans, many of whom enunciated their disappointment with heckles from the stands. In 1995, Blauser hit .211 and was replaced on the World Series roster by Ed Giovanola as the Braves won their first championship since 1914. In 1996, he made 23 errors and spent nine weeks on the DL.

But in 1997, Blauser won back the respect of Braves fans -- and an All-Star starting assignment at short. Healthy again, he set personal bests with a .308 average and 17 homers and led all NL shortstops with 70 runs batted in. Baseball Weekly, noting Blauser's rapid return to Atlanta's good graces, wrote that it seemed "as if he suddenly was cured of leprosy."

Buoyed by his career year, Blauser signed a lucrative deal with the Chicago Cubs to replace Shawon Dunston as the club's everyday shortstop in 1998. But an elbow injury prevented Blauser from taking advantage of Wrigley Field's cozy dimensions, and the veteran shortstop, often booed by Cubs fans, finished his first season in the Windy City with a .219 average and just four home runs. Despite offseason surgery, Blauser again struggled with injuries in 1999 and was released in October. (JGR)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » September 3, 1991: In a game in Montreal, shortstop Jeff Blauser breaks a big left toe and will be out for two weeks. The Braves will call up SS Rico Rossy to replace him. » July 4, 1992: In Atlanta's 4–2 win over the Cubs, Brave SS Jeff Blauser hits a 2–run home run in the 1st inning to start the scoring. It is the 1,776th big league homer hit on the holiday. Brian Hunter adds a solo shot to back Charlie Leibrandt (7–3). » July 11, 1992: Atlanta 2B Jeff Blauser hits three home runs in a 7–4 win over the Cubs. Blauser had hit only 39 round-trippers in the previous six seasons. He becomes only the 4th SS ever to hit three homers in a game, joining Ernie Banks, Barry Larkin, and Fred Patek. » August 19, 1992: Tommy Glavine (19-3) wins his 13th in a row, stopping the Expos, 4-2. Mike Stanton gets the last two outs. Jeff Blauser's 2-run homer of starter Chris Nabholtz is the big blow. » October 6, 1992: The Braves win the opening game of the NLCS with a 5–1 victory over the Pirates. John Smoltz gets the win and Jeff Blauser homers for Atlanta. Ron Gant of the Braves sets a major league record by successfully stealing his 9th consecutive post season base. » October 7, 1993: The Braves even the NLCS at one game apiece by mauling the Phillies, 14-3, on 16 hits. The 14 runs are an LCS record. Terry Pendleton, Fred McGriff, Jeff Blauser, and Damon Berryhill each homer for Atlanta, as Greg Maddux cruises to the win. McGriff's dinger is upper deck. » May 11, 1996: Jeff Blauser hits two homers, one a grand slam, and drives home seven runs in Atlanta's 11–3 win over the Phils. Steve Avery (4–2) scatters eight hits for the win, the Braves' 7th straight and their 11th in 13 games. » June 10, 1996: The Mets defeat the Braves, 8-3, despite five hits for Atlanta SS Jeff Blauser. Todd Hundley strokes two homers in going 4-for-4 with five RBIs for NY. The Braves continue to maintain their five 1/2 game lead over Montreal in the National League East. » June 22, 1997: The Braves power four homers in a 9-run 3rd inning to sink the Phils, 12–5, handing Philadelphia its 8th loss in a row. Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff, Michael Tucker and Jeff Blauser all homer in Atlanta's biggest inning since 1989. » October 1, 1997: The Braves pound the Astros, 13-3, to lead 2–0 in their division series. Jeff Blauser homers for the Braves, who take advantage of eight walks from Houston's Mike Hampton in four 2/3 innings. » December 9, 1997: The Cubs sign free agent SS Jeff Blauser to a 2-year contract. » May 8, 1998: Charlie Hayes, playing 1B, snags Jeff Blauser's liner and starts the Giants first triple play since 1980. Hayes also has four hits in the 14 inning, 5–4, loss to the Cubs at Wrigley.