Background and career
Miguel Odalis Tejada Martínez (né Tejeda Martínez; born May 25, 1974) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for six teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, before short stints with the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and Kansas City Royals. He is currently the manager of the Bravos de León of the Mexican League. Tejada spent his first six seasons in MLB with the Athletics, where he began a streak of 1,152 consecutive games that ended with the Orioles on June 22, 2007. He is a six-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. In 2002, he won the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, and was the 2005 All-Star Game MVP. Tejada's nickname is "La Guagua", which means "the bus" in certain Spanish dialects, after his ability to drive in runs. He was the last Oakland Athletics player to win the American League MVP award before the team’s relocation in 2025. On February 11, 2009, he pleaded guilty to one count of perjury for lying to Congress in his testimony on whether Rafael Palmeiro lied about his steroid use. On August 17, 2013, MLB suspended Tejada for 105 games for violating MLB drug policy. It was the third-longest non-lifetime suspension ever issued by MLB for a drug-related violation.
Tejada grew up in extreme poverty in Baní, a city about 40 miles (65 km) southwest of Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic. He grew up idolizing the Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr.
Tejada developed quickly into a top-notch prospect, showing early signs of power. He reached the Majors towards the end of the 1997 season, joining a struggling Oakland Athletics club. Though he only hit .202 in 26 games that year, the A's saw potential in the 23-year-old Tejada. This was bolstered by his performance with the Edmonton Trappers (AAA) in the Pacific Coast League during the season, and returning to the minors to lead the Trappers to a PCL championship that year. He was rewarded with the starting shortstop job beginning in 1998. The A's, and Tejada, steadily improved over the next two years. His hitting improved as he gained more discipline at the plate. In 1998, he hit .233 with 11 home runs and in 1999 his average jumped to .251 with 21 home runs. After a solid 87-win campaign in 1999, Tejada and a core of young players led their A's to their first American League Western Division title in eight years in 2000. Bolstered by an American League MVP-winning performance by first baseman Jason Giambi, and aided by Tejada's .275 average and 30 home runs, the A's won 91 games. The A's faced the New York Yankees in the first round of the postseason, which was won by the Yankees 3–2. In 2001, Tejada had a comparable offensive year, hitting .267 with 31 homers. The A's captured the American League wild card with a 102–60 record. In the postseason, however, the A's fell to the Yankees in five games, blowing an initial 2–0 series lead.
Tejada's breakout year came in 2002. With the departure of Jason Giambi to the New York Yankees during the offseason, and a leg injury to slugger Jermaine Dye, the A's lost two of their key offensive players. Tejada hit .308 with 34 homers and led the A's to their second Western Division title in three years. Their campaign included an American League record 20 game winning-streak. Tejada contributed one-out, game-winning hits in the 18th and 19th games of that run: a three-run homer off Minnesota Twins closer Eddie Guardado for a 7–5 victory and a bases-loaded single against Kansas City Royals reliever Jason Grimsley to break a 6–6 tie. His regular season performance was rewarded with the 2002 American League MVP award. For the third straight year, though, the A's fell in the fifth game of the ALDS, this time to the Minnesota Twins.
The next year, both the A's and Tejada got off to a slow start, with the shortstop hitting under .200 for the first month of the season. Improved play in the second half of the season led the A's to their second straight Western Division title and their third in four years. Tejada hit .278 with 27 homers for the year, a decrease from his numbers in 2002, but still leading many offensive categories for shortstops. In a tension-filled series, the powerful offense of the Boston Red Sox narrowly edged out the A's in the first round, once again in five games. Tejada was known for his public display of anger toward Boston starting pitcher Derek Lowe at the series' conclusion for what he perceived as obscene gestures. Lowe denied the accusation, claiming his fist pump was in celebration only.
By the end of the 2003 season, Tejada had established himself as one of baseball's premier shortstops. The A's elected not to re-sign the free agent, citing budget concerns and a young Bobby Crosby coming through the system, so Tejada signed a six-year, $72 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles during the offseason. On arrival in Baltimore, Tejada was given uniform number 10, since 4, his number in Oakland, had been retired for former manager Earl Weaver. As an Oriole, Tejada followed in the footsteps of legendary Baltimore shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. Like Ripken, Tejada was a strong and durable shortstop with unusual power numbers for a middle infielder.
