2. Rico Washington, 3B, Cardinals
Until this spring, Washington had two claims to fame: (1) He's a product of the same Georgia high school that produced Rondell White and (2) he was once the honored guest at a Rico Washington Bobblehead Night in Altoona, Pa. But the truck carrying the merchandise failed to arrive on time, and the event had to be postponed.
It's been a long journey since Pittsburgh chose Washington in the 10th round of the 1997 draft. He appeared in 1,134 minor league games encompassing 3,980 at-bats before his breakthrough.
When manager Tony La Russa told Washington he'd made the Opening Day roster, the other Cardinals were so excited they crowded around to offer congratulations. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that some teammates offered to fly Washington's family to the opener.
At 29, Washington is the oldest St. Louis rookie since pitcher Kevin Ohme made a cameo at age 32 five years ago. Washington might be headed back to the minors when Brendan Ryan returns from a rib cage injury. But he's already enjoyed one memorable spring.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=3325118
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