Cards Have A Treasure In Gaetti ‘The Rat’ Resurrects His Career After Being Written Off By Many

It had looked like the end for third baseman Gary Gaetti. “The Rat,” as Gaetti is known, left the Minnesota Twins after nine-plus productive years to sign as a free agent with the California Angels in 1991.

After a so-so first season in California, when he batted .246, Gaetti fell apart. He hit .226 in 1992 and was batting .180 when the Angels put him on waivers midway through 1993.

“At that point in his career, I thought it could be all over for Gary, unless he could hang on as a parttime player,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said Friday as he put his team through a light workout at Busch Stadium before today’s Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against Atlanta.

Many agreed with La Russa; they thought Gaetti’s best days were over.

But Gaetti signed with the Kansas City Royals after the Angels dumped him, hitting .256 with 14 homers in the last 82 games of ‘93. He played OK in 1994, but no one expected what would happen last year, when Gaetti found his power stroke again and belted 35 homers with 96 RBIs.

La Russa joined the Cardinals last winter and sought a third baseman. He admired the way Gaetti had bounced back in KC, so the Cards decided to gamble $2 million on him.

Because of his age (38) and the fact he would be playing in the N.L. for the first time, Gaetti’s signing was risky. But La Russa thought Gaetti could be a plus for the retooled Cardinals on and off the field.

After a slow start because of a toe injury, Gaetti had 19 homers and 67 RBIs in his last 103 games. Overall, he hit .274 with 23 homers and 80 RBIs and had the second-best fielding percentage among N.L. third basemen. He also brought the team a clubhouse presence - someone who could joke and kid as well as drop the hammer on underachievers.

“I don’t want to get too carried away with this, but Gaetti is a treasure,” La Russa said.

Gaetti doesn’t say much about the valleys in his career. He says everyone gave up on him too quickly after “one bad year” in California. But the slide had begun before that, in Minnesota.

But Gaetti turned it around for the Cardinals, especially during the post-season. His three-run homer in Game 1 beat the San Diego Padres, 3-1, in the first round, and his grand slam in Game 1 on Thursday night helped St. Louis to an 8-3 win over the Braves.