Chavez's journey to the big leagues was well worth the wait

By David King <a href=news.mysanantonio.com>San Antonio Express-News Web Posted : 04/13/2003 12:00 AM   HOUSTON — More than 14 years ago, Andres Reiner came to Venezuela with a hope and a contract in hand.

Reiner was setting up the first baseball "academy" in the South American country, for the Houston Astros. His aim was to establish a route to the major leagues for young players in one of the region's most baseball-loving countries.

The first player he signed was a 16-year-old kid named Raul Chavez, from Valencia, the third-largest city in the country. Reiner quickly added Roberto Petagine, Bobby Abreu and Henry Centeno to his first group of players, who were put to work with a handful of coaches.

Abreu has gone on to establish himself in the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies. Petagine is one of the top power hitters in Japan. Centeno is managing a team in Venezuela.

And Chavez?

On April 1, the 30-year-old was on a big-league roster on Opening Day for the first time in his life.

"It's just unbelievable. Everything is great," said Chavez, who is with the Astros as a backup catcher and infielder. "I'm still excited."

His trip from Valencia to Minute Maid Park wasn't easy.

He had worked his way up to Triple-A by 1995, in the process being named the best defensive catcher in the Astros' farm system. But he was traded to the Montreal Expos in the Sean Berry deal that offseason.

He appeared in 17 big-league games with the Expos in two-plus seasons and one game with the Seattle Mariners after a trade in '98. Most of the time, he was stuck in the minors, at Tacoma, Wash., and Ottawa, Canada.

When he became a minor league free agent after the '99 season, there was only one place he wanted to play.

"(Astros farm director) Tim Purpura called my agent and asked 'Does Raul want to play here again?'" Chavez said. "We said, 'Why not?' I knew all the staff here. I knew everybody here, and I was happy to be back."

He was the organization's Triple-A catcher for three years before getting his chance this spring.

"It's a great story because he's just one of those kids who loves the game," Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker said. "You're going to have to tear the uniform off his back. His perseverance paid off."

It's a perseverance born from a love of the game and more than a little determination. Chavez said he never was discouraged about it taking him so long to earn a permanent roster spot.

"I knew I was going to work and I was going to get there," he said.

He passes along that philosophy every winter. He returns to Venezuela to play winter ball and help out at the Astros' academy, which has produced 85 players for the team through the years.

"When I go down to Venezuela and work out at the academy, I try to teach some of the guys," he said. "I work with the young guys coming up as catchers."

Chavez knows that with Gold Glove winner Brad Ausmus and veteran Gregg Zaun on the roster, he isn't going to see that much playing time behind the plate. So he takes dozens of ground balls every day to keep his infielder skills sharp and works on his catching skills when he can.

"There are some people who think that Raul might be the best pure defensive catcher they have here," said Milton Jamail, who is writing a book about the Astros' Venezuelan academy.

Hunsicker was impressed enough to keep Chavez around.

"We knew he was a reliable receiver who could catch and throw at the major league level," he said. "He was the perfect fit for us."

It only took 14 years for it to happen.