Utility Man Mark Loretta Could Do It All

[Michael Trzinski]

Mark Loretta was signed as an All-American shortstop out of Northwestern University in the seventh round of the 1993 MLB Amateur Draft by the Brewers. Whether it was their plan or not, Loretta made over 100 career starts at all four infield posts for Milwaukee in an eight-year career in Brew City. Loretta also handled the bat well with a slash line of .289/.355/.385 in nearly 2,600 ABs for the Crew.

Mark David Loretta was born in 1971 in Santa Monica, California. Loretta attended Northwestern University and, as a senior, was named to the All-American first team at shortstop. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 1993 MLB Amateur Draft by the Brewers.

Mark Loretta had said that his goal was to make it to the majors in ‘three or four years,’ and he did just that. After batting .299 in his first three minor league seasons, he made his major league debut in September 1995 and finished the year with a slash line of .260/.327/.380 with three doubles and a homer in 50 at-bats.

Initially a shortstop, Loretta would play all four infield spots during his career. In 1996, the right-swinging Loretta started the season with the Brewers but was sent down in mid-May despite hitting .357 (10-for-28) to make room for outfielder Chuckie Carr. Loretta was called up three weeks later and finished the year in Milwaukee, slashing .279/.339/.318 across 154 at-bats.

Over the next three years, Loretta was a ‘full-time’ utility player, averaging 142 games played. His three-year slash line was .297/.363/.400, with an average of 27 doubles, three triples, and five home runs per year.

Loretta was batting .305 and playing solid defense at shortstop in early June 2000 when he fouled a ball off his left foot and suffered a broken bone, requiring surgery. He missed 11 weeks and finished the year with a batting mark of .281/.350/.406 across 352 at-bats with 21 doubles and seven homers.

The injury bug struck once again in 2001 when Loretta suffered torn ligaments in his left thumb during spring training and missed the first six weeks of the season. He finished with another solid season with a batting line of .289/.346/.352 across 384 at-bats. His power numbers dropped with only 14 doubles and two home runs.

Loretta started slow in 2002 and had only started 16 games through June 11 while batting only .174, but then had a hot streak in his next 12 games, hitting .500 (18-for-36) with seven two-baggers to raise his average to .286. He got more starts over the next six weeks, but his average dropped to .267 on August 31, when he was traded to the Houston Astros. Some saw the trade as part of a ‘fire sale’ with then-CEO Wendy Selig-Prieb jettisoning salary during another dismal season at Miller Park.

While in Houston, Loretta played in just 21 games and filed for free agency. He signed with the San Diego Padres and played there for three seasons, with his first two the best of his career. In 2003, he batted .314/.372/.441 across 589 at-bats with 13 home runs and 72 RBIs. The following season was even better, with a slash line of .335/.391/.495 with career highs in doubles (47), homers (16), OPS+ (138), and RBIs (76). He was named to the NL All-Star team for the first time and won a Silver Slugger Award. After an injury-riddled season in 2005, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox.

Loretta earned his second All-Star game nod with the Red Sox in 2006. He had a career-high 635 at-bats and a slash line of .285/.345/.361, but he managed only five home runs. After the season, he signed with Houston as a free agent.

Loretta played in 133 games with the Astros in 2007, mainly as a utility player. In 460 at-bats, he had a slash line of .287/.352/.372. The following season, Loretta saw his playing time dwindle as he appeared in only 101 games. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent.

At age 37, Loretta’s final season saw him slash .232/.309/.276 across 181 at-bats in 107 games. He retired after the season.

Loretta’s final career numbers showed a slash line of .295/.360/.395 with 1,713 hits, including 309 doubles, 22 triples, and 67 home runs. He knocked in 629 runs and stole 47 bags.

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