Alex Rios | OrangeFan's Blog

Alex Rios was having a great season last year for the Toronto Blue Jays, hitting .330 with 15 home runs and 53 RBIs before the All-Star break. Rios was an All-Star selection for the first time.

While everything seemed to be going for him, Rios got a staph infection after fouling a pitch off his left leg. He was put on the disabled list and into a Toronto hospital. As you may know, staph infections can be very dangerous, and are even deadly. Rios struggled in his return with the Blue Jays after a minor league rehab. He finished the season with a .302 average, just 2 more home runs, and 82 RBIs.

Coming back in the 2007 season, Rios made a name for himself, matching his home run total from last season before the All-Star break, earning him a spot in the Home Run Derby and in the All-Star Game. In the second round of the Derby, Rios blasted 12 home runs to earn him a spot in the finals over Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols and the Rockies' Matt Holliday. In the finals, Rios fell short to Angels slugger Vladimir Guerrero.

As I watched the Home Run Derby this year, I was waiting for the ESPN commentators to mention the path that Rios took to reach this point, which I'm sure he would've prefered to not take if he had a choice. Sure enough, they didn't even touch upon the subject.

Rios's interesting story opened my eyes to how hard it can be to become a star athlete, however easy the life of a pro athlete may seem.

Also, if the same thing had happened to a big name player such as Pujols or Alex Rodriguez, there would've been much more talk about their returns to baseball.

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July 24, 2007 05:41 PM ET

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Yeah it's funny how little the announcers and "experts" knew about Rios. Espcially because ESPN loves stories of players overcoming their adversities and rising to the top. The Jays have the potential to have the most lethal all-around outfield in the majors next year, that is IF Wells can break out of his season-long slump.