Roger Leandro Cedeño [ceh-DEH-nyo] (born August 16, 1974 in Valencia, Carabobo State, Venezuela), is a Major League Baseball right fielder and switch-hitter batter who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1991, Cedeño made his debut in 1995. After four seasons with the Dodgers, he played for the New York Mets (1999, 2002-03), Houston Astros (2000) and Detroit Tigers (2001). He was signed by St. Louis as an free agent in 2004.

Cedeño has the tools to be a top leadoff hitter: a blazing speed, good contact, and occasional power. But he is a free swinger and does not posses the discipline necessary to get base on balls. He is a much better hitter from the left side, although he drives the ball better and uses the whole field as a righthanded batter. Beside this, his mental lapses on the bases are notorious. He is visibly confused by "in-between" situations and occasionally causes a slower runner to hold up behind him. Eventually, he can be picked off first base because of a mental mistake. Cedeño must learn to trust his instincts and watch his coaches. Defensively, he is a little below average in the outfield and is adept at the sliding basket catch. His arm strength is considered above-average.

Cedeño is a .275 hitter with 40 home runs and 266 RBI in 1063 games.

See also

• Players from Venezuela in MLB

External links

• Roger Cedeño at:
  • Baseball Reference (career statistics)
  • ESPN (profile and daily update)