Fernando Vina

Fernando Viña (pronounced VEEN-ya) (born April 16, 1969 in Sacramento, California) is a retired Cuban-American Major League Baseball second baseman and current MLB analyst for . From through , Viña played for the Seattle Mariners (1993), New York Mets (), Milwaukee Brewers (-), St Louis Cardinals (-), and Detroit Tigers ().

Career

A National League All-Star in , Viña was a two-time Gold Glove winner (-). He was limited to 29 games for the Tigers: a serious leg injury ended his first season with Detroit, and Viña missed the entire 2005 season because of a strained right hamstring and patellar tendinitis in his left knee. Many believe Viña concealed the extent of prior injuries from the Tigers in order to obtain a lucrative contract from them, but his signing was the first of several major acquisitions that led to the Tigers' resurrection to a playoff contender.

In , Viña was invited to spring training by the Seattle Mariners but was cut before the start of the season, in effect bringing an end to his 12-year career. Viña retired with a .282 batting average, 40 home runs and 343 RBI in 1148 games played. In 2007, Viña joined ESPN as an analyst for Baseball Tonight to do about 60 shows during the season.

Mitchell Report

On December 13, 2007, Viña was mentioned in the Mitchell Report in connection with steroid use. ESPN 2007-12-13. Retrieved on 2007-12-14 The report cited an interview with former Mets clubhouse...
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