Miguel Tejada: The durable shortstop whose career was defined by power and controversy

History · Published 6 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Rising from extreme poverty in the Dominican Republic to become a Major League Baseball MVP, Miguel Tejada was a model of consistency. Yet, his legacy is complicated by a 1,152-game playing streak, a guilty plea for lying to Congress, and a significant suspension for violating baseball's drug policy.

Born in Baní, Dominican Republic, in 1974, Miguel Tejada grew up idolizing Cal Ripken Jr. before embarking on a 16-season career in Major League Baseball. He spent his first six years with the Oakland Athletics, where he emerged as a premier offensive force. His breakout 2002 season saw him win the American League Most Valuable Player award, highlighted by his role in an American League record 20-game winning streak. By the time he left Oakland, he had established himself as a durable, high-impact shortstop, eventually signing a $72 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles in 2004.

Tejada’s reputation for reliability was cemented by his consecutive games played streak, which reached 1,152 before a wrist injury ended it in 2007. This remains the fifth-longest streak in baseball history. However, his career was frequently shadowed by performance-enhancing drug allegations. In 2005, he was implicated by teammate Rafael Palmeiro, though he was later exonerated by the Health Policy Advisory Committee. Despite this, he was named in the 2007 Mitchell Report, which alleged he had purchased steroids.

The legal and professional consequences were severe. In 2009, Tejada pleaded guilty to lying to Congress regarding his 2005 testimony about steroid use, receiving one year of probation. Later, in 2013, he was suspended for 105 games after testing positive for amphetamines, marking the third-longest non-lifetime drug suspension in MLB history. While he continued playing in the Mexican League until 2015, these controversies significantly impacted his standing in the sport, leading to his ineligibility for the National Baseball Hall of Fame after receiving less than 5% of the vote in 2019.

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