Well-traveled Bee, 33, can still sting ball

The 33-year-old Salt Lake slugger crushed three home runs Sunday to fuel the Bees’ 13-6 victory over the 51s at Cashman Field.

The left-handed hitting Aldridge, a journeyman outfielder in his 16th professional season, belted a majestic two-run blast over the right-field wall in the second inning, a tiebreaking three-run rocket to right in the eighth and an opposite-field two-run shot in the ninth.

"He has the potential to hit the ball out of the ballpark every time he jumps to the plate," Salt Lake manager Keith Johnson said. "He’s been a little inconsistent this season so far, but if he continues to swing the bat the way he has the last couple of weeks, he’ll definitely put himself on somebody’s map."

Aldridge, who went 1-for-3 with an RBI double and a walk in Monday’s 5-2 win over Las Vegas, has been all over the map in his career – playing for five big league organizations, an independent league team and leagues in Mexico and Korea, where he spent last season.

A fourth-round draft pick by Atlanta in 1997, Aldridge made his big league debut in 2001, going 0-for-5 in an eight-game stint with the Braves. He finally got back to the majors in 2010, ripping an RBI triple for the Angels for his only big league hit.

"I wish I could’ve stayed more and played more to prove what I can do in the big leagues, but it was definitely a weight off my shoulders," he said. "It was a blessing to be able to go back and play. That’s living the dream."

Projected to be Atlanta’s fourth outfielder in 2002, Aldridge was sidetracked by reconstructive right shoulder surgery, the first of five operations he’s had.

"I went from being a big prospect to having basically career-ending surgery that I bounced back from three years later," he said.

Plagued by injuries in 2008, when he toiled for Newark of the independent Atlantic League, Aldridge contemplated retirement before coming back strong in 2009, when he hit .316 with 22 homers for Omaha, the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate.

Aldridge, who has 223 career homers, including 20 in Korea last year, hit .318 with 13 homers for Salt Lake in 2010, when he helped mentor promising young slugger Mark Trumbo.

"We talked baseball, about my trials and tribulations, and sometimes hitting or mental things and being positive about life," Aldridge said.

Trumbo, who has blossomed into an All-Star for the Angels, heeded the advice and later dispensed some of his own – telling Aldridge to read the book "Success through a Positive Mental Attitude" by Napoleon Hill. Aldridge did, and the book quickly became his favorite.

"You can’t control everything, but you can control how you feel," said the easygoing Aldridge, batting .212 with 11 homers and 33 RBIs. "His suggestion to read that book helped me a lot. Officially, the student has become the teacher."

A divorced father of three, Aldridge went to Korea last year for a better contract and hopes to return next year. October shoulder surgery scuttled his plan to play there this season, which he opened in Mexico.

"I would love to be back in Asia just because I know everything’s guaranteed," he said. "If you’re not in the big leagues here, you’re not making any money.

"It’s a tough business. You can live the dream all you want, but at the same time, you’ve got to make money."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.