Max Stassi, Catcher, Los Angeles Angels

Date of Birth: 3/15/1991
Birthplace: Woodland, California

Max Stassi, catcher for the Los Angeles Angels, comes from a family of minor leaguers. His professional baseball heritage goes back to his great grandfather and then down through his grandfather, father, and brother Brock, who plays in the Phillies' minor league system. He also had a great uncle who played major league baseball.

Stassi was originally drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 2009. He played in the Athletics' minor league system from 2009 through 2012, although his playing time in 2011 was limited to just 31 games due to shoulder surgery.

The Astros traded Stassi to the Houston Astros in February, 2013. He spent most of the 2013 and 2014 seasons in the minor leagues, joining the Astros for just three games in 2013 and seven games in 2014.

As a minor leaguer from 2009 through 2014, Stassi batted .252 with 397 hits, 228 RBIs, and 429 strikeouts to 132 walks in 416 games. Defensively, in 292 games as a catcher, he made 215 assists, 2,144 putouts, and 28 errors. He caught players trying to steal 28% of the time and he had a .988 fielding percentage.

In 2015, Stassi played in just 11 games with the Astros. He spent the rest of the season back in the minors.

Stassi spent most of the 2016 season in the minors, playing in just 9 games with the Astros. He again spent time in the minors in 2017, playing in just 14 games with the Astros.

Stassi played in 88 games with the Astros in 2018. He had 50 hits, 13 doubles, 74 strikeouts to 23 walks, and a .226 batting average. Defensively, as the Astros' catcher in 82 games, he made 32 assists, 668 putouts, and 2 errors. He caught players trying to steal 25.6% of the time and he had a .997 fielding percentage. He didn't play in the postseason.

The Astros traded Stassi to the Angels on July 31, 2019. He spent time on the DL in 2019 with left knee soreness. He had just 18 hits and a .136 batting average in 31 games with the Astros and 20 games with the Angels.

Stassi played in 31 games in 2020. He finished the season with 25 hits, 2 doubles, 7 home runs, 20 RBIs, 21 strikeouts to 11 walks, and a .278 batting average. Defensively, he was the Angels' catcher in all 31 games.

Stassi spent time on the IL in 2021 with a thumb sprain and a concussion. He finished the season with 68 hits, 35 RBIs, 101 strikeouts to 28 walks, and a .241 batting average in 87 games.

Charitable Work

Stassi, along with his brother Brock, have established the charity "Homers for the Hungry," an organization that aids food banks in Yuba City, California. They helped the organization raise $100,000 at one of their annual events. More information on the organization can be found at HomersForTheHungry.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Max Stassi
Baseball Reference - Max Stassi