Mike Piazza (2016)


Date of Birth: 9/4/1968
Birthplace: Norristown, Pennsylvania
College: University of Miami

Mike Piazza started playing baseball at a young age, encouraged by his father who hired professional trainers for him. When he was twelve, he received instruction from Hall of Famer Ted Williams. His father used his influence with the Los Angeles Dodgers to get young Mike a job as the team's dugout bat boy.

Piazza's father continued to help his son during his college years by asking Tommy Lasorda to draft him, even though, at the time, he didn't show much promise. The Dodgers drafted him in the sixty-second round in 1988. He was the 1,390th overall selection.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Piazza was in the Dodgers' system from 1988 through May, 1998. He started as a first baseman in the Dodgers' minor league system, but Lasorda recommended that he be moved to the catcher position. He played in the minors from 1989 through most of 1992. He joined the Dodgers for 21 games in 1992 and he batted .232 with 16 hits.

In 1993, Piazza won three Rookie of the Year awards (MLB NL award, Baseball America award, Sporting News award) and his first of 10 consecutive Silver Slugger awards. That season, he batted .318 with 174 hits, 24 doubles, 35 home runs, and 112 RBIs in 149 games. He also played well defensively and he led all NL catchers in assists with 99.

Piazza continued to bat well in the strike-shortened 1994 season. He finished the year with 129 hits, 18 doubles, 24 home runs, 92 RBIs, and a .319 batting average in 107 games. The following season, he had an even higher batting average. He finished the 1995 season with a .346 batting average, 150 hits, 32 home runs, and 93 RBIs in 112 games. A strong defensive player, he led all NL catchers in putouts with 805.

Piazza had another strong season in 1996, batting .336 with 184 hits, 36 home runs, and 105 RBIs in 148 games. He also showed good control at the plate, walking 81 times and striking out 93 times. He had another good season defensively, leading NL catchers in putouts with 1,055. He excelled in the All-Star game in 1996, winning the game's MVP award.

The 1997 season may have been Piazza's best one. That year, he had career highs in games played (152), home runs (40), RBIs (124), and batting average (.362). He again led NL catchers in putouts with 1,045. He won the Ted Williams award in 1997.

New York Mets

The Dodgers traded Piazza to the Miami Marlins on May 14, 1998. A week later, on May 22nd, he was traded to the New York Mets. He played with the Mets through the 2005 season.

Piazza had another strong season in 1998, finishing with 184 hits, a career high 38 doubles, 32 home runs, 111 RBIs, and a .328 batting average in 37 games with the Dodgers and 109 games with the Mets. He led major league baseball in grand slams that season with four. Defensively, he led NL catchers in assists with 85.

Piazza continued to play well from 1999 through 2001, batting .300 or higher in each of those seasons. He had career highs in home runs (40) and RBIs (124) in 1999, and he batted .303 in 141 games. He again led NL catchers in putouts with 953. The following season, he batted .324 with 38 home runs and 113 RBIs in 136 games. In 2001, he batted .300 with 151 hits, 29 doubles, 36 home runs, and 94 RBIs in 141 games.

In 2002, Piazza won his tenth and last Silver Slugger award, even though his batting average had dropped to .280. He finished the season with 134 hits, 23 doubles, 33 home runs, and 98 RBIs.

Piazza struggled in his final three seasons with the Mets. In 2003, he played in just 68 games and he batted .286 with 67 hits. The following year, his batting average dropped to .266 and he had just 20 home runs in 129 games. His average dropped even further in 2005, when he batted just .251 in 113 games.

Final Years as a Player

Piazza became a free agent on October 28, 2005. He signed with the San Diego Padres on February 3, 2006. In 126 games with the Padres in 2006, he batted .283 with 113 hits, 22 home runs, and 68 RBIs.

Piazza became a free agent again on October 30, 2006. He signed with the Oakland Athletics on December 8th. He played in just 83 games with the Athletics in 2007 and he batted .275 with 85 hits.

Awards and MLB Records

  • NL Rookie of the Year
  • Baseball America Rookie of the Year
  • Sporting News Rookie Player of the Year
  • All Star Game MVP
  • Ted Williams award
  • Silver Slugger award (10 times)

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Piazza in 15 seasons (1993-2007) in the major leagues include:

  • 8 seasons with 150 or more hits, with a high of 201 in 1997
  • 9 seasons with 30 or more home runs, with a high of 40 in 1997 and 1999
  • 6 seasons with 100 or more RBIs, with a high of 124 in 1997 and 1999
  • 9 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with a high of .362 in 1997

Career batting statistics for Piazza include:

  • 1,912 games played
  • 2,127 hits
  • 344 doubles
  • 427 home runs
  • 1,335 RBIs
  • 1,113 strikeouts to 759 walks
  • .308 batting average
  • .377 on-base percentage
  • .922 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Piazza as a catcher include:

  • 1,630 games played
  • 733 assists
  • 10,844 putouts
  • 124 errors
  • .230 caught stealing percentage
  • .989 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Piazza include:

  • 5 postseasons
  • 32 games played
  • 120 at-bats
  • 29 hits
  • 8 doubles
  • 6 home runs
  • 15 RBIs
  • 22 strikeouts to 11 walks
  • .242 batting average

Post Playing Career

Piazza retired as a major league player on May 20, 2008.

In 2016, Piazza became a part owner of an Italian soccer club.

Piazza was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2016 on the fourth ballot with 83.0% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Mike Piazza
ESPN - Mike Piazza
Baseball Reference - Mike Piazza

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