Francisco Cervelli
From BR Bullpen
Francisco Cervelli
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 1", Weight 210 lb.
- Debut September 18, 2008
[edit] Biographical Information
.jpg)
Catcher Francisco Cervelli was seriously injured in a collision at home plate during spring training 2008 in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He was a top New York Yankees prospect at that point after hitting .279 with an OBP 100 points higher for the Class-A Tampa Yankees in 2007. However, the injury shortened his 2008 season to 27 games for three different minor league teams. Still, he showed that he remained on track for the majors during his time with the AA Trenton Thunder, where he put up a line of .315/.432/.816 in 21 games. That earned him a late-season call-up to the big leagues in September, and he went 0 for 5 in 3 games in his cup of coffee in pinstripes.
While Cervelli was born in Venezuela, his family background is Italian. He was recruited by the Italian national baseball team for the 2009 World Baseball Classic and started his team's second game behind the plate against Canada. He was called up by the Yankees early in the 2009 season when regular catchers Jorge Posada and Jose Molina were sidelined in turn by injuries.
In 2010, Cervelli took over from Molina as Posada's main back-up. With Posada catching fewer games because of his age, he got a chance to play often. He batted very well- albeit with little power - in the early going, although his average fell back to his career norms as the season advanced. However, he showed good defense and an excellent ability to handle pitchers, giving manager Joe Girardi the chance to rest Posada more often and play him as the designated hitter after Nick Johnson was lost for the season because of an injury.
As a result of his earlier injury, Cervelli wears an oversized batting helmet designed to afford him more protection and reduce the risk of a future concussion.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- Won a World Series with the New York Yankees in 2009 (he did not play in the World Series)
