Matt Merullo
From BR Bullpen
Matthew Bates Merullo
- Bats Left, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 200 lb.
- School University of North Carolina
- Debut April 12, 1989
- Final Game September 29, 1995
- Born August 4, 1965 in Winchester, MA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Matt Merullo had a six-year career in the major leagues, primarily as a catcher. His grandfather, Lennie Merullo, had played in the majors, and his father Boots Merullo had played in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
Merullo, born in Massachusetts, was a member of the 1983 USA High School Team. He attended the University of North Carolina, played in the 1985 Intercontinental Cup competition, and was drafted in the 7th round in 1986 by the Chicago White Sox.
Matt impressed at Peninsula in the Single A Carolina League with .303/~.365/.423. The next year was spent with Daytona Beach and Birmingham, both times hitting over .260. The following two years were also spent primarily with Birmingham - in 1989 he posted .294/~.381/.420 before coming up to Triple A Vancouver for three games, and then up to the majors. With the White Sox in 1989, he appeared in 31 games, hitting .222 with 1 homer.
Back at Birmingham in 1990, he had another good year, with .291/~.354/.429. In 1991, he was at Birmingham for only 8 games, while spending 80 at the major league level, where he put up numbers of .229/.268/.343 with the White Sox. He appeared in few games in 1992, with 14 in Vancouver, and 24 for the White Sox. In 1990-92, he was the White Sox # 3 catcher in terms of appearances, behind Carlton Fisk and Ron Karkovice.
In 1993, he had a terrific year in Triple A Nashville, where he hit .332/~.385/.526, and came up for 8 games with the White Sox.
In March of 1994, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians organization. He spent most of the season in Charlotte, at the age of 29, hitting .300/~.344/.463, and came up for 4 games with the Indians.
In 1995, his last major league year, he spent the entire season with the Minnesota Twins, with whom he had signed as a free agent, appearing in 76 games and hitting .282/.335/.379. It was his highest batting average. He was the backup catcher for the Twins behind Matt Walbeck. In spite of having a good season with the bat in 1995, he did not get back into the majors after that.
Lifetime, in the majors, he appeared in 223 games, with 496 at-bats. He had 7 home runs, 59 RBI, and a .234 batting average.
In 1996, he appeared in 39 games in the Angels and Cubs minor league organizations.
During Matt's professional career, he had to deal with one knee and three elbow operations.
He has founded, and currently runs, Pro Advantage Baseball in Connecticut. He also serves as an area scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks in New England.
Rick Peterson is a close friend.
- One of his proudest moments was going 2 for 2 with a couple RBI while facing Roger Clemens.
