Mike Piazza
From BR Bullpen
Michael Joseph Piazza
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 3", Weight 197 lb.
- High School Phoenixville Area High School
- School Miami Dade College
- Debut September 1, 1992
- Born September 4, 1968 in Norristown, PA USA
Contents |
[edit] Biographical Information
Mike Piazza is arguably the best offensive catcher in baseball history. He was famously drafted in the 62nd round of baseball's 1988 Amateur Draft, as a favor to Piazza's father who was a close friend to Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, both of whom were born in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
His accolades started in 1993 when he won the Rookie of the Year Award and started his reign as the most prolific hitting catcher in baseball by being voted into ten consecutive Silver Slugger Awards and twelve All-Star Games.
On May 14 1998, Piazza was traded first to the Florida Marlins with future Met Todd Zeile for Gary Sheffield, Charles Johnson, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich, and Manuel Barrios. Eight days later, Piazza was traded to the New York Mets in one of the most lopsided trades ever, for Preston Wilson, Ed Yarnall and a minor league player named Geoff Goetz. The trade instantly made the Mets into a contender with Al Leiter, Rick Reed, Edgardo Alfonzo, and John Olerud as key players.
Regarded strictly as an offensively-talented catcher, Piazza has been unfairly labeled as defensively challenged. However, Piazza is generally regarded among players, scouts and managers as calling a great game and among the best at blocking balls in the dirt. Piazza actually has a better lifetime CERA (catchers earned run average), 3.81, than reknown defensive catcher Mike Matheny(4.38). Unfortunately, Piazza is universally known at being one of the best catchers to run wild on, with more than 1,300 bases swiped while behind the dish. His 24% rate of throwing out runners is well below average. [1]
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania is home to Mike Piazza Honda.
On January 29, 2005, at an evening wedding at St Jude's Catholic Church in Miami with 120 guests that included former Mets pitcher Al Leiter and Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez, Piazza married his girlfriend of two years, Alicia Rickter, a Playboy model formerly of the TV show Baywatch.
Piazza signed a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres for 2006, with a mutual $8 millon option for 2007.
[edit] Piazza and Roger Clemens
Piazza has had a great deal of success against Roger Clemens. Many Mets fans believe that Clemens intentionally beaned Piazza in the head, leading to a significant amount of time on the disabled list for Piazza. Then in the first inning of the second game of the 2000 World Series. Piazza hit a foul dribbler up the first base line off Clemens that broke his bat. The end of the bat rolled towards Clemens who then picked up the bat and threw it toward Piazza, just missing his legs. Piazza asked Clemens, "What's your problem?" Piazza did not rush the mound, the benches cleared, and Clemens was not ejected. Clemens went on to pitch 8 innings of 2-hit baseball and the Yankees won the game and eventually the series in five games.
Clemens and Piazza were teammates in the 2004 All-Star Game which Clemens appeared in as the starting pitcher. Clemens gave up five hits and six runs (three earned) in his only inning of work. Conspiracy theorists believe Piazza may have been tipping Clemens's pitches in retribution for past events.
Mike Piazza has appeared in Baywatch, Married with Children, and the 2002 movie, "Two Weeks Notice"!
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 1993 NL Rookie of the Year Award
- 1993 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
- 12-time NL All-Star (1993-2002, 2004 & 2005)
- 1996 All-Star Game MVP
- 10-time NL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1993-2002)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 12 (1993-2002, 2004 & 2006)
- 30-Home Run Seasons: 9 (1993 & 1995-2002)
- 40-Home Run Seasons: 2 (1997 & 1999)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 6 (1993 & 1996-2000)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1997 & 1999)
- 200 Hits Seasons: 1 (1997)
| NL Rookie of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1993 | 1994 |
| Eric Karros | Mike Piazza | Raul Mondesi |
[edit] Records Held
- Home runs, catcher, career, 396
[edit] Related Sites
- Retrosheet.org: Box score and PBP of 2004 All-Star Game
- Retrosheet.org: Box score and PBP of Game 2 of the 2000 World Series
Some or all content from this article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mike Piazza".
