Born: (1968-09-04) September 4, 1968 (age 55) Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 1992, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 2007, for the Oakland Athletics
MLB statistics
Batting average
.308
Hits
2,127
Home runs
427
Runs batted in
1,335
Teams
Los Angeles Dodgers (1992–1998)
Florida Marlins (1998)
New York Mets (1998–2005)
San Diego Padres (2006)
Oakland Athletics (2007)
Career highlights and awards
12× All-Star (1993–2002, 2004, 2005)
NL Rookie of the Year (1993)
10× Silver Slugger Award (1993–2002)
New York Mets No. 31 retired
New York Mets Hall of Fame
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction
2016
Vote
83.0% (fourth ballot)
Michael Joseph Piazza (/piˈɑːtsə/pee-AHT-sa;[1]: 55 born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1992 to 2007. He currently serves as the manager of the Italian national baseball team.[2] He played most notably for the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, while also having brief stints with the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and Oakland Athletics. A 12-time All-Star and 10-time Silver Slugger Award winner at catcher, Piazza produced strong offensive numbers at his position; in his career, he recorded 427 home runs—a record 396 of which were hit as catcher—along with a .308 batting average and 1,335 runs batted in (RBI).
Piazza was drafted by the Dodgers in the 1988 MLB draft as a favor from Tommy Lasorda to Piazza's father. He was the last player selected and signed in his draft class to play in the Major Leagues. Initially a first baseman, Piazza converted to catcher in the minor leagues at Lasorda's suggestion to improve his chances of being promoted. He made his major league debut in 1992 and the following year was named the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year and was an All-Star for the first of 10 consecutive seasons. Piazza immediately impressed with his ability to hit for power and average. His best year as a Dodger came in 1997 when he batted .362, hit 40 home runs, and had 124 RBI, leading to a runner-up finish in voting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award. In 1998, he was traded to the Marlins and then a week later to the Mets, with whom he spent most of the remainder of his career. He helped the Mets reach the 2000 World Series, the only World Series appearance of his career. After the 2005 season, Piazza left the Mets to play one season each for the Padres and Athletics before retiring after the 2007 season.
Piazza is regarded as one of the best offensive catchers in baseball history. He had at least one RBI in 15 straight games for the Mets in 2000, the second-longest RBI streak ever. In 2013, the Mets inducted Piazza into the New York Mets Hall of Fame. In 2016, Piazza was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving 82.95% of the vote and wearing a Mets hat in his plaque.[3] Piazza owned the Italian soccer team A.C. Reggiana 1919, which played for two seasons (2017–2018) in Serie C under his leadership before its non-registration due to continued financial troubles.[4]
^Piazza, Mike (February 18, 2014). Long Shot. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-5023-8. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
^"Hall of Famer Mike Piazza agrees to manage Italian baseball team". ESPN. November 13, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
^"Griffey sets Hall vote mark; Piazza gets call". MLB.com. January 6, 2016. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
^Nisse, Jake (July 17, 2018). "Mike Piazzas soccer team goes bust". New York Post. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
Michael Joseph Piazza (/piˈɑːtsə/ pee-AHT-sa;: 55 born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 16 seasons in...
the 8th inning the Mets were trailing 2–1 when MikePiazza came to bat with a runner on first. Piazza dramatically sent Shea into a frenzy by crushing...
MVP-caliber seasons from Edgardo Alfonzo and MikePiazza as well as strong pitching performances from Al Leiter and Mike Hampton, the New York Mets won 94 games...
to 1994, and again from 2000 to 2004. MikePiazza and Alex Rodriguez are tied for second, with ten each. Piazza is also the winningest catcher, having...
available or "unlockable" including Randy Johnson, Derek Jeter, and MikePiazza. In Backyard Baseball, players take a managerial role by creating a team...
winners from the league and plated with sterling silver. Among catchers, MikePiazza has won the most Silver Slugger Awards, with ten consecutive wins in...
is the daughter of Diana Seminara and is married to baseball player MikePiazza. They married on January 29, 2005, in Miami and have two daughters and...
Piazza Navona (pronounced [ˈpjattsa naˈvoːna]) is a public open space in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the 1st century AD Stadium of Domitian...
a soul patch. Some prominent athletes adopted soul patches, such as MikePiazza and Apolo Ohno. The facial hairstyle also rose to prominence in the mall...
as many seasons. In doing so, he became only the second player since MikePiazza to win four straight Silver Sluggers to start off a career. He also won...
the highest percentage of votes ever recorded at the time. Along with MikePiazza, he is one of two players wearing a New York Mets hat on his plaque in...
for most home runs all-time by a catcher with 376 (since surpassed by MikePiazza). He has held several age- or longevity-related records, including the...
one of the team's two assistant coaches, the other being former MLB player Mike Stanley. Dante Jr. was drafted 51st overall by the New York Yankees in 2011...
Hits Maury Wills 2, 134 222 Buddy Myer 2,131 222 Herman Long 2,128 223 MikePiazza* 2,127 224 Joe Mauer* 2,123 225 Tommy Davis 2,121 226 Duke Snider* 2...
Brumfield was signed as a free agent with the Florida Marlins. May 14, 1998: MikePiazza was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers with Todd Zeile to the Florida...
Susan Savage, became majority owner after her husband's death. In 2016, MikePiazza became the first and only former River Cats player to be inducted into...
acquired by Italian-American former baseball player MikePiazza in 2016. After the 2017–18 season, the Piazza family decided not to register the team in the...
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved October 11, 2022. "MikePiazza". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved October 11, 2022...
"headhunter." His beaning earlier that year of MikePiazza, followed by throwing a broken bat in Piazza's direction in the 2000 World Series, cemented Clemens's...
before the All-Star Break, breaking the Mets record previously held by MikePiazza, who had 72 RBIs in 2000. Wright also participated in the 2006 Home Run...
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