How about this for a career climb? Chosen in the 62nd Round, this player excelled on the field. He’s now enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He’s Mike Piazza, who many believe is the best offensive catcher in MLB history.
Mike Piazza is considered one of the best catchers in baseball history, and when it comes to hitting, he may be the best of all time. To be the best at anything is quite a feat. To be considered that way as a catcher? That’s really saying something.
Think about this. As a baseball catcher, you are the only player on the field who is involved in every play when the opposition is on the field. Others are present, of course, but players participate episodically, not in every play. The catcher? Every play. Besides that, catchers “call games,” which requires knowing how to handle various pitchers, having solid knowledge about the batting opposition, and figuring out what to call at any point in any game. There’s even more: catchers have to produce offensively.
Bottom line? The position of catcher is the most challenging and demanding position on the baseball diamond. Many baseball managers caught when they played.
Tommy loves Mike (photo courtesy Sports Illustrated)
Mike Piazza played MLB for 16 seasons (1992-2007), something few would have ever predicted. The odds were long that he would even make “The Bigs.” Why? The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him #1390 in the 62nd Round of the 1988 June Amateur Draft.
But make the Bigs he did, and then some, showing immediately just how good he was and how far he could go.
He made his MLB debut in 1993 and his play scripted newspaper headlines. That year, he hit .318 with 35 home runs and 112 runs batted in. Piazza won the 1993 National League (NL) Rookie of the Year award. How could he not?
It was the beginning of something big. Piazza would hit for an average of .346 in 1995 and .336 in 1996. He had his best season in 1997, which was an offensive explosion. He hit .362 with 201 hits, 40 home runs, and 124 runs batted in. Piazza finished 2nd in the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) vote behind Colorado’s Larry Walker. Walker had a monster year, too, including a WAR of 9.8, 49 HRs, and an OPS of 1.17.
Piazza was traded to the Florida Marlins in May 1998 and then traded to the New York Mets a week later, giving the Mets the superstar they wanted. Piazza put up significant numbers between 1998 and 2002. He finished 3rd in the NL MVP ballot in 2000. Piazza helped the Mets reach the World Series that same year.
Courtesy The New York Times
Piazza retired after the 2007 season, ending his career with the most home runs as a catcher with 396. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Mike Pizza is regarded as the greatest-hitting catcher in MLB history. He also showed the world how to turn opportunity into legacy.
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A previous version of this article was published on the author’s blog.
