| Mike Piazza | |
|---|---|
 Piazza in 2016 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: September 4, 1968 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 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| 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.