Hall Of Fame Flashback: Mike Piazza

Mike Piazza, the all-time leader in homers by a catcher, was among two players to be voted into the Hall of Fame Wednesday.

Considered the best offensive catcher in baseball history, Piazza ranks first in homers by a catcher (396; he hit 427 overall), OPS+ (143), first in slugging, first in offensive WAR and fourth in slugging.

But the righthanded slugger was a long shot to make the majors or even get drafted out of Miami-Dade CC in 1988. As is well-documented, Piazza was drafted by the Dodgers in the 62nd round (No. 1,390 overall) as a courtesy to then-manager Tommy Lasorda, who was a childhood friend of Piazza’s father, Vince.

See Also: Piazza’s 1986 scouting report

After two mediocre seasons in short-season ball and the Florida State League, Piazza began showing something with the bat at high Class-A Bakersfield in 1991, when he hit 29 homers and had an OPS of .884. After a tremendous 1992 season at Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A Albuquerque, he went to the Arizona Fall League and impressed, making our Top 10 AFL Prospects List at No. 9.

Here’s what Jack Magruder wrote.

The heir apparent to Mike Scioscia has done nothing to hurt his future. Piazza, 24, had nine extra base hits and 14 RBIs in 84 at-bats while sharing time on a catcher-heavy Sun Cities team that includes Brook Fordyce (Mets) and Derek Parks (Twins). “He hit a home run on a breaking ball down and in that I thought was a good pitch,” Phoenix manager Scott Ullger said. “He has a short swing for a power hitter.”

“He came down here and dominated excellent pitching,” Sun Cities manager Jerry Royster said. “He can hit in the middle three spots in the order and throw people out.”

Piazza was then chosen as the Dodgers’ No. 1 prospect entering the 1993 season.
Here’s what Ken Gurnick wrote:

So much for the science of drafting. The Dodgers waste a decade of first-round picks, and wind up with a 62nd-rounder who reaches the big leagues. Piazza’s story is pretty well-known by now. Drafted as a favor to his godfather Tommy Lasorda, the son of a wealthy car dealer worked his way through the farm system with a display of power at all levels and a work ethic that turned him into a decent catcher.

In fact, for all the big offensive numbers he posted last year, management was more impressed with Piazza’s improving defense, considering he was a first baseman in school.

He has a strong arm, he’s learning to block balls in the first and major league pitchers say he handles them well. The Dodgers think so highly of Piazza, they didn’t mind letting catching fixture Mike Scioscia walk.

For his combination of catching skills and power hitting, Piazza draws favorable comparisons to eight-time all-star Lance Parrish. That is an irony, in that Parrish has been invited to spring training and could become a combination backup/teacher for Piazza.

What is most impressive about Piazza is that despite a silver-spoon upbringing and obvious well-placed connections, he works hard for everything. To win the starting job this spring from Carlos Hernandez, Piazza must impress the entire coaching staff. Lasorda says he will avoid charges of nepotism by letting his coaches decide who should start.

Year	Club	Class	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	OBP	SLG	OPS
1989	Salem	SS	.268	57	198	22	53	11	0	8	25	13	51	.318	.444	.762
1990	Vero Beach	A	.250	88	272	27	68	20	0	6	45	11	68	.281	.390	.671
1991	Bakersfield	A	.277	117	448	71	124	27	2	29	80	47	83	.344	.540	.884
1992	San Antonio	AA	.377	31	114	18	43	11	0	7	21	13	18	.441	.658	1.099
1992	Albuquerque	AAA	.341	94	358	54	122	22	5	16	69	37	57	.405	.564	.969
1992	Los Angeles	MAJ	.232	21	69	5	16	3	0	1	7	4	12	.284	.319	.603
1993	Los Angeles	MAJ	.318	149	547	81	174	24	2	35	112	46	86	.370	.561	.931
1994	Los Angeles	MAJ	.319	107	405	64	129	18	0	24	92	33	65	.370	.541	.911
1995	Los Angeles	MAJ	.346	112	434	82	150	17	0	32	93	39	80	.400	.606	1.006
1996	Los Angeles	MAJ	.336	148	547	87	184	16	0	36	105	81	93	.422	.563	.985
1997	Los Angeles	MAJ	.362	152	556	104	201	32	1	40	124	69	77	.431	.638	1.069
1998	Los Angeles	MAJ	.282	37	149	20	42	5	0	9	30	11	27	.329	.497	.826
1998	Florida	MAJ	.278	5	18	1	5	0	1	0	5	0	0	.263	.389	.652
1998	New York	MAJ	.348	109	394	67	137	33	0	23	76	47	53	.417	.607	1.024
1999	New York	MAJ	.303	141	534	100	162	25	0	40	124	51	70	.361	.575	.936
2000	New York	MAJ	.324	136	482	90	156	26	0	38	113	58	69	.398	.614	1.012
2001	New York	MAJ	.300	141	503	81	151	29	0	36	94	67	87	.384	.573	.957
2002	New York	MAJ	.280	135	478	69	134	23	2	33	98	57	82	.359	.544	.903
2003	Norfolk	AAA	.176	5	17	2	3	0	0	1	2	1	3	.222	.353	.575
2003	New York	MAJ	.286	68	234	37	67	13	0	11	34	35	40	.377	.483	.860
2004	St. Lucie	HiA	.500	2	6	0	3	1	0	0	2	1	0	.500	.667	1.167
2004	New York	MAJ	.266	129	455	47	121	21	0	20	54	68	78	.362	.444	.806
2005	New York	MAJ	.251	113	398	41	100	23	0	19	62	41	67	.326	.452	.778
2006	San Diego	MAJ	.283	126	399	39	113	19	1	22	68	34	66	.342	.501	.843
2007	Sacramento	AAA	.412	3	17	1	7	2	0	0	1	0	3	.412	.529	.941
2007	Stockton	HiA	.333	3	9	2	3	0	0	2	4	2	3	.455	1.000	1.455
2007	Oakland	MAJ	.275	83	309	33	85	17	1	8	44	18	61	.313	.414	.727
Major League Totals			.308	1912	6911	1048	2127	344	8	427	1335	759	1113	.377	.545	.922
Minor League Totals			.296	400	1439	197	426	94	7	69	249	125	286	.353	.515	.868