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 |
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