Jarrod Saltalamacchia
| Jarrod Saltalamacchia | |
|---|---|
 Saltalamacchia, playing with the Braves in June 2007 | |
| Texas Rangers – No. 18 | |
| Catcher | |
Bats: Switch Throws: Right | |
| debut | |
| May 2, 2007, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Career statistics (through July 24, 2007) | |
| Batting Average | .285 |
| HR | 4 |
| RBI | 12 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
Jarrod Scott Saltalamacchia (born May 2, 1985 in West Palm Beach, Florida) is a catcher and first baseman for the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball team. Jarrod currently owns the longest last name in Major League Baseball. He is commonly referred to by his nickname, "Salty".
Saltalamacchia was drafted in the 1st round of the June 2003 amateur draft by the Braves.
[1] During practices in May, Saltalamacchia fielded ground balls at first base, leading to speculation he could replace Craig Wilson in a platoon with Scott Thorman at the position. Wilson has since been released by the Braves.
For the 2007 season, Saltalamacchia started at catcher for the Class AA Mississippi Braves. Only 22 games into the season he has belted 7 home runs, has an average of .373, and his call of the game from behind the plate is improving.
On his 22nd birthday, May 2, 2007, he was called up to Atlanta to replace Brayan Peña on the roster and to fill in for McCann, who re-injured his finger on May 1, 2007.[2] Saltalamacchia's call-up made him the new record-holder of the longest last name in Major League Baseball history, at 14 letters.[3]
On May 6, 2007, Saltalamacchia had the first hit of his major league career in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the seventh inning, with two outs and two men on base, Saltalamacchia hit his first RBI, which also drove in the winning run for the Braves. On May 27, 2007, Saltalamacchia hit his first major league home run, a solo shot off of Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies. On June 26 in a start at first base, Saltalamacchia had his first multi-home run game. Both blasts came batting right-handed off left-handed Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik.
Because Saltalamacchia is "blocked" (Brian McCann, who was recently signed to a large contract with Atlanta, is a more accomplished player already catching with the Braves), Jarrod has been the subject of much trade speculation within baseball, as a powerful switch-hitting catcher commands interest from nearly any baseball club within the Major Leagues. The most substantial trade rumor has Saltalamacchia as the centerpiece in a blockbuster trade with the Texas Rangers that will send him to Texas with other prospects for Mark Teixeira and a reliever.
Personal
He is married to his high school teacher, Ashley Saltalamacchia. They currently have one child together, Sidney.
References
- ^ Rogers, Carroll (April 29, 2007). "Saltalamacchia faces big-league obstacle". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
- ^ Rogers, Bowman (May 3, 2007). "Saltalamacchia solid in debut". Braves.com. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
- ^ Glier, Ray (May 3, 2007). "Man of letters: Saltalamacchia sets mark". USA Today.
External links
- Career statistics from Baseball Reference
- [1]