Mike Figga | |
---|---|
Catcher | |
Born: Tampa, Florida, U.S. | July 31, 1970|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 16, 1997, for the New York Yankees | |
Last MLB appearance | |
October 3, 1999, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .213 |
Home runs | 1 |
Runs batted in | 5 |
Teams | |
Michael Anthony Figga (born July 31,1970) is a retired catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. In a three-year career,Figga hit .213 with one home run.
Born in Tampa,Florida,Figga attended A.P. Leto High School in Tampa,graduating in 1988. Figga then enjoyed a short but standout career at Central Florida Community College. Figga was drafted in 1989 by the New York Yankees. He played in the Australian Baseball League with the Canberra Bushrangers in the 1994 and 1995 seasons. [1]
After a long career in the minor leagues,Figga made his major-league debut on September 16,1997,with the Yankees. Figga appeared in five games for the Yankees between 1997 and 1999. His lone major-league appearance in 1998 was on September 23,1998,when he went one-for-four and scored a run against the Cleveland Indians. [2] For that appearance,Figga earned a World Series ring when the Yankees won the World Series the following month.
In 1999,Figga started the season as one of three catchers on the Yankees' roster,however his mere presence caused controversy amongst the Yankee brass. Out of options,(the number of times a team is allowed to demote a player to the minor leagues without exposing him to waivers) owner George Steinbrenner ordered acting manager Don Zimmer to promote Figga to the major league roster despite offering limited opportunities to play. In fact,he saw no action at all until a doubleheader on May 22 where he was a late inning defensive replacement for both games. He never batted nor appeared in another game for the Yankees. When manager Joe Torre (who missed the first two months after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in spring training) returned,he was able to convince Steinbrenner that he needed the roster spot more than he needed the player so Figga was waived in June 1999 and picked up by the Baltimore Orioles,and played 41 games for the Orioles. [3]
From 2000 until 2004,Figga played both in the minor leagues and for the Nashua Pride in the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He subsequently retired from baseball with an early case of the dreaded disease of catchers:bad knees.[ citation needed ] Today,Figga now works for Republic National Distribution Company and lives in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and recently finished coaching a little league football team called the Westchase Colts and a travel baseball team called the Tampa Bay Bulls.
William Nathaniel "Buck" Showalter III is an American professional baseball manager. He served as manager of the New York Yankees (1992–1995),Arizona Diamondbacks (1998–2000),Texas Rangers (2003–2006),Baltimore Orioles (2010–2018) and New York Mets (2022–2023). He also is a former professional Minor League Baseball player and television analyst for ESPN and the YES Network.
Chad Edward Moeller [MOE-ler] is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 through 2010 for the Minnesota Twins,Arizona Diamondbacks,Milwaukee Brewers,Cincinnati Reds,Los Angeles Dodgers,New York Yankees,and Baltimore Orioles.
John Rikard Dempsey is an American former professional baseball player. He played for 24 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1992,most prominently for the Baltimore Orioles where he played for 10 years and was a member of the 1983 World Series winning team. Dempsey was known for being one of the best defensive catchers of his era. In 1997,he was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.
Johnny Lane Oates was an American professional baseball player,coach,and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Baltimore Orioles,Atlanta Braves,Philadelphia Phillies,Los Angeles Dodgers,and New York Yankees from 1970 to 1981. During his playing career,Oates was a light-hitting player who was valued for his defensive skills and played most of his career as a reserve player. It was as a big league manager that Oates experienced his greatest success,when,under his leadership,the Texas Rangers won three American League Western Division titles.
Christopher Cory Gomez is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He bats and throws right-handed.
Kevin Forrest Cash is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously,Cash played catcher in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays,Tampa Bay Devil Rays,Boston Red Sox,New York Yankees,and Houston Astros. As a player,Cash was listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 200 pounds (91 kg);he batted and threw right-handed. He was the bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians before being hired as the Rays' manager in December 2014. Cash was the American League Manager of the Year in 2020 and 2021,the first AL manager to win the award consecutively. Cash will enter the 2024 season as the longest-tenured manager in MLB.
Gus Triandos was an American professional baseball player and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher and a first baseman,most prominently as a member of the Baltimore Orioles where he was a four-time All-Star player. He also played for the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers of the American League (AL) and the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros of the National League (NL). In 1981,he was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.
Chris Allen Hoiles is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the Baltimore Orioles from 1989 to 1998. Although his playing career was shortened by injuries,Hoiles was considered one of the best all-around catchers in Major League Baseball,performing well both offensively and defensively. He was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 2006.
Dwight Randolph Winn is an American former professional baseball player. He played all or parts of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB),primarily as an outfielder. Winn was a switch hitter,and threw right-handed. He made his major league debut in 1998 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays,then went on to play for the Seattle Mariners,San Francisco Giants,New York Yankees,and St. Louis Cardinals. He played in the 2002 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He currently works as an analyst for Giants broadcasts on NBC Sports Bay Area.
Clifford "Heathcliff" Johnson,Jr. is an American former Major League Baseball player who played for the Houston Astros (1972–1977),New York Yankees (1977–1979),Cleveland Indians (1979–1980),Chicago Cubs (1980),Oakland Athletics (1981–82),Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers (1985). He batted and threw right-handed and split time between catcher,first baseman,and outfielder in the early part of his Major League career before becoming primarily a full-time designated hitter.
Richard Aldo Cerone is an American former professional baseball player,television sports color commentator and minor league baseball team owner. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1975 to 1992 with the Cleveland Indians,Toronto Blue Jays,New York Yankees,Atlanta Braves,Milwaukee Brewers,Boston Red Sox,New York Mets,and Montreal Expos.
The Allentown Ambassadors were an independent baseball team that competed in the Northeast League and the Northern League from 1997 until 2003. They played their home games at Bicentennial Park in Allentown,Pennsylvania.
Joshua Lee Phelps is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays,Cleveland Indians,Tampa Bay Devil Rays,New York Yankees,Pittsburgh Pirates,and St. Louis Cardinals. Phelps was also a member of the independent Bridgeport Bluefish,as well as the Telemarket Rimini of the Italian Baseball League.
Camilo Carreón was an American professional baseball player. The catcher appeared in 354 games over all or parts of eight Major League Baseball seasons between 1959 and 1966 for the Chicago White Sox,Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles. His son Mark was also a major league player. Born in Colton,California,Camilo Carreón threw and batted right-handed,and was listed as 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and 190 pounds (86 kg).
The 1973 New York Yankees season was the 71st season for the team. The Yankees finished fourth in the American League East with a record of 80–82 under manager Ralph Houk,17 games behind the division champion Baltimore Orioles. This was the last time that the Yankees finished the season below .500 until 1982. This was also their last year in the "old" Yankee Stadium,which was targeted for major reconstruction in 1974–1975. During this period,the Yankees shared a home field with a National League team for the third time in their history,moving into Shea Stadium for two years.
The 1977 New York Yankees season was the 75th season for the Yankees. The team won the World Series,which was the 21st title in franchise history and the first under the ownership of George Steinbrenner. New York was managed by Billy Martin,and played at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx. The season was brought to life years later in the book and drama-documentary,The Bronx is Burning. The Yankees also hosted the 1977 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. To date,this is the most recent time the All-Star Game host team has won the World Series the same year.
Cedric Nelson Tallis was an American executive in Major League Baseball who served as the first general manager of the expansion Kansas City Royals and later played an important role in the New York Yankees' dynasty of the late 1970s.
Michel Hernández is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball catcher. He is now a minor league catching instructor with the New York Yankees organization.
Islay "Izzy" Molina is an American former professional baseball catcher for the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Rodolfo M. Árias is a Cuban former minor league baseball catcher and former Major League Baseball coach. He served as the bullpen catcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball. He has also served in this capacity for the Florida Marlins and New York Yankees. His father is Rudy Árias.