Harry Chiti

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Harry Chiti (November 16, 1932–January 31, 2002) was a catcher in Major League Baseball. From 1950 through 1962, he played for the Chicago Cubs (1950–52, 1955–56), Kansas City Athletics (1958–1960), Detroit Tigers (1960–61) and New York Mets (1962). A native of Kincaid, Illinois, Chiti batted and threw right handed. He is the father of major league coach Dom Chiti.

Chiti was saved from baseball anonymity when he was notoriously traded for a player who turned out to be himself.

A competent defensive catcher with a great ability to handle the knuckleball, Chiti was only 17 years old when he broke in the majors with the Chicago Cubs, making infrequent appearances from 1950–52.

After two years in the military during the Korean War, Chiti returned to Chicago and handled the starting job in 1955, batting .231 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI in a career-high 113 games.

In 1956, Chiti shared catching duties with Hobie Landrith and was sent to the New York Yankees at the end of the season in an unknown transaction, being drafted by the Kansas City Athletics from New York in the 1957 Rule V. Chiti played with the Athletics from 1958–60. The next three years he was part of transactions between the A’s, Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians.

On April 25, 1962, Chiti was purchased by the expansion New York Mets from the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later. That "player to be named later" ended up being Harry Chiti, arranged to be sent back to the Indians on June 15, 1962.

In a ten-season career, Chiti was a .238 hitter with 41 home runs and 179 RBI in 502 games.

Chiti died in Haines City, Florida, at age 69.

[edit] External links

• The Baseball Cube
• Baseball Library
• Baseball Reference
• Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers
• Retrosheet
• Rule V Draft
• Ultimate Mets Database