Lou Merloni

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Louis William "Lou" Merloni (born April 6, 1971 in Framingham, Massachusetts) is a Major League Baseball player. Merloni played for his hometown Boston Red Sox from 1998-2003. During his time there, Merloni was considered one of the original Dirt Dogs. Merloni is well-known locally for his frequent trips between the Red Sox and their Triple-A affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox, which has become known as the "Merloni Shuttle" [1]. He has also played for the San Diego Padres, the Cleveland Indians, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He currently resides on Cape Cod, MA during the off-season.

Merloni was drafted by the Red Sox out of Providence College in the 10th round of the 1993 amateur draft. He played for 5 1/2 seasons there, averaging 45 1/2 games a year. On November 22, 1999 he was purchased by the Yokohama Bay Stars in Japan. He returned to the Red Sox on July 27, 2000 as a free agent.

In March of 2003, he was selected by the Padres off waivers from the Red Sox, but only played 65 games there before being traded back to the Red Sox for Rene Miniel on August 28, 2003. In January of 2004, he signed as a free agent with the Indians, and in October of 2004 he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. After beginning the 2006 season at AAA, Merloni was called up to the Indians on May 17, 2006 Lou is not a member of the Major League Baseball Players Association, as he was a replacement player during the 1994 baseball strike. These players are prohibited from joining the players' union.].

Merloni has signed a contract with the Oakland Athletics for the 2007 season.