Mike Napoli
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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|---|---|
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — No. 44 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: October 13, 1981 | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| May 4, 2006 for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2007) |
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| Batting Average | .236 |
| Home runs | 29 |
| RBIs | 83 |
| OPS | .811 |
| Teams | |
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Michael Anthony "Mike" Napoli (b. October 31, 1981 in Hollywood, Florida) is a Major League Baseball catcher with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Napoli attended Charles Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida. He was drafted out of high school by the Anaheim Angels during the 17th round (500th overall) in 2000.
Napoli began his professional career with the rookie-level Butte Copper Kings, but sat out most of the year after suffering a lower back strain. He returned to the diamond in 2001 with the high-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes before transferring to single-A Cedar Rapids. In 2002, he returned to Cedar Rapids, hitting .251 with 10 HRs and 50 RBIs as the Kernels' primary designated hitter. He also started at catcher for 37 games. After being transferred to Rancho Cucamonga in 2003, Napoli only played 47 games after injuring his right shoulder.
2004 was Napoli's breakout year with the Quakes. His offensive production exploded, as he hit .282 with 29 HRs and 118 RBIs, ranking seventh in RBIs and ninth in walks in all of the minor leagues. In 2005, Napoli was promoted to double-A Arkansas, finishing second in the league with extra-base hits and fifth in runs scored.
Napoli played for the Santiago "Las Aguilas" in the Dominican Republic during the winters of 2004 and 2005.
Napoli was behind his best friend, Angels prospect Jeff Mathis on the organizational depth chart to start the 2006 season. However, Mathis struggled during his 23-game stint at the Major League level to begin the season, allowing Napoli to make the active roster for the Angels. With solid offensive and defensive numbers, Napoli has worked his way to become the Angels' regular starting catcher.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- Minor League Splits and Situational Stats
