Nick Ciuffo
| Nick Ciuffo | |||
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| Tampa Bay Rays | |||
| Catcher | |||
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Born: March 7, 1995 Mount Pleasant, South Carolina | |||
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Nicholas Anthony Ciuffo (born March 7, 1995)[1] is an American professional baseball player. He is a member of the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Ciuffo attended Lexington High School in Lexington, South Carolina, where he played for the school's baseball team as a catcher. He was selected by the Rays in the first round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft.
Career
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s baseball | ||
Competitor for  United States
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| World Youth Baseball Championship | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2011 Lagos de Moreno | National team |
Ciuffo attended Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, for his freshman and sophomore years, and then transferred to Lexington High School in Lexington, South Carolina.[2][3] As a freshman, Ciuffo was named to the All-Lowcountry team.[3] Lexington won the state's Class 4A championship in 2013,[4] and Ciuffo was named the South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year. In 123 cumulative high school games, Ciuffo had a .401 batting average, 11 home runs, and 93 runs batted in.[2] He competed for the United States national baseball team, leading the United States to the gold medal in the 2011 World Youth Baseball Championship.[5]
Ciuffo had been committed to attend the University of South Carolina to play college baseball for the South Carolina Gamecocks.[3] He received the scholarship offer before playing a single high school game.[2][6] However, he was also considered a likely first round pick in the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft, and said that the chances of his signing a contract and forgoing his college commitment are "50-50".[2] The Tampa Bay Rays selected him in the first round, with the 21st overall selection.[7][8] Ciuffo signed with the Rays and reported to the Gulf Coast Rays of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League (GCL) to begin his professional career.[9] He appeared in 43 games for the GCL Rays.[10]
Ciuffo began the 2014 season in extended spring training, and was assigned to the Princeton Rays of the Rookie-level Appalachian League in June.[11] In 2015, he started the season with the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Class A Midwest League.[12]
Personal Life
Ciuffo grew up in Mount Pleasant, but moved to Lexington between his sophomore and junior years with his mother. His father, Tony, worked at the College of Charleston as their assistant athletic media relations director, which enabled Nick to observe the Charleston baseball team, and future major leaguers Brett Gardner and Michael Kohn.[2][4]
References
- ↑ Garrioch, Matt (April 7, 2013). "2013 MLB Draft Profile: Nick Ciuffo, C, South Carolina HS". Minor League Ball. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Dearing, Chris. "Nick Ciuffo must decide between big bucks from MLB or playing for the Gamecocks | High School Sports". The State. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- 1 2 3 /. "Wando's Nick Ciuffo gets lofty baseball billing – The Post and Courier". Postandcourier.com. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- 1 2 Ryan Fagan. "MLB Draft 2013: Get to know high school prospect Nick Ciuffo - MLB". Sporting News. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ↑ "Nick Ciuffo, USA 16U National Team win Gold Medal - Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, Sports". Live5News.com. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ↑ "Nick Ciuffo commits to USC – The Post and Courier". Postandcourier.com. December 8, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ↑ "Rays take high school C Nick Ciuffo, RHP Ryne Stanek | Tampa Bay Times". Tampabay.com. June 6, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ↑ Dearing, Chris (June 6, 2013). "Tampa Bay takes Lexington High catcher Nick Ciuffo with 21st pick in MLB draft | High School Sports". The State. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/21/3463582/rays-sign-1st-round-draft-pick.html
- ↑ "Ciuffo learns importance of slowing down game". Tampa Bay Rays. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140618/PC20/140619329
- ↑ Jake Boswell. "Former MLB First Round Pick Adjusting To Life In Bowling Green". wbko.com. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
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