Mike Piazza

## About

Mike Piazza is a Hall of Fame catcher who played in MLB from 1992 to 2007. He is famously known for being a 62nd round draft pick and turning his opportunity into a Hall of Fame career.

## Scouting Reports

### Backyard Baseball 2001 and 2003

Mike Piazza

Piazza has a pretty big bat, with 87 power and 69 contact. He definitely needs a big bat, because he won't leg out many doubles with his 20/100 speed. He is the only pro with a speed rating lower than 4 out of 10. In the field, he's is well known for being a rare catcher lock. However, his arm strength isn't great, at 56, which allows many runners to steal second off of him. If you have a really high catcher priority player with an even worse arm, then Piazza may be worth it. But to plan to have him as your catcher from the get-go may be an unwise decision.

## League History

### BBL

#### Season 1

In the inaugural BBL draft, Mike was taken with the 3rd pick of the 7th round (51st overall) by coach GreenDayEagles of the Melonheads. Mike had a rough season, batting a team low 0.293, hitting just 1 home run and recording 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored.

#### Season 2

The next season, Mike was taken 54th overall by coach Ellman of the Indians. Mike definitely improved, batting 0.545 with 5 home runs.

#### Season 3

Piazza and coach Ellman reunited on the Indians after Piazza was selected with the 103rd pick in the 5th round. With more advanced grounderball techniques by Ellman, Mike improved even further, hitting 8 home runs, driving in 30 runs and batting 0.629. The Indians won the Season 3 World Series.

#### Season 4

Mike was taken even earlier in Season 4, with the first pick of the 3rd round (49th overall) by coach crazyei8hts of the Giants. Crazyei8hts was looking to build a team of power hitters, and he thought the catcher lock of Piazza would help get some weak-armed players out from behind the plate, without realizing just how bad Piazza's arm was. AI defense aside, Piazza had a great season, bopping a career high 16 home runs and recording 40 RBIs.

#### Season 5

With more emphasis on speed and arms, Piazza's draft stock took a free fall until he was finally taken in the 6th round with the 125th overall pick by coach jyknight of the Marlins. Mike had a tough time on the Marlins, putting up his worst numbers since Season 1.

#### Season 6

Mike was chosen 39th overall in the 2nd round by coach Jarod Johnson of the Expos. It's possible JJ didn't know about how the weak-armed Piazza would be placed at catcher, or perhaps he didn't care. Piazza did lead his team in RBIs with 20, but other than that, it was a pretty forgettable season for the catcher.

#### Season 7

Taking the average of his draft positions from Season 5 and 6, Piazza was taken in a more reasonable spot with the 89th pick in round 4 by coach shrewsbury91 of the Reds. Mike was one of three big bats on the team, and he recorded 17 RBIs. Overall, the Reds had a subpar offense and slumped to 3-11.

#### Season 8

In the first draft after the reveal of the full attributes, Piazza plummeted all the way to the 155th overall pick in the 7th round, where he was scooped up by coach JibboDaHibbo of the Tigers. Mike was the only true power bat on the team, and was relied upon for RBIs. He had the second most home runs and RBIs on the Tigers, behind the power-up boosted Tim Hudson. The Tigers made it to the ALCS before getting eliminated.

#### Season 9

Mike was taken in the exact same draft slot in Season 9: Pick 155 in the 7th round. This time he landed on the Athletics, coached by arcothunder. With the removal of AI defensive locks, Piazza was able to play first base for the A's. At the plate, he improved a bit from the season prior, batting 0.381 and bashing 7 homers.

## Trivia

* Mike Piazza gives Lisa Crocket a slight boost when they are teammates, but this has not yet happened in BBL history.