A.J. Pierzynski
From Sports Library
| Image:AJ Pierzynski1.jpg |
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|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox — No. 12 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: December 30 1976 (age 32) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| September 9, 1998 for the Minnesota Twins | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through Oct 07, 2006) |
|
| Batting average | .288 |
| Runs batted in | 390 |
| Home runs | 71 |
| Former teams | |
Anthony John "A.J." Pierzynski [peer-ZIN-skee] (born December 30, 1976) is a Major League Baseball catcher who has played for the Chicago White Sox since 2005. Pierzynski formerly played with the Minnesota Twins (1998-2003) and San Francisco Giants (2004).
Pierzynski is well-known for several high-profile incidents on the baseball field. Incidents with players and the media have earned Pierzynski the reputation of being among the more disliked players in the league. However, his forthrightness and strong desire to win have won the hearts of many White Sox fans. Pierzynski had the longest streak of consecutive error-less games among active Major League catchers (150). A.J. made the 2002 American League All-Star Team as a reserve catcher while playing for the Minnesota Twins.
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Biography
Anthony John Perzynski was born December 30, 1976 in Bridgehampton, New York.[1] Pierzynski attended Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida, where he won All-State honors in baseball. New York Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon was one of Pierzynski's high school teammates. He graduated high school in 1994 and also signed a letter of intent to play baseball at the University of Tennessee.[2]
Major League career
Pierzynski was drafted by the Minnesota Twins on June 2 , 1994, out of high school.[3] He spent four years playing in the Twins organization before being called up to the Major League team. A.J. Pierzynski made his Major League Baseball debut on September 9, 1998 for the Minnesota Twins, he went on to appear in six more games that season, he batted ten times and collected three base hits and a RBI. Pierzynski spent the next five seasons, through the 2003 season, with Minnesota, though he was not a regular starter until 2001. From 1998-2000 Pierzynski appeared in just 49 games for the Twins. In 2003 Pierzynski reached a .312 batting average, a career high that still stands.[4] After the 2003 season the Twins traded Pierzynski to the San Francisco Giants for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser. He spent one season in San Francisco before being signed as a free agent by the Chicago White Sox on January 6, 2005.[3]
On Sunday, July 2, 2006 it was announced on the ESPN All-Star Selection Show that A.J. Pierzynski would be one of the five American League players in the All-Star Final Vote. Soon afterwards the Chicago White Sox organization began an election campaign using the slogan "Punch A.J." Fans could vote on MLB.com or by using their mobile phones. When voting concluded, A.J. received 3.6 million votes, the most votes in the American League, subsequently sending him to his second All-Star appearance.
Controversy
In a 2005 article that he wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper,[5] beat writer Bruce Jenkins wrote that Pierzynski had kneed Giants trainer Stan Conte in the groin during a spring training game. According to Jenkins, Pierzynski was hit on the groin, and Conte went over to see if he was alright. The article said that Pierzynski then kneed Conte after Conte inquired about the extent of the injury. Jenkins wrote the article after Pierzynski had left the Giants organization, so some have questioned the accuracy of the report. No other reporters have written about the incident, although Jenkins said that they were all conducting interviews in the Giants' clubhouse at the time. Neither Pierzynski nor Conte has commented about the allegations.
Former Giants pitcher Brett Tomko fiercely criticized Pierzynski for his brash demeanor. Tomko originally made the comments anonymously, but later confessed to making the comments after drawing criticism for them. Tomko later said that the comments came out the wrong way. After hearing of the source of the comments, Pierzysnki was quoted as saying that he would give one hundred dollars to any Sox teammate who hit a home run off of Tomko. Pierzynski followed up on his promise by placing a one hundred dollar bill in outfielder Joe Borchard's locker after he hit a home run off of Tomko on March 7, 2005.
A May 2006 issue of Sports Illustrated featured a survey taken among 470 baseball players about what player they would most like to see get beaned. Pierzynski received eighteen percent of the vote, which was higher than any other player. Forty-two percent of those surveyed in the AL Central Division (which the White Sox play in) voted for Pierzynski. It should be noted, however, that the majority of White Sox players voted for Pierzynski as a team joke.Template:Fact This undoubtedly greatly manipulated the survey.
During the July 19, 2006 game versus the Detroit Tigers, Pierzynski was again involved in an altercation at the plate, this time with Tigers' designated hitter Craig Monroe. Following a grand slam in the bottom of the 6th inning that turned out to be the game winner, Monroe and his Tiger teammates were celebrating at the plate when Pierzynski bumped Monroe. After the incident, both players had different stories. Pierzynski said that Monroe apologized after coming up to bat again in the 8th inning. However, according to Monroe, Pierzynski elbowed him, and Monroe didn't apologize, he asked, "Was that elbow really necessary?"
Pierzynski is not unaware of his persona. At the championship celebration in October, 2005, A.J. thanked various people, including his teammates "for putting up with me."
References
- ↑ "A.J. Pierzynski," Player File, Chicago White Sox, official website. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
- ↑ "A.J. Pierzynski," Player File, Biography, Chicago White Sox, official website. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "A.J. Pierzynski," Transactions, Baseball-reference.com, Retrieved 18 May 2007.
- ↑ "A.J. Pierzynski," Career stats, Chicago White Sox, official website. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
- ↑ Ballplayers still getting their edge. sfgate.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-18.
External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
1 Harris | 5 Uribe | 7 Pérez | 8 Everett | 12 Pierzynski | 14 Konerko | 15 Iguchi | 18 Politte | 20 Garland | 22 Podsednik | 23 Dye (World Series MVP) | 24 Crede | 26 Hernández | 27 Blum | 32 Hermanson | 33 Rowand | 34 García | 35 Thomas | 36 Widger | 38 Ozuna | 43 Marté | 45 Jenks | 46 Cotts | 51 Vizcaíno | 52 Contreras | 56 Buehrle | 13 Guillén (Manager)
