Mike Piazza, the owner of the Italian soccer team A.C. Reggiana 1919, is considered as one of the best offensive catchers in baseball history. In 2013, Piazza was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame. In 2016, Piazza was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as a Met, receiving 83% of the vote.
When Piazza was a Miami-Dade Community College student, he was drafted by the Dodgers in the 62nd round of the 1988 MLB amateur draft as the 1,390th player picked overall. A Dodger-legend Tommy Lasorda picked him up and asked Piazza to give up his first base position and learn how to catch to improve his chances of reaching the major leagues, and helped him attend a special training camp for catchers in the Dominican Republic.
Later, he became one of the best offensive catchers in baseball thanks to Lasorda.
Piazza led the All-Star voting in 1996, 1997, and 2000 because he was really popular in Los Angeles and New York.
Piazza's best season was 1997, when he hit .362, with 40 home runs, 124 RBIs, an on-base percentage of .431, and a slugging percentage of .638.
Mike Piazza hit an "adios" homerun against Houston Astros at the Dodgers Stadium in a 1996 regular-season game
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