| Tito Nanni | |
|---|---|
| First baseman /Outfielder | |
| Born: (1959-12-03)December 3, 1959 (age 65) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
Tito Angelo Nanni Jr.[1] (born December 3, 1959 inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania) is a former professionalbaseball player. Over his career Nanni primarily playedfirst base andoutfield. Nanni played in theSeattle Mariners organization for the majority of his career. He also spent part of a season playing for theCalifornia Angels organization and for theToronto Blue Jays organization. Nanni played seven seasons inminor league baseball, with a careerbatting average of .253 with a .384slugging percentage, 21hits, 122doubles, 22triples, and 66home runs in 2,775at-bats.
Nanni attendedChestnut Hill Academy high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Nanni is ahall of fame member at his school.[2] During his athletics career at Chestnut Hill, Nanni played baseball,basketball, andfootball.[2] He wascaptain and themost valuable player for each sport he played.[2] He was an All-City selection in football, an All-Inter-Ac in basketball, and All-City, All-American and thePhiladelphia Daily News Player of the Year in baseball.[3][2] During his senior baseball season, Nannibatted .450 with 10double, fourtriples, 4home runs and 20RBIs.[4] He was recruited byWake Forest University andBoston College to play football, but Nanni opted to pursue a career in baseball.[5]
Nanni was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round (sixth pick overall) of the1978 Major League Baseball Draft.[6] Nanni committed to play baseball and football for theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but chose to enter professional baseball instead.[7] When asked about being drafted sixth overall Nanni stated, "It was an honor [...] two days before the draft, I was talking to my coach and it was the first time I had heard anything about how high I was going to go. [...] So for two days all of a sudden I had to start thinking. What am I going to do? Here I'm thinking I'm going to go low and it wouldn't be a problem, because the money's not that good, and you're better off going to college. So I did a lot of thinking.[8] Accounts by then-Mariners general manager,Dick Viertleib, later indicated thatKirk Gibson was supposed to be their first round draft choice, but the team's financiers did not want to pay the higher salary that Gibson was likely to ask for.[9]
Nanni was signed on August 22, and was assigned to theArizona League Mariners.[10][11] The chief scout for the Seattle Mariners who signed Nanni,Mel Didier, was later fired because the Mariners claimed Nanni's $100,000 contract violatedMajor League Baseball regulations.[12] Nanni began his professional career as anon-roster invitee to the Marinersspring training camp in 1979.[13] On March 6, Nanni drove in the winning run for his team during an intra-squad scrimmage.[14] Following spring training, he as assigned to the Class-AAlexandria Mariners of theCarolina League. He was sidelined for a month after jamming his finger on abunt attempt.[15] He batted .226 with 111 hits, 22 doubles, 1 triple, and 6 home runs. He led the league instrikeouts, with 123.[7] Nanni was assigned to the MarinersWinter Instructional League team following the 1978 regular season. He hit .258 with 62 RBIs.[16]
The next season, 1980, Nanni split time between the Class-AWausau Timbers and the Class-ASan Jose Missions. With the Missions, Nanni batted .299 with 113 hits, 22 doubles, 1 triple, and 13 home runs. Following his struggles with San Jose, the Mariners assigned Nanni to the Timbers, where he batted .310 with 106 hits, 24 doubles, and 22 home runs. His 22 home runs that year were tied for third on the Wausau club withJim Presley.[17] Nanni credited shortening his swing as the reason for his success in Wausau.[8] Following the season, Nanni played for the Mariners winter league squad.[18]
On March 27, 1981, afterspring training, Nanni was assigned to the Triple-ASpokane Indians,[19] however, he played only for the Double-ALynn Sailors that season. With Lynn, Nanni batted .249 with 90 hits, 14 doubles, 1 triple, 7 home runs, 40 RBIs, and 20stolen bases in 116 games. On March 11, 1982, the Mariners re-signed Nanni.[20] That season, Nanni continued to play for the Double-A Lynn Sailors. On August 27, Nanni hit a game winning three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of a game against theHolyoke Millers.[21] He batted .203 with 7runs scored, 13 hits, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home runs, 7 RBIs, and 2 stolen bases in 1234 games that season. He was first on the team in hits; tied for first in doubles; second in home runs, RBIs, and runs scored; and was third in triples.[22]
In 1983, Nanni was promoted to the Triple-ASalt Lake City Gulls of thePacific Coast League. He batted .240 with 100 hits, 18 doubles, 5 triples, 11 home runs, 57 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases in 122 games. He demanded a trade during the off-season, because as Nanni saw it, he did not fit into the Mariners organization due to their outfield depth.[23] The team ignored his request and his last season in the Mariners' organization would come in the 1984 season with the Triple-A Salt Lake City Gulls. He batted .273 with 127 hits, 23 doubles, 7 triples, and 6 home runs in 135 games. Nanni was tied for first withJamie Allen in doubles; and was third in hits, and triples.[24]
In 1985, Nanni spent spring training with theChicago Cubs and on March 22, he was reassigned to their minor league camp.[25] On April 2, before the start of the season, Nanni was traded to the California Angels forpitcherÁngel Moreno.[26] California then assigned Nanni to the Double-AMidland Angels of theTexas League. He batted .263 with 44 hits, 6 doubles, and 4 home runs in 53 games with Midland that season. Nanni later wound-up in theToronto Blue Jays organization where he was assigned to the Triple-ASyracuse Chiefs. He finished out the 1985 season with the Chiefs batting .200 with 12 hits, 3 doubles, 1 triple, and 1 home run in 18 games.
Nani spoke to Ted Silary of thePhiladelphia Daily News in 1985 on not living up to his potential since he was drafted sixth overall in 1978. He said, "As far as tools go [...] hey, that's why I was drafted so high. You ask anybody, I had every possible tool coming out of high school — hit, hit for power, run, throw, field. Still have them too. Know what my biggest problem has been? Consistency, concentration. I don't always tune into things as well as I should. [...] There have been periods of brilliance, times when I've looked like a superstar. But I've also looked like a Little Leaguer."[23]
Nanni was born on December 3, 1959 inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania to Tito Nanni Sr., an Italian American school administrator, and Rita Bryson Nanni, an Irish American homemaker. Tito Nanni Jr was the eldest of nine children.[1] Nanni is the uncle of RyanNanni who played for theUniversity of Delaware baseball team. He was the Philadelphia Daily News Player of the year, like his uncle, in 2005.[27]
Following his retirement from baseball, Nanni moved to Utah. He was named by thePhiladelphia Daily News to the 10-year All-City First Team, a selection of Philadelphia high school baseball players who were dominant from 1977 to 1987.[4]