| Mike DiFelice | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) DiFelice with theNew York Mets in 2007 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1969-05-28)May 28, 1969 (age 55) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 1, 1996, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 18, 2008, for the Tampa Bay Rays | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .236 |
| Home runs | 28 |
| Runs batted in | 167 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Michael William DiFelice (/ˌdiːfɪˈliːs/; born May 28, 1969) is an American formerMajor League Baseball journeymancatcher. He is a graduate from theUniversity of Tennessee, and was drafted by theSt. Louis Cardinals in the 11th round of the1991 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut in1996 with the Cards. On April 17, 1997, he recorded his first stolen base with a steal of home against pitcherKevin Brown who threw a wildpitchout.[1][2]
DiFelice was chosen by theTampa Bay Devil Rays with the 20th selection of the1997 MLB Expansion Draft. On July 25,2001, he was traded withAlbie Lopez to theArizona Diamondbacks forJason Conti andNick Bierbrodt. His time in Arizona was short and tumultuous. In a game against thePittsburgh Pirates on August 14, DiFelice got into a fight withKevin Young at home plate. He was suspended for two games but appealed the suspension; Pirates' managerLloyd McClendon said "That guy deliberately stood on Kevin and kneed him. There's absolutely no excuse for that."[3][4][5] In 2002, he signed as a free agent to play with the St. Louis Cardinals. Later, he played for theKansas City Royals,Detroit Tigers, was sent to theChicago Cubs as part of a conditional deal, then signed with theFlorida Marlins,New York Mets,Washington Nationals, and again with the Mets.
Over the first two seasons he spent with the Mets, (2005 and 2006), his batting averages were very bad, in 2005, he had a batting average of .118, (2–17), in 2006 he had only an .080 batting average, (2-25). However, in 2007, his final year with the Mets, his batting average improved to .250, (10–40). Even with that, the Mets still declined to offer salary arbitration to DiFelice.
On January 6,2008, he signed a minor league deal with theTampa Bay Rays. He saw his last action at the major league level in April of that season, appearing in seven games. At his request, he was released in early September and retired.[6]
On February 5,2009, DiFelice was named the manager of the Rookie-levelKingsport Mets in the New York Mets organization.[7] DiFelice's at-bat song was 'You've Got Another Thing Comin' byJudas Priest, which was recommended by former teammate Paul Ellis. He andDan Wheeler are the only Tampa Bay players to suit up in all three of the franchise's uniforms. An interesting fact about DiFelice is that he was included on the Rays' 40-man roster in the baseball video gameMLB 09: The Show, even though he had retired in September 2008, and when the game was released, he was the manager of the Kingsport Mets.
