| Todd Zeile | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Zeile during anSNY broadcast in 2022 | |
| Third baseman /First baseman | |
| Born: (1965-09-09)September 9, 1965 (age 59) Van Nuys, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 18, 1989, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 2004, for the New York Mets | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .265 |
| Hits | 2,004 |
| Home runs | 253 |
| Runs batted in | 1,110 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Todd Edward Zeile (/ziːl/; born September 9, 1965) is anAmerican former professionalbaseballthird baseman,catcher, andfirst baseman inMajor League Baseball (MLB). He played sixteen seasons, from 1989 to 2004, for theSt. Louis Cardinals,Chicago Cubs,Philadelphia Phillies,Baltimore Orioles,Los Angeles Dodgers,Florida Marlins,Texas Rangers,New York Mets,Colorado Rockies,New York Yankees, andMontreal Expos. Zeile graduated fromUCLA, where he playedcollegiate baseball primarily as a catcher. Only five players in MLB history have played for more teams. Zeile currently serves as a main pregame and postgame analyst for the New York Mets onSportsNet New York.
Zeile broke into the majors in 1989 as a catcher and the Cardinals' most anticipated prospect of the year. Cardinals managerJoe Torre wanted to make room for catcherTom Pagnozzi and believed Zeile would be a more productive hitter and would have a longer career if he moved from behind the plate, so Zeile moved, with some reluctance, initially to first base and then to third base in 1990.
Zeile spent most of the 1990s as a third baseman. He batted .268 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI in 134 games with thePhillies in 1996 until he was acquired along withPete Incaviglia by theOrioles on August 29 of that year in a transaction that was completed whenCalvin Maduro andGarrett Stephenson were sent to Philadelphia on September 3 and 4 respectively.[1][2][3] He was traded from theLos Angeles Dodgers to theFlorida Marlins along withMike Piazza in 1998 for five players, then was traded to the Rangers later that season. In 1999, Zeile was part of a historic Rangers team. Along withGregg Zaun andJeff Zimmerman, he was one of three players on the team whose last names began with "Z". Not since the 1916Chicago Cubs, withHeinie Zimmerman,Dutch Zwilling, andRollie Zeider, had this occurred.
In 2000, Zeile signed a contract with theNew York Mets and moved tofirst base to replaceJohn Olerud, and participated in theWorld Series that year. In 2002, he was traded to the Rockies, where he moved back to third base. He led all National League third basemen in errors in 2002, with 21, when he had the lowest fielding percentage in the league (.942).
After one season with Colorado, Zeile became a free agent again and signed with the Yankees in 2003. He was released mid-August and was signed by Montreal three days later. Having decided 2004 would be his last season, Zeile returned to the New York Mets. He also voiced displeasure with the Yankees, saying that he has "no desire to play again for that organization", and that "I think some of the things that happen over there are different than any other organization in baseball. I have a pretty good track record to judge that."[4][5]
Zeile retired following the 2004 season. Having planned his retirement in advance (and with the Mets well out of the playoff race), Mets managerArt Howe let Zeile once again start as acatcher, his original position, on September 18, 2004. It was Zeile's first appearance there in 14 years. It was the second-longest span ever between appearances at the position.Gabby Street caught a game in 1931 after last having caught in 1912. Zeile's span is now the third longest, withCraig Biggio starting the penultimate game of his career at catcher in 2007 after not playing the position for 16 years.[6]
Zeile got one final start as a catcher two weeks later on October 3, 2004, in the season's final game, as the Mets' regular catcher,Jason Phillips's foot hurt him and he could not play. In the 6th inning, in his final at-bat as a major leaguer, Zeile hit a three-runhome run to left-field offMontreal Expos pitcherClaudio Vargas. In the 8th inning, in his final play as a major leaguer,Ryan Church popped up to him, as a catcher, in foul territory. It was alsoJohn Franco's last out made as a Met pitcher. The Mets won the game, 8–1. Both games Zeile caught in his final season were started byTom Glavine.
He also pitched an inning with the Mets when they didn't have any pitchers left, as he gave up 5 runs in the 8th inning in the Mets' 19–10 loss to Montreal on July 26, 2004.[7] It was his second appearance as a pitcher, having also appeared in a game for the Rockies in 2002.[citation needed]
On October 3, 2004, he became one of 53 players (as of 2025) ever to hit ahome run in his final at bat. Zeile's final home run also made him the last person ever to hit ahome run off aMontreal Expos pitcher.[8] Following that game, which was the last of the season, the Expos moved to Washington, D.C. and became theWashington Nationals.
Zeile ended his career having hit at least one home run for each of the 11 teams he played for over the course of his career, distinguishing him as the only player in major league history to have hit a home run for over 10 teams.
Since retiring from Major League Baseball, Zeile has pursued two other passions: film production, and acting. He founded Green Diamond Entertainment, a film production company inWest Hollywood, California,[9][10] during his second stint with the Mets.[11] He appeared in the following:
He was also executive producer ofDirty Deeds and a producer ofI Am.[13]
Zeile attended William S. Hart High School inSanta Clarita, California, where he was an outstanding student-athlete.
Zeile is a direct descendant of PresidentsJohn Quincy Adams andJohn Adams.[14]
Zeile was married to Olympic championJulianne McNamara, the first American gymnast to earn a perfect 10.0 at the Olympics. They have four children, including son Garrett (b. November 27, 1993), and daughter Hannah (b. November 7, 1997),[15] who has Type 1 diabetes.[16] As a result, Zeile and McNamara have been particularly active in juvenile diabetes research charities. They divorced in January 2015. Their daughter Hannah appears on the TV seriesThis Is Us as teenager Kate Pearson.[17]
On June 27, 2020, Zeile married Kristin Gamboa, daughter of ex-major league coach and minor league managerTom Gamboa.[18]
Zeile's nephew, Shane Zeile, was drafted by theDetroit Tigers in the fifth round of the2014 Major League Baseball draft.[19]
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