Stephen Cilladi (born March 15, 1987) is an American professional baseball player who serves as bullpen catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball.[1][2][3][4]

Steve Cilladi
Cilladi with the Dodgers in 2017
Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 82
Catcher / Bullpen Catcher
Born: (1987-03-15) March 15, 1987 (age 37)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Early life edit

Cilladi was born in Phoenix, Arizona; his father, Dave, was the trainer for the Colorado Rockies. He attended Mountain View High School in Mesa, Arizona. He is of Italian descent.[5] Cilladi played college baseball at Kansas Wesleyan University.[6]

Professional career edit

Minor leagues edit

Cilladi was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 33rd round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. He split his first year between the Arizona League Dodgers and Inland Empire 66ers, hitting .122 for the rookie team and .000 for the 66ers. Cilladi then spent the 2010 season entirely in the Arizona League, putting up a .292 average with a home run in his second campaign. In 2011, he was promoted to the Great Lakes Loons, where he hit .185. In 2012, he joined the Albuquerque Isotopes, getting only one at-bat and striking out; on the side, he caught bullpens. In 2013, he played again with the Isotopes, appearing in one game, catching all 18 innings of the longest game in the Isotopes' history.[6][7]

Major leagues edit

In 2014, Cilladi joined the Los Angeles Dodgers' major-league coaching staff, serving as the bullpen catcher.[6][7][8]

References edit

  1. ^ "Steve Cilladi seized his MLB opportunity". True Blue LA. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  2. ^ Hernandez, Dylan (2015-12-17). "Dodgers' deal with Hisashi Iwakuma falls apart and pitcher re-signs with Mariners". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  3. ^ "New Dodgers catcher Carlos Ruiz getting acquainted with pitchers". Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  4. ^ "Grandal swinging without pain, ahead of schedule". True Blue LA. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  5. ^ Vaccaro, Chris (July 13, 2021). "Italian Americans Make 2021 MLB All-Star Roster as Players, Coaches, Officials - Italian American Baseball Foundation".
  6. ^ a b c "Steve Cilladi earned every bit of his big-league dream". 10 May 2016.
  7. ^ a b Stephen, Eric (May 21, 2014). "Steve Cilladi seized his opportunity with Dodgers". True Blue LA.
  8. ^ "Dodgers 2016 coaching staff includes 8 new names". True Blue LA. Retrieved 2017-08-07.

External links edit