rocco baldelli

Boston Red Sox — No. -- Outfielder Born: September 25, 1981 (1981-09-25) (age 27)

Woonsocket, Rhode Island Bats: Right Throws: Right MLB debut March 31, 2003 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Career statistics

(through 2008 season) Batting average .281 Home runs 52 Runs batted in 234 Teams Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays (2003-2004,2006-2008) Boston Red Sox (2009-present)

Rocco Daniel Baldelli (born September 25, 1981 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island)[1] is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Boston Red Sox. Baldelli is a New England area fan favorite and is known for his outstanding speed and throwing ability. In 2004, he was inducted into the Rhode Island Italian-American Hall of Fame. Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Major league career 2.1 Early success 2.2 Medical issues 2.3 Return to the field 3 Boston Red Sox 4 References 5 External links //

Early life

Rocco Baldelli attended the PEGASUS Gifted and Talented middle-school program at Lasalle Academy in Providence before switching to Bishop Hendricken in Warwick, Rhode Island, for high school. There he posted a 4.25 grade point average and often tutored other students in physics. He was also a three sport star, excelling at baseball, basketball, and volleyball and was selected in the first round of the 2000 amateur draft. He has said that if he had not signed with Tampa Bay, he would have attended Wake Forest University, rather than Princeton.

Major league career

Early success

Baldelli made his major league debut on March 31, 2003. In 2003, he and New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui were among the early contenders for AL Rookie of the Year. Matsui - a Japanese baseball star who spent many years in Japan's professional league - and Baldelli both fell short of winning the award, losing out to Angel Berroa of the Kansas City Royals. Several members of the BBWAA contested Matsui's rookie eligibility, and two left him off their ballots, ensuring the win for Berroa.[2] Baldelli finished the 2003 season with an impressive line, batting .289 with 11 home runs, 78 runs batted in, 89 runs scored and 27 stolen bases.

In 2004, Baldelli had a similar season, batting .280 with 16 home runs, 74 runs batted in, 79 runs scored and 17 stolen bases. He led all major league center fielders in range factor (3.03).

According to professional baseball scouts, Baldelli shared many similarities to Hall of Fame outfielder Joe DiMaggio ever since his days as a prep star. This can be attributed to Baldelli's athletic ability, their shared position (center field), wearing the same uniform number (5), and their Italian-American heritage. Al LaMacchia, a professional scout for over 50 years, went so far as to call Rocco "Joe's twin" [3] [4].

Medical issues

Baldelli started the 2005 season on the disabled list because he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee while playing baseball with his brother in the offseason. He was initially expected to be back by the