Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Jarrod Scott Saltalamacchia (; born May 2, 1985) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Between 2007 and 2018, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, and Toronto Blue Jays. Raised in West Palm Beach, Florida, Saltalamacchia attended Royal Palm Beach High School. His performance on the institution's baseball team drew the attention of scouts, and the Braves selected him in the first round of the 2003 MLB Draft. He spent four years in the Braves' farm system, but in 2007, injuries to both of Atlanta's regular catchers forced them to call him up to the major leagues. Saltalamacchia was prevented from becoming a regular catcher for the Braves by the presence of Brian McCann, and so he became the centerpiece of a trading deadline deal with the Rangers in 2007. Shortly after becoming the team's starting catcher in 2009, a bout of thoracic outlet syndrome forced Saltalamacchia to undergo season-ending rib removal surgery, and lingering issues from the surgery caused him to suffer from the "yips" in 2010. The Rangers traded Saltalamacchia to the Red Sox in 2010, and he continued to suffer from health issues that limited his play. Under the mentorship of Jason Varitek, however, Saltalamacchia began to improve, and he succeeded Varitek as the team's starting catcher in 2012. While Saltalamacchia had a breakout season in 2013, he was benched for the final stretch of the 2013 World Series after a missed play caused the Red Sox to lose Game 3. The following year, he signed with the Marlins as a free agent, but his production declined, and he was released from the team in May 2015. Saltalamacchia batted just .171 with the Tigers in 2016. Most of his time with Toronto and Detroit over the next two seasons was spent with their Triple-A affiliates, where he helped mentor pitching and catching prospects like Grayson Greiner. Saltalamacchia announced his retirement from baseball in January 2019, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. Since then, he has served as a baseball coach for The King's Academy in Florida and has filled in as a sports analyst for the New England Sports Network. Early life Saltalamacchia was born on May 2, 1985, in West Palm Beach, Florida. He attended Royal Palm Beach High School, where he caught for his friend and future Major League Baseball (MLB) teammate Kason Gabbard. In 2000, Saltalamacchia and Gabbard helped take Royal Palm Beach to a state championship title. His father wanted Saltalamacchia to play gridiron football, but he was singularly focused on baseball. By his junior year, he was drawing interest from MLB scouts. Professional career Draft and minor leagues The Atlanta Braves selected Saltalamacchia in the supplemental first round, 36th overall, of the 2003 MLB Draft. On June 3, 2003, he agreed to a contract with the team for a signing bonus of $950,000, and he spent his first season of professional baseball