A. J. Pierzynski
| A. J. Pierzynski | |||
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Pierzynski with the Chicago White Sox in 2009
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| Catcher | |||
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Born: December 30, 1976 Bridgehampton, New York |
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| MLB debut | |||
| September 9, 1998, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 10, 2016, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .280 | ||
| Hits | 2,043 | ||
| Home runs | 188 | ||
| Runs batted in | 909 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Anthony John "A. J." Pierzynski (/pɪərˈzɪnski/; born December 30, 1976) is a former American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Minnesota Twins (1998–2003), San Francisco Giants (2004), Chicago White Sox (2005–2012), Texas Rangers (2013), Boston Red Sox (2014), St. Louis Cardinals (2014) and Atlanta Braves (2015–2016).
Pierzynski is known for having a strong and colorful personality, a fact he acknowledges. During his turn at the microphone following the White Sox victory parade in 2005, he thanked team personnel "for putting up with me." Former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén summed up the situation as, "If you play against him, you hate him. If you play with him, you hate him a little less." Guillén also acknowledged Pierzynski's value to the club, despite being relatively high-maintenance: "A.J.'s been great for me. He's worth the work because he always shows up for you."
Pierzynski was born on December 30, 1976, in Bridgehampton, New York. He attended Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida, where he won All-State honors in baseball. Future Major Leaguer Johnny Damon was one of Pierzynski's high school teammates.
Pierzynski graduated from high school in 1994 and signed a letter of intent to play baseball at the University of Tennessee. He was also selected by the Minnesota Twins in the third round (71st overall) of that year's MLB Draft and chose to sign with the ballclub on June 9. He began his minor league career with the Gulf Coast League Twins and spent the next four years playing for the minor-league Elizabethton Twins, Fort Wayne Wizards, Fort Myers Miracle, New Britain Rock Cats, and Salt Lake Buzz.
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