Max Stassi | |||
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Stassi batting for the , advanced-A affiliates of the Oakland Athletics, in 2011
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Houston Astros – No. 12 | |||
Catcher | |||
Born: Woodland, California |
March 15, 1991 |||
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MLB debut | |||
August 20, 2013, for the Houston Astros | |||
MLB statistics (through 2016 season) |
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Batting average | .291 | ||
Home runs | 1 | ||
Runs batted in | 7 | ||
Teams | |||
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Max Robert Stassi (born March 15, 1991) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Astros in the 2013 season.
Stassi attended Yuba City High School in Yuba City, California. He played for his school's baseball team, and was twice named The Sacramento Bee's player of the year. Stassi also competed for the United States national baseball team, winning gold in the 2006 Pan American Games in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, and the International Baseball Federation's 16 and Under Baseball World Championship in 2007. He finished his high school career with a .514 batting average, 40 home runs, and 162 runs batted in. Stassi committed to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to play college baseball for the UCLA Bruins.
Heading into the 2009 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft, Sporting News called Stassi the best available high school catcher. Stassi made it clear that he expected a large signing bonus to agree to a professional contract. A potential first round pick, Stassi was not selected in the first three rounds, which Baseball America called "one of the biggest surprises" of the draft. The Oakland Athletics selected Stassi in the fourth round, with the 123rd overall selection, of the draft. He received a $1.5 million bonus, a record for a fourth round pick, forgoing his commitment to UCLA. Stassi also negotiated in his contract that the Athletics would invite him to spring training with the major league team in 2010.