Frank Catalanotto

Frank John Catalanotto

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 170-205 lb.
• High School Smithtown East High School
• Debut September 3, 1997
• Final Game May 10, 2010
• Born April 27, 1974 in Smithtown, NY USA

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Biographical Information

Long Island's Frank Catalanotto played fourteen seasons in the major leagues, seeing time at six positions with a dash of routine pinch hitting duty.

Originally signed by the Detroit Tigers after being a 10th round pick in the 1992 amateur draft, Frank's big league journey nearly began as a member of the Oakland A's, when he joined them for spring training 1997 as a Rule 5 pick before being returned to the Bengals. He made his big league debut in the Motor City that September, seeing lots of at bats as a pinch hitter while covering each of the bases in three seasons, from 1997 to 1999. After that last season, he headed to the Texas Rangers in a big nine-player trade featuring Juan Gonzalez and came in bats blazing, reaching base safely in 13 straight plate appearances (10 hits, 3 walks) spanning a month of action due to injury, including going 5-for-5 with against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on May 17, 2000. He broke out in 2001 with a superb .330/.391/.490 line in 133 games, finishing fifth in the AL batting race while seeing more action in the outfield.

Frank was non-tendered after an injury-addled 2002 and caught on with the Toronto Blue Jays. In four seasons up north from 2003 to 2006, his batting average never dropped below .293 and he played more than 125 games three times. On May 1, 2004, he established a Toronto single-game record for hits by going 6-for-6 in the second game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. Following two .300 seasons (.301/.367/.451 in 130 games in 2005 and .300/.376/.439 in 128 games in 2006), Catalanotto moseyed on back to Texas via free agency on a robust three-year, $13.5-million deal. He was adequate in two years and released prior to the third, 2009, finishing his MLB career with stints as a bench bat with the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets that season.

In 2012, Frank published his autobiography, entitled Heart and Hustle. He became head coach of New York Institute of Technology for the 2019 season. In his first season, he led the school to its first ever appearance in the Division II College World Series, going 37-16. He became head coach of Hofstra University for 2022.

Further Reading

• Frank Catalanotto: Heart and Hustle: An Unlikely Journey from Little Leaguer to Big Leaguer, Bantry Bay Media, Chicago, IL, 2012. ISBN 978-0-98650673-0

Related Sites

• Frank Catalanotto at the SABR Bio Project