Rob Garibaldi

Robert M. Garibaldi

• School University of Southern California, Santa Rosa Junior College

• Born September 15, 1978
• Died October 1, 2002

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Rob Garibaldi was drafted in 1999. Garibaldi was a big fan of Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire. To try to copy their size and strength, he began taking an assortment of muscle-gaining supplements in high school, then moved up to steroids. He hit .459 with 14 homers and 77 RBI in junior college. The New York Yankees took him in the 40th round of the 1999 amateur draft but he opted for USC, following in McGwire's footsteps. He hit .329 with 18 doubles and 8 home runs in 2000 as the school went to the 2000 College World Series. The school returned to the 2001 College World Series but Garibaldi fell to .281 with one homer, falling into a backup outfield role. He was becoming increasingly violent during this time. In 2002, he admitted to his parents that he was taking steroids, saying "How do you think Bonds hits all his home runs?" With his life spiraling down, Garibaldi committed suicide in October 2002, shooting himself in the head. His parents testified at the Congressional hearings on steroid use in baseball in which Sammy Sosa and McGwire denied taking steroids.

Sources

• Game of Shadows by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams
• 2001-2002 Baseball Almanacs