Robert George Allietta (born May 1, 1952) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

in 1975.

Amateur career

A native of

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...

, Allietta graduated from Lawrence High School in

Falmouth, Massachusetts Falmouth ( ) is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 32,517 at the 2020 census, making Falmouth the second-largest municipality on Cape Cod after Barnstable. The terminal for the Steamship Authority ferri ...

, and was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 8th round of the June

1970 MLB Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1970 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable Selections ''*'' Did not sign References External links Complete draft list from ''The Basebal ...

. He opted to play college baseball for the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and in 1970, Allietta played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the Falmouth Commodores of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

(CCBL). Allietta was selected by the

in the first round (seventh pick) of the 1971 MLB Draft (secondary phase).

Professional career

While in the Angels' minor league system, Allietta led

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

catchers with 12

double plays In baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the ...

while playing for the

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Ba ...

in . He made his major league debut for the Angels on May 6, 1975, at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. Allietta was the starting catcher that night against the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

, and went 0-for-2 against Ken Holtzman. In the top of the 7th,

Rollie Fingers Roland Glen Fingers (born August 25, 1946) is an American former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three teams between 1968 and 1985, when his effectiveness helped to redefine the value of relievers within baseba ...

was called in to face Allietta, and

Bill Sudakis William Paul Sudakis (March 27, 1946 – September 15, 2021) was an American Major League Baseball infielder. He was primarily a third baseman, but also appeared as a catcher and first baseman. Early years During his senior year at Joliet Townsh ...

pinch hit for him. Allietta was on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

that from July 6 to August 17 of 1975, limiting his playing time to 21 games in his only big-league season. Season and career totals include a .178 batting average (8-for-45), one home run, two runs batted in, and four

runs scored In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls ...

. He was excellent on defense, handling 98

chances Chances may refer to: * ''Chances'' (TV series), an Australian soap opera * ''Chances'' (Philippine TV series), a prime-time soap opera * '' Chances: The Women of Magdalene'', a 2006 documentary film * ''Chances'' (novel), a 1981 novel by Jac ...

without an error, and had just one

passed ball In baseball, a catcher is charged with a passed ball when he fails to hold or control a legally pitched ball that, with ordinary effort, should have been maintained under his control, and, as a result of this loss of control, the batter or a ru ...

in 122

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...

s caught. He also threw out four of 16 baserunners attempting to steal.

Coaching career

Allietta returned to the CCBL as Falmouth's field manager for the 1983 season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allietta, Bob 1952 births Living people Major League Baseball catchers Baseball players from Barnstable County, Massachusetts California Angels players Cape Cod Baseball League coaches Tacoma Tigers players Salt Lake City Angels players Tacoma Tugs players Toledo Mud Hens players Portland Beavers players Salt Lake City Gulls players Memphis Blues players Rochester Red Wings players Stockton Ports players Idaho Falls Angels players El Paso Sun Kings players Shreveport Braves players Quad Cities Angels players Shreveport Captains players Falmouth Commodores players Baseball players from New Bedford, Massachusetts People from Falmouth, Massachusetts