Craig Stephen Minetto (born April 25, 1954) is an American former
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
. Minetto pitched in parts of four seasons in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
from 1978 until 1981 for 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 ...
.
Career
Originally drafted by the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
in 1972, and again in the secondary phase in 1973, Minetto did not sign. Instead, he attended
San Joaquin Delta College
San Joaquin Delta College (Delta College) is a public community college in Stockton, California. It was founded in 1935 as Stockton Junior College. The college serves a district area that includes all of San Joaquin County and parts of Alameda, ...
for two years. He was then signed as an amateur free agent by the
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
in 1974, but he pitched one season in their farm system before being released.
Unable to find a job in American baseball, Minetto signed with the
Fortitudo Baseball Bologna
Fortitudo Baseball 1953, commonly referred to as Fortitudo Bologna, also known as UnipolSai Bologna for sponsorship reasons, is a baseball club based in Bologna that competes in Serie A1 (baseball), Serie A1, Italy's professional baseball league.
...
, a professional team based in
Bologna, Italy
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
and sponsored by
Grappa del Cannonier. He pitched there for a season, and later returned to the United States, where he was signed to a minor league contract by the Athletics before the 1977 season.
Minetto went on to pitch in 55 games for Oakland over four seasons, then was traded to the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
organization, pitching with their affiliate
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...
from 1982 to 1983. In December 1983, he was traded to the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
for
Bobby Sprowl
Robert John Sprowl (born April 14, 1956) is an American former professional baseball player who was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1981. He played for the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros.
Amateur career
Sprowl attended Georg ...
and concluded his career at AAA
Tucson Toros
The Tucson Toros were a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States.
The original Toros were a Triple-A minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League from 1969 to 1997, where they won the PCL Championship in ...
in the 1984 season.
In between, Minetto played winter ball with the
Tiburones de La Guaira
The Tiburones de La Guaira ( en, La Guaira Sharks) are a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Based in the city of La Guaira, they play their home games in Estadio Fórum La Guaira and have won seven national champions ...
club of the
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year.
History Early years
Baseball exp ...
during the 1978–1979 season.
Sources
, o
Retrosheet o
Venezuelan Winter League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minetto, Craig
1954 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American people of Italian descent
Baseball players from Stockton, California
Chattanooga Lookouts players
Delta College Mustangs baseball players
Fortitudo Baseball Bologna players
Gulf Coast Expos players
Kinston Expos players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Modesto A's players
Oakland Athletics players
Ogden A's players
Rochester Red Wings players
San Jose Missions players
Tacoma Tigers players
Tiburones de La Guaira players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Tucson Toros players
Vancouver Canadians players
American expatriate baseball players in Italy