Curtis Michael Casali (born November 9, 1988), is an American

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 ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

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), ...

(MLB). He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

, and was selected in the 10th round of the

2011 MLB draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

by the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2014 with the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

, and has also played for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

, and

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

Amateur career

Casali was born in

Walnut Creek, California Walnut Creek is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, about east of the city of Oakland. With a total population of 70,127 per the 2020 census, Walnut Creek ser ...

, but raised in

New Canaan, Connecticut New Canaan () is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census. About an hour from Manhattan by train, the town is considered part of Connecticut's Gold Coast. The town is bounde ...

. He attended

New Canaan High School New Canaan High School is the only public high school in New Canaan, Connecticut. In 2017, it was ranked the best public high school in Connecticut, and one of the top 200 in the nation. New Canaan High School was ranked the 74th best STEM high s ...

. He starred in baseball (batting .427 for the team) as well as

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

, and in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

as a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

, leading the team to a state championship. Casali earned first-team All-State honors in football and baseball, and was named the second-best prospect from Connecticut/Rhode Island in the June 2007 baseball draft. Casali played

. During his four years at Vanderbilt, he had a .316

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, a .430

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

, a .502

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...

, 27

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, and 167

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBIs). Casali made it to the College World Series semifinals in 2011 with Vanderbilt, but the team was eliminated by Florida. In 2008, he 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 ...

with the

Hyannis Mets The Hyannis Harbor Hawks, formerly the Hyannis Mets, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Harbor Hawks play ...

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 ...

, and he returned to the league in 2010 to play for the

Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the lea ...

Professional career

Detroit Tigers

The

selected Casali in the 10th round of the

2011 Major League Baseball draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

, 317th overall, and he signed on July 1, 2011, for a $40,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. ''Baseball America wrote that the

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

that he had in 2009 while in college reduced his formerly plus arm strength, but that he was still a good defensive catcher with a good approach at the plate. He made his professional debut that season for the short season Class A-

Connecticut Tigers The Norwich Sea Unicorns are a baseball team located in Norwich, Connecticut. From 2010 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They play th ...

of the

New York-Pennsylvania League New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

, batting .278/.409/.417 with one home run and two RBIs in 26 at bats. He then played for the Class A

West Michigan Whitecaps The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpark. ...

of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

, batting .227/.344/.400 with 2 home runs and 14 RBIs in 75 at bats. Between the two teams, he had a low strikeout rate, at 10.3%. In 2012 he played for West Michigan and, starting in late June, the Class A+

Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. ...

. Casali batted a combined .270/.365/.427 with 9 home runs and 43 RBIs in 330 at bats. He helped the Flying Tigers to their first

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

title in 20 years. He was a 2012 MiLB Organization All Star. ''Baseball America'' ranked him as the organization's 23rd-best prospect.

Tampa Bay Rays

On March 25, 2013, the Tigers traded Casali to the

for pitcher

Kyle Lobstein Kyle Eric Lobstein (born August 12, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Detroit Tigers in 2014, and ...

. The Rays assigned him to the Class A+

Charlotte Stone Crabs The Charlotte Stone Crabs were a Minor League Baseball team located in Port Charlotte, Florida, from 2009 to 2020. They competed in the Florida State League (FSL) as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

, and then promoted him to the Class AA

Montgomery Biscuits The Montgomery Biscuits are a Minor League Baseball team based in Montgomery, Alabama. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays and play in the Southern League. The team was founded in Orlando, Florida, in 1973 as the Orlando Twins ...

. With Charlotte, he batted .267/.342/.406 in 165 at bats and was an FSL Mid-Season All-Star. In 35 games with Montgomery, Casali hit .383 with a .483 on-base percentage and .600 slugging percentage, with five home runs. Overall, he hit .317/.405/.489 and 10 home runs. He was a 2013 MiLB Organization All Star. In 2014, he was invited to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

by the Rays. Casali returned to Montgomery to start the 2014 season, and batted .314/.500/.429 in 70 at bats. He was promoted to the Class AAA

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened in ...

in May, and for them he batted .237/.335/.359 in 156 at bats. On July 18, 2014, Casali played his first major league game against the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

. He recorded a hit in his first at bat and a run later in the inning. He batted .167 in 72 at bats. Curt Casali on July 5, 2015

On July 28, 2015, Casali hit two home runs in one game against the Detroit Tigers. One night later, Casali repeated the feat by hitting two homers against former teammate and fellow Vanderbilt alum David Price. In 2015 with Tampa Bay he batted .238/.304/.594 with a career-high 10 home runs and 18 RBIs in 101 at bats. With Durham, he batted .205/.326/.348 in 112 at bats. Casali opened the 2016 season in a

platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...

with

Hank Conger Hyun Choi "Hank" Conger (born January 29, 1988) is a Korean American professional baseball catcher and coach. He is the first base and catching coach for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). Conger was selected in the first roun ...

. For Tampa Bay, he caught 36% of attempted basestealers, giving up 25 steals and catching 14 baserunners. Casali hit .169 before being optioned to the

on August 4, 2016, for whom he batted .254/.407/.365 in 63 at bats. He played most of 2017 for Durham, batting .263/.351/.347 in 300 at bats. In nine at bats for Tampa Bay, Casali had three hits, including a home run. He was outrighted to Triple-A on November 6, 2017, and elected free agency later that day.

Los Angeles Angels

On November 28, 2017, the

Los Angeles 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 ...

signed Casali to a minor league contract. However, the Angels released him on January 16, 2018.

Texas Rangers

Two days later he signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. The Rangers released Casali on March 21, 2018.

Second stint with Rays

On March 21, 2018, Casali signed a minor league deal with the

. Playing for Durham, he hit .274/.327/.453 in 95 at bats.

Cincinnati Reds

On May 31, 2018, Casali was traded to the

for cash. In July he injured his right knee, and was expected to be sidelined for three to four weeks. In 2018, he batted .293/.355/.450 with 4 home runs and 16 RBIs in 140 at bats. In 2019, he batted .251/.331/.411 with 8 home runs and a career-high 32 RBIs in 207 at bats. He had the best range factor/9 innings in the National League among catchers (10.76). Casali also had 14 at bats with the Class AAA

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, win ...

. In 2020, he batted .224/.366/.500 with 6 home runs and 8 RBIs in 76 at bats. He had the 3rd-best range factor/9 innings in the National League among catchers (11.30). On December 2, 2020, Casali was nontendered by the Reds.

San Francisco Giants

On January 4, 2021, Casali signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the

, to serve as the primary backup to catcher

Buster Posey Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III (born March 27, 1987) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Posey spent his entire twelve-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the San Francisco Giants, from 2009 until his retirement at ...

. During April 2021, Casali caught team

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

s in five consecutive starts (non-consecutive games). He became just the fifth catcher since 1900 with at least five straight team shutouts in his starts, and the first to do so with five different starting pitchers. On June 17, in a game against the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

, Casali recorded his first career

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

off of D’Backs reliever

Riley Smith Riley Smith (born April 12, 1978) is an American actor. He is known for his roles on television, such as recurring roles in the series '' 24'', ''Joan of Arcadia'', '' 90210'', ''True Blood'' and '' The Messengers'', and starring roles on the ...

. In the game, Casali also notched his first Giants homer, a 2-run shot off of D’Backs starter

Zac Gallen Zachary Peter Gallen (born August 3, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins in 2019. Early life Gallen was born on August 3, 1 ...

in a game in which he went 3-for-5 with 4 RBIs. In the 2021 regular season, Casali batted .210/.313/.350 with 11 doubles and 26 walks (career highs), and 5 home runs and 26 RBIs in 200 at bats over 77 games. On March 22, 2022, Casali signed a $2.6 million contract with the Giants, avoiding salary arbitration.

Seattle Mariners

On August 2, 2022, Casali and Matthew Boyd were traded to the

in exchange for Michael Stryffeler and Andy Thomas.

Cincinnati Reds (second stint)

Casali signed a one-year contract with the Reds on December 22, 2022.

Records

* Giants franchise record for consecutive shutouts caught: 5 * MLB record (tie) for consecutive shutouts caught in the

live-ball era The live-ball era, also referred to as the lively ball era, is the period in Major League Baseball beginning in (and continuing to the present day), contrasting with the pre-1920 period known as the "dead-ball era". The name "live-ball era" comes ...

: 5 * Second all-time (tie) for MLB modern era consecutive shutouts caught: 5 (record is 6)

References

External links

Vanderbilt Commodores bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Casali, Curt 1988 births Living people Sportspeople from Walnut Creek, California Baseball players from California Major League Baseball catchers Tampa Bay Rays players Cincinnati Reds players San Francisco Giants players Seattle Mariners players Vanderbilt Commodores baseball players Cotuit Kettleers players Hyannis Harbor Hawks players Connecticut Tigers players West Michigan Whitecaps players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Montgomery Biscuits players Durham Bulls players Salt River Rafters players Louisville Bats players Sacramento River Cats players Tacoma Rainiers players

Amateur career

Professional career

Detroit Tigers

Tampa Bay Rays

Los Angeles Angels

Texas Rangers

Second stint with Rays

Cincinnati Reds

San Francisco Giants

Seattle Mariners

Cincinnati Reds (second stint)

Records

See also

References

External links