James Lawrence Deidel (born June 6, 1949) is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He bats and throws right-handed. Deidel was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 15th round (126th overall) of the

1967 Major League Baseball Draft The 1967 Major League Baseball draft (or "first-year player draft") recruits amateur baseball players into the American Major League Baseball league. The players selected in 1967 included many talented prospects who later had careers in the profe ...

. He played only in with the Yankees. He had two at-bats, in two games, going 0–2. Deidel attended

Mullen High School Mullen High School (formerly J.K. Mullen High School) is a Roman Catholic, Brothers of the Christian Schools, college-preparatory high school in Denver, Colorado. It is run independently within the Archdiocese of Denver. History Mullen High Sc ...

in Denver where he lettered in several sports and Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He had football scholarship offers to several major college programs as a quarterback but opted to accept the Yankees' signing bonus and pursue a professional baseball career instead. In addition to his brief stint with the Yankees as a backup catcher to Thurman Munson, Deidel played nine years in the Yankees' farm system including seasons at Johnson City, Tennessee, Oneonta, New York, Kinston, NC, and West Haven, CT. He ended his career in the mid-1970s after several seasons in the AAA International League at Syracuse, New York. He played under manager Bobby Cox at West Haven and Syracuse.

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1949 births Living people Baseball players from Denver Greensboro Yankees players Johnson City Yankees players Kinston Eagles players Major League Baseball catchers New York Yankees players Oneonta Yankees players Syracuse Chiefs players West Haven Yankees players {{US-baseball-catcher-1940s-stub