Mark Edison Saccomanno (born April 30, 1980) 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 ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. At 17, Saccomanno was awarded the Klein Forest High School Golden Glove award. He was also selected to the 17-and-under AAU National All-Tournament Team. At 18, was named Second-Team All-District 16-5A as a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

and received the National Scholar Athlete Award. He played college

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 fielding tea ...

for

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

. He was selected in the 23rd round of the 2003 Major League Baseball draft by the Astros. Saccomanno was called up to the majors by the Houston Astros on September 8, , and hit a

home run 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 ...

on the first pitch of his first major league

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a bat ...

, pinch hit for pitcher Alberto Árias, against Pirates' pitcher

Ian Snell Ian Dante Snell (born October 30, 1981) is an American former professional baseball right-handed pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners. From 2001 to 2003, he went by the name Ian Oquendo ...

. A free agent at the end of the season, he re-signed with the Astros on January 5, to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring training as a non-roster player.

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1980 births Living people American people of Italian descent Baseball players from Houston Baylor Bears baseball players Baylor University alumni Cañeros de Los Mochis players Corpus Christi Hooks players Houston Astros players Jacksonville Suns players Major League Baseball first basemen Martinsville Astros players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela New Orleans Zephyrs players Round Rock Express players Salem Avalanche players 2006 World Baseball Classic players Anchorage Glacier Pilots players {{US-baseball-first-baseman-stub

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