Michael Robert Venafro (born August 2, 1973) is an American former

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), ...

left-handed relief pitcher. He played professionally for the Texas Rangers,

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 ...

, Tampa Bay Devil Rays,

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 ...

and the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

. He is currently a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

for the San Diego Padres.

Biography

Venafro was born in

Takoma Park, Maryland Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., Washington, and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea C ...

and graduated from Paul VI High School in northern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. He is an alumnus of James Madison University in

Harrisonburg, Virginia Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. At the 2 ...

. Drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 29th round of the

1995 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Background Outfielder Darin Erstad of the University of Nebraska was the first pick in the 1995 Rule 4 Draft. Erstad ...

, Venafro made his Major League Baseball debut with the Rangers on April 24, . Venafro is often referenced in the best selling book titled ''

Moneyball ''Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game'' is a book by Michael Lewis, published in 2003, about the Oakland Athletics baseball team and its general manager Billy Beane. Its focus is the team's analytical, evidence-based, sabermetric approa ...

'' by Michael Lewis, which details the financial aspects of the Oakland Athletics during the time Venafro played for them. He is also referred to in the 2011 film of the same name during a scene where

Billy Beane William Lamar Beane III (born March 29, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player and current front office executive. He is the executive vice president of baseball operations and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics of Majo ...

(

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...

) offers him to the San Francisco Giants to drive down interest in

Ricardo Rincón Ricardo Rincón Espinoza (born April 13, 1970) is a Mexican former professional baseball relief pitcher. Career Rincón was a left-handed specialist who spent nearly his entire career as a middle reliever and setup pitcher. In his 11-year caree ...

, who Beane is attempting to acquire from

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

at the trading deadline. Venafro played with three teams in postseason major league baseball including: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, and the Texas Rangers. In total, Venafro has played with 14 different baseball organizations. Venafro has 13 years of professional baseball experience; 7 of which are in the major leagues. His major league career ERA is 4.09. He held big league lefthanded batters to a .240/.318/.310 line in parts of seven seasons.

References

External links

Mike Venafro
at Baseball Almanac {{DEFAULTSORT:Venafro, Mike 1973 births Living people Baseball players from Maryland Charleston RiverDogs players Charlotte Rangers players Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Hudson Valley Renegades players James Madison Dukes baseball players James Madison University alumni Las Vegas 51s players Los Angeles Dodgers players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Memphis Redbirds players New Orleans Zephyrs players Oklahoma RedHawks players Omaha Royals players Texas Rangers players Oakland Athletics players People from Takoma Park, Maryland Rochester Red Wings players Sacramento River Cats players San Diego Padres scouts Syracuse Chiefs players Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Tulsa Drillers players