Nicholas Anthony Ciuffo (born March 7, 1995) 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 ...

who is a free agent. He has played 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), ...

(MLB) for 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

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 ...

. Ciuffo attended Lexington High School in

Lexington, South Carolina Lexington is the largest town in and the county seat of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of the state capital, Columbia. The population was 23,568 at the 2020 Census, and it is the second-largest municipality in th ...

, and was selected by the Rays in the first round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

Amateur career

Ciuffo attended

Wando High School Wando High School (often shortened to "Wando") is a public high school within the Charleston County School District, located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, United States. The school serves students living in Mount Pleasant and other suburban po ...

Mount Pleasant, South Carolina Mount Pleasant is a large suburban town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. In the Low Country, it is the fourth largest municipality and largest town in South Carolina, and for several years was one of the state's fastest-growin ...

, for his freshman and sophomore years, and then transferred to Lexington High School in

. As a freshman, Ciuffo was named to the All-

Lowcountry The Lowcountry (sometimes Low Country or just low country) is a geographic and cultural region along South Carolina's coast, including the Sea Islands. The region includes significant salt marshes and other coastal waterways, making it an import ...

team. Lexington won the state's Class 4A championship in 2013, and Ciuffo was named the South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year. In 123 cumulative high school games, Ciuffo had a .401

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 ...

, 11

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 ...

s, and 93

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). He competed for the

United States national baseball team The United States national baseball team represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Team USA won the Olympic baseball to ...

, leading the United States to the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

in the

2011 World Youth Baseball Championship The 2011 World Youth Baseball Championship was an under-16 international baseball competition held in Lagos de Moreno, Mexico from August 19 to August 28, 2011. This event is considered a test event for the 2011 Pan American Games baseball event ...

. Ciuffo had been committed to attend the University of South Carolina to play

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 ...

for the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fighti ...

. He received the scholarship offer before playing a single high school game. However, he was also considered a likely first round pick in the

2013 Major League Baseball Draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

, and said that the chances of his signing a contract and forgoing his college commitment are "50-50".

Professional career

Tampa Bay Rays

Ciuffo was selected in the first round (21st overall) of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

by the

. Ciuffo signed with the Rays, receiving a $1,974,700

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 ...

, and reported to the

Gulf Coast Rays The Florida Complex League Rays are a minor league baseball team in Port Charlotte, Florida, competing as a Rookie-level team in the Florida Complex League as an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast ...

to begin his professional career. He appeared in 43 games for the GCL Rays where he slashed .258/.296/.308. Ciuffo began the 2014 season in extended spring training, was assigned to the

Princeton Rays The Princeton Rays were a Minor League Baseball team in Princeton, West Virginia, operating as an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team was affiliated with several Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, primarily the Tam ...

in June, where he spent the entire season, batting .224 with four home runs and 20 RBIs in 52 games. He played with the

Bowling Green Hot Rods The Bowling Green Hot Rods are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and play their home games at Bowling Green Ballpark, which open ...

in 2015 and batted .258 with one home run and 32 RBIs in 94 games. In 2016, with the

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) ...

, Ciuffo compiled a .262 batting average with 15 RBIs and 8 doubles in 59 games. After the 2016 season, Ciuffo was named Tampa Bay's Minor League Defensive Player of the Year. He spent 2017 with the

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 ...

and posted a .245 batting average with seven home runs and 42 RBIs in 102 games. He was named Tampa Bay's Minor League Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. The Rays invited Ciuffo to spring training in 2018, but he was suspended for 50 games for his second positive test for a drug of abuse. In the 2018 season, Ciuffo played for the

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 ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL ...

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. Ciuffo hit .262/.301/.380 with five home runs and 28 runs batted in over 60 games.

Major Leagues

On September 3, 2018, Ciuffo was promoted to the major leagues. Ciuffo slashed .189/.262/.297 with one home run in 37 at-bats. On June 28, 2019, the Rays designated Ciuffo for assignment. On July 1, 2019 Ciuffo was placed on release waivers.

Cincinnati Reds

On July 9, 2019, Ciuffo signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

. He became a free agent following the 2019 season.

Texas Rangers

On December 5, 2019, Ciuffo signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. Ciuffo did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.

Baltimore Orioles

On December 21, 2020, Ciuffo signed a minor league contract with the

organization. The Orioles promoted him to the major leagues on September 24, 2021. Ciuffo went 1-for-5 with a double in two games for Baltimore, spending the majority of the year with the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

, with whom he slashed .173/.241/.308. On November 5, 2021, Ciuffo was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. He became a free agent on November 7.

Chicago White Sox

On March 14, 2022, Ciuffo signed a minor league deal with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

. He elected free agency on November 10, 2022.

Personal life

Ciuffo grew up in Mount Pleasant, but moved to Lexington between his sophomore and junior years with his mother. His father, Tony, worked at the

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...

as its assistant director of athletics for media relations and the school's radio PBP announcer, which enabled Nick to observe the Charleston baseball team, and future major leaguers

Brett Gardner Brett Michael Gardner (born August 24, 1983) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Gardner was a walk-on for the College of Charleston's base ...

and

Michael Kohn Michael Thomas Kohn (born June 26, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the 13th round (409th overall) of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft after playing college baseball at the ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ciuffo, Nick 1995 births Living people People from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina Baseball players from South Carolina Major League Baseball catchers Tampa Bay Rays players Baltimore Orioles players Gulf Coast Rays players Princeton Rays players Bowling Green Hot Rods players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Brisbane Bandits players Peoria Javelinas players Montgomery Biscuits players Durham Bulls players Arizona League Reds players Louisville Bats players Norfolk Tides players American expatriate baseball players in Australia