Vincent Antonio Rottino (born April 7, 1980) is an American former professional

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 ...

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...

. He has played positions including

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 ...

first base 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 ...

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

, and the

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball and ...

. He graduated from St. Catherine's High School in Racine, and then went to the

University of Wisconsin–La Crosse The University of Wisconsin–La Crosse (UWL or UW Lax) is a public university in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Established in 1909, it is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. With 9,600 un ...

Career

Milwaukee Brewers

Rottino originally signed with the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

as an undrafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on February 3, 2003. In his fourth year with the Brewers organization, he made his major league debut as a September call up in . He played in nine games and batted .214. Rottino began the season in Triple-A with the

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

. He spent nearly the entire season there before being recalled by Milwaukee on September 1. On September 29, , Rottino hit a walk-off

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

in the bottom of the 11th inning to beat the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

4–3 and clinch the first winning season for the Brewers since . He repeated most of his previous season's fashion in 2008, playing most of the season at Triple-A, then receiving a call-up in September. 4TH 7553 Vinny Rottino (WBC)

Rottino was the starting catcher for Team Italy in the

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international baseball competition. It began on 5 9 and finished 5 26. Unlike in 2006, when the round-robin format of the first two rounds led to some eliminations being decided by run-difference ti ...

. In 2009, Rottino accepted an assignment to Double-A

Huntsville Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...

Los Angeles Dodgers

On July 31, 2009, he was traded by the Brewers to the

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 ...

for

Claudio Vargas Claudio Vargas Almonte (born June 19, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He has previously played for the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Dodger ...

Florida Marlins

He signed a minor league contract with the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

in 2010 and made his first appearance in the Majors since 2008.

New York Mets

On November 16, 2011, Rottino signed a minor league contract with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. On May 4, 2012, Rottino got called up to the Mets after Chris Schwinden was sent down. On May 26, 2012, Rottino hit his first career home run against the Padres'

Clayton Richard Clayton Colby Richard (born September 12, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, and Toronto Blue Jays. High school Richard w ...

. He hit another home run on May 28, 2012, against the Philadelphia Phillies. On June 25, 2012, Rottino was designated for assignment to make room on the Mets' roster for

Justin Hampson Justin Michael Hampson (born May 24, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and New York Mets. Career Colorado Rockies Drafted by the Colora ...

Cleveland Indians

On June 27, 2012, the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

claimed him off outright waivers. The Indians designated Chris Schwinden to make room on the 40-man roster. On August 1, Rottino was recalled by the Indians when

Travis Hafner Travis Lee Hafner (; born June 3, 1977) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a designated hitter and first baseman. A left-handed hitter, Hafner played for the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indian ...

was placed on paternity leave. He was hitting .299 with four HRs and 32 RBIs with the Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

. Rottino was outrighted to the minor leagues on Oct. 31, 2012, and subsequently elected free agency.

Orix Buffaloes

On November 30, 2012, he signed a one-year $350,000 contract with the Orix Buffaloes of

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

Nexen Heroes

On December 11, 2013, he signed a one-year $300,000 contract with the

Nexen Heroes The Kiwoom Heroes () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. They are a member of the KBO League. The Heroes play their home games at Gocheok Sky Dome in Gocheok-dong, a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of Se ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

Miami Marlins

On December 24, 2014, Rottino signed a minor league contract with the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

Chicago White Sox

On February 3, 2016, Rottino 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 ...

. On September 9, it was announced that Rottino had decided to retire from professional baseball.

References

External links

Career statistics and player information
from

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rottino, Vinny 1980 births Living people American sportspeople of Italian descent American expatriate baseball players in Japan American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Azucareros del Este players Beloit Snappers players Baseball players from Wisconsin Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chattanooga Lookouts players Cleveland Indians players Columbus Clippers players Florida Marlins players Helena Brewers players Huntsville Stars players Jacksonville Suns players KBO League outfielders Major League Baseball third basemen Milwaukee Brewers players Nashville Sounds players New Orleans Zephyrs players New York Mets players Kiwoom Heroes players Nippon Professional Baseball infielders Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders Orix Buffaloes players Peoria Javelinas players Scottsdale Scorpions players Sportspeople from Racine, Wisconsin Sportspeople from the Milwaukee metropolitan area Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Toros del Este players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Wisconsin–La Crosse Eagles baseball players 2009 World Baseball Classic players