David Racaniello (born June 3, 1978), usually known as Dave and nicknamed Rac, is a

bullpen catcher The bullpen catcher is a member of a baseball team's staff, often a former professional player, who catches the ball for relief pitchers warming up before entering a game and starting pitchers before games. A bullpen catcher differentiates from a ...

for 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 lea ...

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 (A ...

(MLB).

Early life

Born June 3, 1978, in Stamford, Connecticut, Racaniello attended Westhill High School, later going on to attend

Norwalk Community College Norwalk Community College (NCC), formerly Norwalk State Technical College and Norwalk Community-Technical College, is a public community college in Norwalk, Connecticut. It is the third-largest of the twelve colleges in the Connecticut State Col ...

and

Central Connecticut State University Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut ...

Amateur career

Racaniello played baseball at Westhill High School, including time as a catcher. He later went on to play baseball for Norwalk Community College for two years, where he was a teammate of future MLB pitcher Érik Bédard. In 1998, Racaniello's team at Norwalk won the NJCAA Division III Baseball World Series. Afterwards, Racaniello transferred to Central Connecticut State University, where he also played baseball.

Professional career

In the summer of 1997, Racaniello, then still a student at Norwalk, attended a Mets game with a friend. His friend's father was friends with the Mets' then-manager,

Bobby Valentine Robert John Valentine (born May 13, 1950), nicknamed "Bobby V", is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He also served as the athletic director at Sacred Heart University. Valentine played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1 ...

, giving Racaniello and his friend an opportunity to meet the New York skipper before the game. The Mets' regular bullpen catcher at the time was not able to come to the game due to a recent family emergency, so Valentine, who had heard Racaniello had caught, asked him if he was willing to fill in. Racaniello agreed and suited up as a Met for the first time. Racaniello would then fill in as the Mets' bullpen catcher and help out in the bullpen for most of the remainder of the 1997 season until he returned to Norwalk. After his part-time success with the organization, when the position opened up for the 2001 season, the Mets asked Racaniello if he was interested in the job. Racaniello accepted and immediately dropped out of school to serve as the bullpen catcher for the Mets. Racaniello originally planned to possibly return to school, but his continued employment with the Mets prevented such a return. Since 2001, Racaniello has continuously served as the bullpen catcher for the Mets, warming up pitchers as well as throwing batting practice and serving as a "dummy" in drills. On March 30, 2017, Racaniello led off for the Mets' major league squad at

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by t ...

in a game against the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s, an affiliate of the Mets. Racaniello recorded a hit off of Jacob deGrom, but was thrown out attempting to steal second base by Travis d'Arnaud.

Personal life

Racaniello prefers to remain somewhat silent in the Mets clubhouse, reading books and staying out of the way. He is close friends with third baseman

David Wright David Allen Wright (born December 20, 1982) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the New York Mets. He was drafted by the Mets in 2001 MLB draft and made h ...

, who first met him before the 2004 season. Racaniello is physically active, having climbed

Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world: above sea level and a ...

in January 2012 and run the

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor (commercial), sponsor) is an annual Marathon (sport), marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest mar ...

twice. In 2011, Racaniello consumed 14 cheesesteaks to break Dmitri Young's record for most consumed in the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

visiting clubhouse. In 2016 his engagement to his longtime girlfriend, a St. Louis native, was announced on the scoreboard at Busch Stadium.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Racaniello, Dave 1978 births Living people Sportspeople from Stamford, Connecticut Baseball players from Connecticut Major League Baseball bullpen catchers New York Mets coaches