Gavin Glenn Christopher Joseph Cecchini ( ; born December 22, 1993) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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. He played in

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(MLB) for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Early life

Cecchini was born in

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the county seat, parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles (Louisiana), Lake Char ...

, and attended Alfred M. Barbe High School. Prior to the 2012 MLB draft, Cecchini was regarded by Perfect Game as "good athlete, highest level hitter and outstanding middle infield tools." Cecchini was a member of the South Lake Charles Little League team that represented

and the Southwest region at the 2006 Little League World Series. Cecchini initially committed to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the LSU Tigers, before switching his commitment to Ole Miss. He was drafted by the Mets in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft with the 12th overall pick.

Professional career

New York Mets

Cecchini began his professional career in 2012 with the Kingsport Mets of the

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden ...

, batting .246/.311/.330, and then was promoted to Brooklyn Cyclones for five games in which he was hitless to end the season.Gavin Cecchini Baseball Statistics [2012-2017]
/ref> ''Baseball America">012-2017]">Gavin Cecchini Baseball Statistics [2012-2017]
/ref> ''Baseball America'' ranked him as the #2 prospect in the Mets system and the

's #12 prospect following the 2012 season. He began the 2014 baseball season as a member of the Savannah Sand Gnats of the Single–A South Atlantic League, and for three teams in aggregate he batted .247/.328/.378. He was promoted to the Major Leagues on September 6, 2016. He made his Major League debut on September 11, striking out in a pinch hit appearance at

Turner Field Turner Field was a baseball stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1997 Atlanta Braves season, 1997 to 2016 Atlanta Braves season, 2016, it served as the home ballpark to the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Originally built ...

. On September 24, he hit his first career hit, an RBI double. For the season, he batted .208/.253/.273. Cecchini was designated for assignment on January 28, 2019 following the signing of Justin Wilson. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A

Syracuse Mets The Syracuse Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Syracuse, New York, and play their home games at NBT Bank Stadium, which ope ...

on February 1, and received an invitation to spring training. After recovering from injury, he was assigned to the Double–A Binghamton Rumble Ponies. In 43 games for Binghamton, Cecchini hit .245/.295/.331 with three home runs, 21 RBI, and three stolen bases. He elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Canberra Cavalry

On November 8, 2019, Cecchini signed with the Canberra Cavalry of the Australian Baseball League. He abruptly quit his contract with the Canberra Cavalry due to concerns about air pollution caused by bushfires.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On January 29, 2020, Cecchini signed a minor league deal with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

. He was released on May 22, 2020.

Sugar Land Skeeters

In July 2020, Cecchini signed on to play for the

Sugar Land Skeeters The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the G ...

of the Constellation Energy League (a makeshift 4-team independent league created as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

) for the 2020 season. In 23 games he struggled hitting .213/.289/.307 with 1 home run and 10 RBIs.

Los Angeles Angels

On May 12, 2021, Cecchini signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

organization. He split the season between the Double–A Rocket City Trash Pandas and Triple–A Salt Lake Bees. In 91 games between the two affiliates, Cecchini batted .259/.290/.358 with 5 home runs, 36 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. He elected free agency following the season on November 7.

Personal life

He is the younger brother of Major League infielder Garin Cecchini.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cecchini, Gavin 1993 births Living people American people of Italian descent Baseball players from Louisiana Binghamton Mets players Binghamton Rumble Ponies players Brooklyn Cyclones players 21st-century American sportsmen Kingsport Mets players Las Vegas 51s players Major League Baseball infielders New York Mets players Rocket City Trash Pandas players Salt River Rafters players Savannah Sand Gnats players Scottsdale Scorpions players Sportspeople from Lake Charles, Louisiana St. Lucie Mets players Sugar Land Skeeters players Syracuse Mets players 2017 World Baseball Classic players American expatriate baseball players in Australia