Robert Michael Picciolo (February 4, 1953 – January 3, 2018) was an American

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player and coach.

Playing career

Picciolo played nine seasons in the major leagues, from 1977–85, for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

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

, and

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

, where he was primarily a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

; he also played

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

second base In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the infield, between second and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must ...

. In 1,628 major league

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, ...

s, he walked only 25 times. Picciolo spent 20 years in 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

organization after a nine-year big league career playing for the Athletics, Brewers, and Angels.

Post-playing career

He was a minor league manager with the Class-A Short Season

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Co ...

in the Northwest League in 1986 and 1987, winning the League and Division titles in his second season there, then was a roving infield instructor the following two years before being promoted to the Padres big league coaching staff midway through the 1990 season. There, he served under Padres managers Greg Riddoch,

Jim Riggleman James David Riggleman (born November 9, 1952) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) manager (baseball), manager and bench coach who coached with several teams between 1989 and 2019. During his playing career, Riggleman was an infield ...

and

Bruce Bochy Bruce Douglas Bochy (; born April 16, 1955) is an American professional baseball Manager (baseball), manager and former catcher who is the manager of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). During his playing ...

as a first base coach (mid-1990-92), a bench coach (1993–2002) and third base coach (2003–05). Picciolo was the longest-tenured

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

history, serving 16 consecutive years between and . From 2006 to 2010, he served as the Angels' roving infield instructor. He was then named the Angels' bench coach for manager

Mike Scioscia Michael Lorri Scioscia ( ; born November 27, 1958), nicknamed "Sosh" and "El Jefe" (Spanish for "The Boss"), is an American former Major League Baseball catcher and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He managed the Los A ...

on November 10, 2010. He was fired by the Angels on October 8, 2013.

Personal life

Picciolo graduated from Westchester High School in 1971, earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and played one season of baseball in

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private university, private Christianity, Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pepperdine's main campus consists ...

. He earned All-District honors and helped Pepperdine to first place in the WCC and a spot in the NCAA District Playoffs. Picciolo died on January 3, 2018, aged 64, from a heart attack. He was survived by his wife Debbie and two sons, Breton and Dustin, who both attended Pepperdine University in

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; ; ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, about west of downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate, its strip of beaches stretching along the Pacific Ocean coa ...

. Breton was a former staffer in the Padres communications department.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet

{{DEFAULTSORT:Picciolo, Rob 1953 births 2018 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Canada American people of Italian descent Baseball players from Santa Monica, California Birmingham A's players California Angels players Los Angeles Angels coaches Major League Baseball bench coaches Major League Baseball shortstops Milwaukee Brewers players Minor league baseball managers Oakland Athletics players Pepperdine University alumni Pepperdine Waves baseball players San Diego Padres coaches San Jose Missions players Santa Monica College alumni Santa Monica Corsairs baseball players Spokane Indians managers Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Tucson Toros players Vancouver Canadians players Westchester High School (Los Angeles) alumni