Tommy Manzella
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Thomas Samuel Manzella, Jr. (born April 16, 1983) 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 ...
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 played in
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 ...
(MLB) for the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
.


Early career


High school

Manzella was born in
Chalmette, Louisiana Chalmette ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in, and the parish seat of, St. Bernard Parish in southeastern Louisiana, United States. The 2010 census reported that Chalmette had 16,751 people; 2011 population was listed as 17,119; however, th ...
and attended Archbishop Hannan High School, and was a three-year starting shortstop

He earned All-District 8-4A, All-St. Bernard Parish and academic all-state honors each year. He Batting average (baseball), hit .360 with 3
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s and 24
RBIs A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) 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 th ...
during his senior season. He was selected to play in the LHSAA All-Star Game, and earned St. Bernard Parish Most Outstanding Player recognition as a senior.


NCAA

Manzella attended
Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...
and played for the
Tulane Green Wave baseball The Tulane Green Wave baseball team represents Tulane University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The Green Wave baseball team competes in the American Athletic Conference and play their home games on campus at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium ...
team. He played in 55 games as a true
freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...
, mostly at shortstop, and led the team with 135 assists while finishing fifth on the team with a batting average .294. He earned All-Tournament honors at the 2002 Conference USA Tournament after hitting .615 (8-for-13) with a double and five RBIs during the tournament. In 2003, he started all 59 games at second base and received honorable-mention All-Louisiana honors after tying for the team lead in doubles (20) while ranking tied for second in RBIs (44). Manzella was again named to the C-USA All-Tournament Team after hitting .615 (8-for-13) with an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base. In 2004, he was the only player on the team to start at the same position in all 62 games, and earned second-team All-Louisiana honors after leading the team in assists (185) and sacrifice bunts (school-record 12) while ranking second in steals (11). He was named to NCAA Oxford Regional All-Tournament Team after hitting .417 (5-for-12) with three RBIs and two sacrifice bunts, and posted nine putouts and nine assists while helping turn three double plays defensively. In 2005, he started all 65 games at shortstop and earned first-team All-Conference USA honors after leading the team in batting average (.356), hits (98), stolen bases (21) and assists (171), while tying for first in doubles (24), ranking second in RBIs (62), third in total bases (150), fourth in slugging percentage (.545) and runs scored (58), and fifth in home runs (eight). He led C-USA in hits and stolen bases. In the
NCAA New Orleans Super Regional The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and 1 in Canada. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and helps ...
, Manzella started all three games at shortstop, hitting .400 (6-for-15) with two doubles and two RBIs and posted a .417 on-base percentage with a walk. He had two hits in all three games, and posted seven putouts, five assists, and one error defensively.


Collegiate summer baseball

Upon graduation, Manzella played for the
Waynesboro Generals The Waynesboro Generals are a collegiate summer baseball team in Waynesboro, Virginia. They play in the southern division of the Valley Baseball League. The Generals have won six Valley League playoff championships: in 1984, 1988, 1998, 2007, 201 ...
of the Valley League in and the
Brewster Whitecaps The Brewster Whitecaps are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brewster, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Whitecaps play their home games at Stony Bro ...
of the
Cape Cod League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...
in . In 2002, he earned All-Valley League honors as a shortstop and was named to the All Star Game roster as he led his team with nine
stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...
s, and finished second on the club in batting average (.313) and doubles (5). In 2003, he led the Whitecaps in assists while collecting three doubles, a
triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * I ...
, six RBIs and four stolen bases.


Professional career


Houston Astros

He was drafted by the Astros in the 3rd round of the
2005 Major League Baseball draft The 2005 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best drafts in recent memory. ''SourceMajor L ...
. Manzella went on to play for the
Tri-City ValleyCats The Tri-City ValleyCats are a professional baseball team based in Albany, New York. The ValleyCats compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was established in 2002, along with the ...
of the
New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...
. He played in 53 games and finished with a .232 batting average in 220
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, b ...
s with 18 RBIs, and 5 stolen bases. He was promoted to the
Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends have ...
in , where he played 99 games and finished with a .275 batting average in 338 at-bats with 7 home runs, 43 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases along with a .956
fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a baseball positions, defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putout ...
. In , Manzella split time between the
Salem Avalanche Salem may refer to: Places Canada * Salem, Ontario, various places Germany * Salem, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality in the Bodensee district ** Salem Abbey (Reichskloster Salem), a monastery * Salem, Schleswig-Holstein Israel * Salem ...
and
Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned b ...
, playing in 121 games with a .264 combined batting average in 451 at bats with 1 home run, 39 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. In , Manzella played in 54 games with the Hooks before being promoted to the Triple-A
Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home ...
, where he struggled with a .219 batting average with 0 home runs and 15 RBIs, but had his best fielding percentage at .989. The Astros signed Manzella to a one-year, $400,000 major league contract on February 15 after having added him to the
40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...
in November to protect him from the
Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...
. He was called up to the major leagues along with Chris Johnson and Billy Sadler by the Astros from the Round Rock Express. He recorded his first major league hit, off of
Donnie Veal Donald Tyrone Veal (born September 18, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Veal played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, and Atlanta Braves. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in ...
of the Pirates, on September 11. Manzella was the Opening Day shortstop with the Astros in 2010, and Jeff Keppinger also got time there when he wasn't at second base. He went 13-58 (.224) with 3 RBI in April. He hit his first major league home run, a 2-run home run off of Rodrigo López of the Diamondbacks, on May 5, putting the Astros on top 2-1 in a game they eventually won 3-2. He hit .192 (14-73) with 5 RBI in May. When the Astros placed
Kazuo Matsui is a Japanese former professional baseball player who played as a shortstop and is a former manager of the Saitama Seibu Lions. He is a switch-hitter. Matsui signed with the New York Mets on December 17, 2003, becoming the first Japanese infie ...
on waivers on May 20, Keppinger took over full-time at second base, making Manzella the full-time shortstop. He was hitting .224 (13-58) in June before he fractured his left index finger on June 22 when Nate Schierholtz slid into it trying to steal second base. The Astros recalled
Oswaldo Navarro Oswaldo Ramsés Navarro ah-vahr'-o(born October 2, 1984) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros. He was signed by the Mariners as a undrafted f ...
to take over at shortstop, but they eventually acquired Ángel Sánchez to take over on July 1. He rehabbed at Corpus Christi and Round Rock for 11 games total before returning on August 19. He finished the year splitting time with Sánchez at shortstop. In 83 games with the Astros, he hit .225 with 1 HR, 21 RBI and a .973 fielding percentage. Manzella was cut from 2011 spring training on March 24, and Matt Downs and
Joe Inglett Joseph Steven Inglett (born June 29, 1978) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 2006 and 2011 for the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, and Houston Ast ...
were the backup infielders to start 2011, while Sánchez was the shortstop. Manzella began 2011 with Triple-A
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
. With
Clint Barmes Clint Harold Barmes (, born March 6, 1979) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2003 through 2015 for the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, and ...
established as the starting shortstop, and Sánchez as his backup, Manzella had no role on the major league roster, and on August 10, 2011, he was designated for assignment. In 109 games with Oklahoma City, he hit .230 with 7 HR and 48 RBI.


Arizona Diamondbacks

Manzella was claimed off waivers by 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 ...
on August 11. He was assigned to Triple-A
Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...
, where in 22 games to finish 2011, he hit .246 with 1 HR, 3 RBI and 7 runs. After not being called up when the rosters expanded in September, he was designated for assignment on September 19 and outrighted 2 days later. Manzella began 2012 with Reno, where he played in 15 games before being released on May 6. He was hitting 4-40 with 2 RBI and 2 runs.


Milwaukee Brewers

Manzella was signed to a minor league contract on May 8, 2012 by the
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 ...
. He provided depth in the infield after injuries to Alex González and
Mat Gamel Mathew Lawrence Gamel (born July 26, 1985) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers across the 2008 through 2012 seasons. Once considered among the best prospect (spor ...
. On July 29, 2012, Manzella was released by Double-A
Huntsville Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the 100th-most populous city in the U.S. The Huntsville metropolitan area had an estimated 525,465 ...
. He was hitting .252 with 1 HR and 28 RBI in 62 games.


Chicago White Sox

On July 31, 2012, Manzella 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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
. He was assigned to the Triple-A
Charlotte Charlotte most commonly refers to: *Charlotte (given name), a feminine form of the given name Charles ** Princess Charlotte (disambiguation) ** Queen Charlotte (disambiguation) *Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, a city * Charlotte (cake) ...
the following day. He played in 14 games for the Knights, where he hit 7-41 with 6 RBI and 4 runs. After the season, he became a minor league free agent.


Colorado Rockies

On December 13, 2012, Manzella signed a minor league deal with the
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
. Manzella began the 2013 season with Colorado`s Triple-A affiliate
Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...
and appeared in 32 games, but was released on May 28 after batting .190 in 32 games with no home runs and 10 RBIs.


Toronto Blue Jays

On June 4, 2013, Manzella signed a minor league contract with the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
, and assigned him to their Double-A affiliate
New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League, is the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Ja ...
. He started for the Fisher Cats at third base on June 4. He was released on August 5. In 21 games with New Hampshire, he hit .265 with 10 RBI and 10 runs.


Second stint with White Sox

On August 12, 2013, Manzella 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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
, and started at shortstop for the Double-A
Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The Baron ...
that night. On August 30, 2013, after batting .059 through 34 at bats, Manzella was released.


Arizona Diamondbacks

On January 10, 2014, Manzella 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 March 26.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manzella, Tommy 1983 births Living people Major League Baseball shortstops Houston Astros players Tulane Green Wave baseball players Brewster Whitecaps players Tri-City ValleyCats players Lexington Legends players Salem Avalanche players Corpus Christi Hooks players Round Rock Express players Águilas Cibaeñas players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Oklahoma City RedHawks players Reno Aces players Huntsville Stars players Charlotte Knights players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Birmingham Barons players Baseball players from Louisiana People from Chalmette, Louisiana