As we all know by now,
Frank Catalanotto was placed on waivers recently after losing his roster spot to the inexorable Andruw Jones. The Cat served the Rangers in two different stints: 2000-2002 and 2007-2008. He was a class act who always looked like he was about 14 years old in his JumboTron pictures at the Ballpark:
He was first acquired by the Rangers in the trade that sent Juan Gonzalez to Detroit, and the second time by free agency. While he wasn't spectacular defensively, he was versatile, having played DH, 1B, 2B, 3B, LF, and RF during his tenure in Texas. What he didn't have in raw power he made up for with a short, compact swing that excelled in finding holes in the infield and sneaking line drives down the line. This compact swing helped Frank to striking out in only 12.7% of his plate appearances (to date), making him a very valuable pinch hitter late in the game. I'd like to thank Frank for his gritty, classy style of play during his 5 seasons as a Texas Ranger and apologize that only one of the seasons he spent here (last year) resulted in anything close to a winning record. Adios, Cat, it's been fun.
He was first acquired by the Rangers in the trade that sent Juan Gonzalez to Detroit, and the second time by free agency. While he wasn't spectacular defensively, he was versatile, having played DH, 1B, 2B, 3B, LF, and RF during his tenure in Texas. What he didn't have in raw power he made up for with a short, compact swing that excelled in finding holes in the infield and sneaking line drives down the line. This compact swing helped Frank to striking out in only 12.7% of his plate appearances (to date), making him a very valuable pinch hitter late in the game. I'd like to thank Frank for his gritty, classy style of play during his 5 seasons as a Texas Ranger and apologize that only one of the seasons he spent here (last year) resulted in anything close to a winning record. Adios, Cat, it's been fun.
You shoulda used a pic of Cat with the Fu Man Chu.
ReplyDeleteHaha, yeah that one is good too. I figured he looked younger in this one, though.
ReplyDeleteFor those who are wondering, here is Cat with the Fu Man Chu:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/atf/cf/%7B705B3273-F2EF-4EF6-A653-E15C5D8BB6B1%7D/frank_catalanotto08.jpg