Johnny Giavotella reflects on his career, gives advice to college baseball players.

One of the biggest “What if’s?” in recent MLB memory… Johnny Giavotella. 

Giavotella had many more downs than ups in his career, but he’s still grateful for what Major League Baseball provided him. 

The New Orleans native was a second-round pick by the Kansas City Royals in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. 

While scouts rated him high, they still questioned his size. Being 5’8 in the big leagues presents its challenges, but in the end, it didn’t make a difference for the slugging second baseman. 

Giavotella had a career .255 BA, .294 OBP, .653 OPS and had an OPS+ of 81. Giavotella played for three different teams in his career. He spent four years with the Royals, two years with Angels and one year with the Orioles. 

After moving on from the Royals, he went and reached his full potential with the Los Angeles Angels.

A memory that will stick with him forever was on May 6th, 2015. Giavotella was up to the plate in a very high-pressure/tense situation. With the winning run on first base, he had to blast a ball into a gap. On first base was the speedy Erick Aybar. He grabbed the bat, stared down the Mariners Pitcher, and took a long deep breath. With major bat speed, he made contact with the 93 mph two-seam fastball up towards the left quadrant of the strike zone and hit the ball towards the foul pole. It was a double that scored Erick Aybar and was a walk-off victory for the Los Angeles Angels. He was greeted with a Gatorade bath and Albert Pujols ripping his jersey off after he scored the run. Giavotella sealed the deal with a hug from the future Hall of Famer, Mike Trout. 

That’s who Johnny was. A guy that was loved by his teammates and a guy that could consistently get the job done. 

Giavotella did suffer numerous amounts of injuries in his career, creating several setbacks in his big-league journey. He would fight through any pain just to make sure he put his team in winning situations. 

Being an inspiration around the baseball world was never his goal, but he is satisfied knowing he made a difference. A true leader and warrior on the diamond epitomized who Johnny Giavotella truly is. 

Here is an excerpt of Johnny Giavotella reflecting on his career: 

ID: Johnny, thank you for joining me today! You were drafted by the Royals in 2008. What was that moment like for you when you got the call to find out you were a big leaguer? 

JG: It honestly was the best moment of my life. The manager of the Triple-A team I was on asked me if I wanted to shag ground balls or go play in Kansas City! It was surreal. 

ID: How impactful were the Minors for you in terms of development and getting ready for that next level? 

JG: Playing in the minors was huge for me to get the coaching I needed to reach my full potential. The guys in the minors are super knowledgeable and want to see you get better. I appreciate the time and energy they gave me.

ID: How important was summer baseball to you growing up? 

JG: Summer ball in college was big. I played in the very competitive Cape Cod League. My advice is to play with and against the best players. It will force you to up your game and get better. 

ID: Did you ever get discouraged when you got released from a team? JG: I would be discouraged. I’d even be angry! Nobody wants to be released or fired, but it’s part of the business. We have to accept it and move on to the next journey. Losing confidence is also natural in the big leagues because guys are just so good that failure is inevitable. The important thing is to keep reminding yourself how good you are and the value you bring to a ball club. 

ID: Do you have a favorite memory from your time in the bigs that come into mind? 

JG: My favorite moment was my first big league homer off of Max Scherzer. It was my third game in the big leagues. My family and friends saw me hit the bomb so that was special to me. 

ID: In your eyes, who was the best big leaguer you ever played with? 

JG: Mike Trout without a doubt was the best overall player I’ve ever seen. I also have extreme admiration for Miguel Cabrera. I think he is the best pure hitter I have ever played against. 

ID: Growing up in Louisiana, which MLB team was your favorite to root for? 

JG: Yeah so I grew up a Yankees fan. My dad loved the Yankees and I grew up watching all of the world series wins while idolizing Derek Jeter. 

ID: Do you have any more advice you could give to baseball prospects that want to make it to the big leagues? 

JG: Focus on the process of being a complete player. Don’t harp so much on short-term results. Play every game like it’s your last and play until they rip the jersey off of you! 

ID: Thank you for the time, Johnny. 

JG: You got it, man, talk soon! Take care!

"Congrats on a heck of a career Dustin Pedroia! I use to watch you in high school and college and found so much inspiration in your game that it isn’t the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog! Better believe I was coming in hard at 2nd on you though!!" -- Johnny Giavotella, Twitter.