Bobby Estalella (catcher)

Bobby Estalella
Catcher
Born: (1974-08-23) August 23, 1974 Hialeah, Florida
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 17, 1996, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
June 6, 2004, for the Toronto Blue Jays
MLB statistics
Batting average	.216
Home runs	48
Runs batted in	147
Teams
Philadelphia Phillies (1996–1999) San Francisco Giants (2000–2001) New York Yankees (2001) Colorado Rockies (2002–2003) Arizona Diamondbacks (2004) Toronto Blue Jays (2004)

Robert M. Estalella [es-tah-LAY-yah] (born August 23, 1974 in Hialeah, Florida) is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He should not be confused with his grandfather, also named Bobby Estalella, an outfielder who played in the majors between 1935 and 1949.

Baseball career

In nine seasons, Estalella played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1996–1999), San Francisco Giants (2000–2001), New York Yankees (2001), Colorado Rockies (2002–2003), Arizona Diamondbacks (2004) and Toronto Blue Jays (2004). Estalella was a career .216 hitter with 48 home runs and 147 RBI in 310 games.

He was signed by the Cincinnati Reds to a minor league contract before the 2005 season, but chose free-agency during spring training. He was signed by the New York Mets to a minor league contract before the 2006 season, but elected free agency as he re-injured his (r) shoulder and elbow before the season began requiring surgery. In Aug 2010 had (r)hip surgery and have been denied the opportunity to rejoin a team after extensive rehab.

Estalella holds the distinction of having hit the most career home runs in MLB history by a player who also had fewer than 200 career hits. (48 HR; 195H)

BALCO scandal

Estalella was linked to the BALCO steroids scandal through leaked testimony. On December 13, 2007, he was named in the Mitchell Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation Into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball On January 29, 2009, it was reported Estalella would be testifying against Barry Bonds in the federal perjury case against Bonds.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs