Jarrod Saltalamacchia biography, mlb, wife, married, contract, highlights, twitter

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<p>Jarrod Saltalamacchia is an American professional <a href="/biography/jarrod-saltalamacchia">baseball catcher</a> who most recently played for the Detroit Tigers in Major League Baseball (MLB). Over the course of his career, he played for several MLB teams, including the Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers. Notably, his 14-letter surname, Saltalamacchia, became the longest in MLB history. The name is of Italian origin—derived from the words "salta," meaning "to jump," and "la macchia," meaning "thicket" or "brush" in southern Italian dialect—translating roughly to "to jump over tall brush." He was commonly known by his nickname, "Salty."</p>

<h2>Early Life and Education</h2>
<p>Jarrod Saltalamacchia was born in West Palm Beach, Florida, and attended Royal Palm Beach High School in Royal Palm Beach, Florida. He graduated in 2003 and was classmates with future MLB pitcher and Texas Rangers <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kason_Gabbard">teammate</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kason_Gabbard">Kason Gabbard</a>, with whom he shared a long-standing friendship. Saltalamacchia also represented Team Florida USA and helped secure a gold medal during the 2001 Junior Olympics.</p>

<h2>MLB Draft and Minor League Success</h2>
<p>Saltalamacchia was selected 36th overall in the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft by the Atlanta Braves. He experienced a breakout season in 2006 with the Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. As a switch-hitting slugger, he posted a .314 batting average, hit 19 home runs, tallied 35 doubles, and drove in 81 RBIs over 129 games. That year, Baseball America ranked him the 18th overall prospect, and he was ranked 36th the following year in 2007.</p>

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<h2>Major League Career and Longest Name in MLB</h2>
<p>In 2007, Saltalamacchia began the season with the Double-A Mississippi Braves, where he batted .373 with 7 home runs over 22 games. On his 22nd birthday, he was called up to the Atlanta Braves to replace <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brayan_Peña">Bryan Peña</a> on the roster and fill in for injured <a href="/biography/brian-mccann">catcher</a> <a href="/biography/brian-mccann">Brian McCann</a>. During this call-up, Saltalamacchia became the record holder for the longest surname in MLB history, surpassing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Van_Landingham">William Van Landingham</a>'s 13-letter last name.</p>

<h2>Personal Life and Faith</h2>
<p>Saltalamacchia is a practicing Christian and spoke openly about his faith, particularly following the Boston Marathon bombing, emphasizing forgiveness as a core tenet of his beliefs. He is married to Ashley, a former gym teacher at his high school. The couple married one year after his graduation. Saltalamacchia also spent time connecting with fans on social media, including through his Twitter presence.</p>

<h2>Time with the Detroit Tigers</h2>
<p>In 2016, Saltalamacchia joined the Detroit Tigers on a one-year contract, serving as a catcher. Though details of his seasonal performance are available online, his tenure with the Tigers was part of the latter phase of his MLB career, contributing veteran leadership behind the plate.</p>

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