Going into his fifth pro season in 1991, John Massarelli hoped to start at AA. Instead, he started where he'd played the previous year, high-A Osceola, The Orlando Sentinel wrote.
Massarelli chose to respond with a positive attitude, he told The Sentinel.
"I had to realize anybody can only control what you can control, and that means I have to go out and play hard," Massarelli told The Sentinel that June.
Massarelli work was soon rewarded with a promotion to AA Jackson and even AAA Tucson. But, in a career that spanned a decade, he never could make the bigs.
Massarelli's career began in 1987, taken by the Astros in the eighth round of the draft out of the University of Akron.
Massarelli started with the Astros at short-season Auburn and single-A Asheville. He hit .206 in 29 games.
He returned to Auburn for 1988, then Asheville in 1989. He hit .248 in 90 games at Asheville. After Osceola in 1990, where he stole 54 bases, he saw 12 games at Jackson in 1991 and then 46 games at AAA Tucson. He hit .268 at Tucson.
Massarelli split 1992 between Jackson and Tucson, then played 1993 completely at Tucson. He hit .281 in 114 games. That May, he started a ninth-inning rally, singling and stealing second, The Tucson Citizen wrote.
"I like leading off the inning because I feel with my speed, I can make things happen,," Massarelli told The Citizen. "It's part of hustling throughout the game."
He moved to the Marlins and AAA Edmonton for 1994, then to the Indians for 1995 at AA Canton-Akron and AAA Charlotte. He then finished out his career with the Padres in 1996 between AA Memphis and high-A Rancho Cucamonga.
By 1998, he started a career as a coach at Walsh University, The Akron Beacon Journal.
"I was so happy to bring in another assistant coach," Walsh head coach Tim Mead told The Beacon Journal. "And John not only brought his experience, but also his passion for teaching the game."
Massarelli then returned to the pros. He managed with the Astros at short-season Auburn, then single-A Michigan for 2001 and high-A Salem for 2003. For 2004, he moved to independent ball at Washington. He's most recently credited as manager at independent Kansas City in 2015.
- Orlando Sentinel, June 9, 1991: Catcher finds it hard to advance
- Tucson Citizen, May 12, 1993: Lately, team finds victory
- Akron Beacon Journal, March 1, 1998: Minor-league veteran moves on to coaching
Made the Majors:1,396-32.3%
Never Made Majors:2,922-67.7%-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors:351-X
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