Rick Lancellotti

Richard Anthony Lancellotti (born July 5, 1956) is an American former first baseman-outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the San Diego Padres (1982), San Francisco Giants (1986) and Boston Red Sox (1990). He batted and threw left-handed. Lancellotti moved frequently in his youth, leaving Concord, New Hampshire, for Cherry Hill, New Jersey, as a teenager and transferred to Cherry Hill High School East in his junior year where he made the baseball team as a pitcher. A capable slugger who led four different leagues in home runs, Lancellotti played in 15 different leagues and several countries, including stints in Canada, Colombia, Italy, Japan, Mexico and Venezuela. In 1979, Lancellotti was named the Eastern League most valuable player after he led the league with 41 home runs and 107 runs batted in while playing for the Buffalo Bisons, the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. On August 5, 1980, Lancellotti, along with Luis Salazar, was traded to the San Diego Padres for a player to be named later and Kurt Bevacqua. The Padres later sent Mark Lee to Pittsburgh to complete the trade. He made his Major League debut with the San Diego Padres in 1982, appearing in 17 games. His career-highlight came in 1984, when he led all professional baseball with 131 RBI and hit 29 home runs while playing for the Triple-A Las Vegas Stars, a Padres affiliate. In 1986, Lancellotti led the Pacific Coast League with 31 home runs while playing for the Phoenix Firebirds, the Giants' Triple-A affiliate. At 30, he was promoted to the majors and hit .222 with two home runs and six RBI in 18 at-bats. In 1987 and 1988 he played in Japan, hitting 58 home runs in 190 games for the Hiroshima Carp, including a league-leading 39 homers in 1987....