Doug Mirabelli

Douglas Anthony Mirabelli was born on October 18, 1970, in Kingman, Arizona. He led Valley High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, to two state baseball titles before being drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the sixth round of the 1989 MLB amateur draft. Mirabelli chose not to sign, opting instead to attend Wichita State University. During his collegiate career, he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Hyannis Mets in 1990, earning an all-star designation. In 1992, he was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the fifth round and began his minor league career the same year with the San Jose Giants.

Mirabelli’s professional journey included stints with the San Jose Giants, Shreveport Captains, and Fresno Grizzlies in the minor leagues. He made his Major League Baseball debut on August 23, 1996, with the San Francisco Giants. He played for the Giants until 2000, often
as part of a catcher platoon, splitting time with veterans like Brent Mayne and Scott Servais. In 2001, his contract was sold to the Texas Rangers, where he served as backup to Iván Rodríguez. Later that year, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox after Jason Varitek’s injury, hitting .270 with 9 home runs for the Red Sox in his partial season there.

Mirabelli became widely recognized for his role as the personal catcher for Tim Wakefield, Boston’s knuckleballer, a partnership that proved highly effective, contributing to Wakefield’s 8-2 record late in the 2002 season. He was a key part of the Red Sox’s World Series championship teams in 2004 and 2007. In 2005, he was traded to the San Diego Padres for Mark Loretta, but returned to the Red Sox in 2006, famously receiving a police escort to Fenway Park after the trade to catch a game. After retiring from playing in 2007, Mirabelli transitioned into coaching, serving as head baseball coach at St. Francis High School in Traverse City, Michigan, in 2009, and as a volunteer assistant coach for Florida Gators softball in 2015. He also works as a realtor in Traverse City, Michigan.