The slow-footed Satriano constructed a 10-year major league career with his adaptability at catcher and every infield position. “I realize that my versatility has kept me in the majors,” he admitted in 1967. “I also believe that it’s made me more alert than the average player.”

Thomas Victor Nicholas Satriano was born on August 28, 1940 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the youngest of two sons of Victor Nicholas and Teresa Edith (Mussano) Satriano.. He was the grandson of Italian immigrants Emilio and Giovanna Satriano who arrived in the Steel City with their baby daughter around the turn of the 20th century. Tom’s father was born shortly thereafter. In the 1930s, Victor married Teresa and supported his growing family by selling life insurance. The family moved to California during or shortly after World War II.

Tom signed with the Angels in July 1961 and was immediately placed on the team's Major League roster during its first season as an American League expansion team. He appeared in 35 games played as an infielder, and started 21 games at third base. His conversion to catcher began in 1963, and by 1966 he was predominantly a receiver. He played for the Angels (he was an original Los Angeles Angel player) and the Red Sox.

In 1968, in the depth of the second dead-ball era, he hit .253 with 8 home runs in 297 at-bats for the Angels. The league as a whole hit .230 that year.

Tom's daughter Gina played for the Colorado Silver Bullets, a women's baseball team and became an Assistant District Attorney in Los Angeles.

View this Q&A with Tom Satriano.

(excerpted from SABR, BR Bullpen & Wikipedia)