Christopher John Cannizzaro

Chris Cannizzaro was a charter member of 2 National League expansion teams, the Mets and the Padres. He was the first ever All Star from the Padres playing in the 1969 game. During the course of his career he hit .235 with 18 Home Runs and 169 RBIs in 740 games.

He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cards in 1956, making his major league debut on April 17, 1960 against the Dodgers. In 1961 he was drafted by the Mets in the expansion draft and played in New York until he was traded in April of 1966 to the Braves for Don Dillard. In December of the same year he was traded to the Red Sox with John Herrnstein for Julio Navarro & Ed Rakow. In February of 1967 he went from Boston to Detroit in an unknown transaction and in November the Tigers traded him to Pittsburgh for Mike Derrick. In March of 1969 he was traded with Tommie Sisk to the Padres for Ron Davis and Bobby Klaus. In May of 1971 he was traded to the Cubs for Garry Jestadt. In December of '71 he was picked off the waiver wire by the Dodgers and then they released him in October of '73 and in January of 1974 he was signed by the Astros as a free agent. The Padres purchased him from the Astros and he finished his career with the Padres playing his last game on September 28, 1974.