Francisco Cervelli: Net Worth, Girlfriend, Concussion & Stats

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Francisco Cervelli, aka Gazoo, is a former professional baseball player of Major League Baseball (MLB). He started his MLB journey as a free international agent for the New York Yankees.

Before his retirement, he represented various famous MLB other than the Yankees, such as Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, and Miami Marlins.

Moreover, he was part of the 2009 World Series championship team and paved his way through international tournaments like- World Baseball Classics (2009, 2013). 

Francisco Cervelli
Francisco Cervelli

Furthermore, let’s dive into the details of a hardworking former athlete. Here, we will bestow you with all the details about his early life, league career, past relationships, and retirement.

Before we move ahead, let’s glance at some quick facts first.

Quick Facts:

Full Name  Francisco Cervelli
Birth Date March 6, 1986
Age   Valencia, Venezuela
Birth Place 38 Years Old
Nickname Gazoo
Religion Not Available
Nationality Venezuelan
Education Not Available
Horoscope  Pisces
Father’s Name Emanuele Cervelli
Mother’s Name Damelis Cervelli
Siblings Marie Cervelli Carmen
Height 1.85 m
Weight 93 kgs
Build Athletic
Shoe Size Not Available
Eye Color Brown
Hair Color Grey
Marital Status Unmarried
Past Lovers    Migbelis Castellano, Patricia De Leon
Spouse None
Children None
Profession Professional Baseball Athlete
Debut 2008
Batted   Right
Throws Right
Last Appearance 2020
Former Teams New York Yankees
Pittsburgh Pirates
Atlanta Braves
Miami Marlins
Jersey number #45 (Atlanta Braves)
Net Worth $35 million
Awards and Achievements World Series champion- 2009
Social Media Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
Merch Francisco Cervelli T-Shirts, Baseball cards, Jersey
Last Update March, 2024

When was Francisco Cervelli born? Early Life, Family, & Education

Former professional athlete Francisco Cervelli was born on March 6, 1986, in Valencia, Venezuela, to his father, Emanuele Cervelli, an Italian immigrant, and mother, Damelis Cervelli, who is Venezuelan.

Thus, Francisco is half Italian and half Venezuelan. Also, Francisco has an older sibling named Marie Cervelli Carmen. 

The Cervelli siblings are very close to each other, and Francisco often posts about his niece on social media.

Francisco with his parents and niece
Francisco with his parents and niece

In his native country, Francisco played in the positions of – second base, shortstop, and sometimes pitcher.

According to the zodiac charts, Francisco falls under the sun sign of Pisces. People with Pisces as their sun sign are known for their Selfless and empathetic nature.

Age, Height, and Body Measurements

Moreover, the former baseball catcher is  38 years old as of 2024.

Moreover, he stands at a height of 1.85 m and weighs around 93 kg. Francisco has an athletic build with brown hair and grey eyes.

Education

Most of the details regarding Cervelli’s past are quite a mystery to the world. Thus, the information regarding his educational background is not available in any sources.

He was born and raised in Venezuela, so we can assume that he graduated from Venezuelan academic institutions.

Francisco Cervelli | Baseball Career and Profession

Minor League Career

In 2003 Francisco played in the Dominican Summer League. The New York Yankees signed him as an international free agent.

Initially, he played as a switch hitter, but the Yankees wanted him to concentrate on right-handed hitting.

Furthermore, after struggling to adapt to professional baseball in 2004 and 2005, Francisco batted at .309 for the Staten Island Yankees, a minor league Class A-Short Season baseball team of the New York–Penn League in 2006.

Similarly, in 2007, he played for the Tampa Yankees, a minor league Class A-Advanced baseball team of the Florida State League.

While playing for the Tampa Yankees, he batted .279 with a .387 on-base percentage, including two home runs.

Moreover, before the 2008 season, Baseball America rated Cervelli as the Yankees’ 23rd-best prospect.

On March 8, 2008, he fractured his wrist during a spring training game while playing against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Elliot Johnson, the Rays’ infielder, crashed with him at home plate, injuring him. He didn’t come back to play until June.

Besides, Francisco began the 2009 season with the Class AA Eastern League team called the Trenton Thunder.

Major league career

New York Yankees

Soon after finishing the minor league season of 2008, the Yankees called Francisco to play at the Major league games.

Cervelli made his debut as a defensive replacement on September 18, 2008. Later, on May 5, 2009, the Yankees placed Jorge Posada on the 15-day disabled list and called Cervelli to play.

He made his first major league start on May 7. Moreover, he recorded his first major league hit on May 8 while playing against the Baltimore Orioles.

He proved himself a competent defensive catcher for the New York Yankees and received recognition from his teammates.

Francisco inside the field
Francisco inside the field

Although the Yankees sent Francisco to the Class AAA International League, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 8, 2009, Joe Girardi, Yankees’ manager, made it evident that he was very impressed with Francisco’s performance.

On June 24, 2009, Francisco hit his first major league home run while playing against the Atlanta Braves and breaking up a no-hitter.

On September 16, he had his first walk-off hit while playing against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Because of his performance, Francisco became a member of the Yankees roster for the 2009 MLB postseason.

Do check out fellow MLB athlete <<Justin Bour Bio: Wife, Net Worth, Team, Contract & MLB>>

2010

During the 2010 season, Francisco started on the Yankees’ 25-man roster and served as the Yankees’ starting catcher.

Unfortunately, Francisco was hit in the head by a pitch on March 6, and the Yankees removed him from the game.

After suffering from another concussion while playing in the winter ball, the New York Yankees recommended Cervelli begin wearing the Rawlings S-100 protective helmet, a bulkier model helmet made to endure 100 mph fastballs.

As a result of his helmet, Cervelli earned his nickname “Gazoo,” a reference to a character in an animated sitcom called The Flintstones

2011

Moreover, in the 2011 season, Francisco started spring training as the backup to Russell Martin. Sadly, he broke his foot in early March and missed the commencement of the 2011 season.

Soon after, Francisco was released by the New York Yankees from the disabled list on April 29, 2011.

On May 8, Cervelli hit his first home run of the season and the first grand slam of his career during a series tiebreaker against Texas.

Do check out fellow former MLB athlete <<Kendrys Morales Bio: Injury, Retirement, Wife, Contract & Stats>>

2012

The Yankees optioned Francisco to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to begin the 2012 season. However, he admitted that he grieved due to his demotion and refocused on improving his skills.

Thus, as a result, the Yankees recalled Francisco to the majors as rosters expanded on September 1.

2013

For the 2013 season, Francisco became the starting catcher for the New York Yankees. On April 26, during a game against the Blue Jays,  he suffered from a fractured right hand and underwent surgery.

The following day the Yankees placed him on the 60-day disabled list. On August 5, 2013, Francisco was suspended by the authorities for 50 games after being connected with the Biogenesis scandal. 

2014

Moreover, during the spring training for 2014, Francisco competed with Austin Romine and John Ryan Murphy to become the backup catcher for the New York Yankees.

He won the place, but soon after, he suffered from a hamstring injury on April 13 and was placed on the Yankees’ 60-day disabled list once again.

Francisco returned to play with the Yankees on June 17. He finished the 2014 season playing in 49 games with a batting average of .301. 

Pittsburgh Pirates

The New York Yankees traded Francisco to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for pitcher Justin Wilson on November 12, 2014.

He started in all 124 games representing the Pirates for the 2015 season. During the seasons, he batted with .295 and 3.8 Wins Above Replacement.

Before the 2016 season, the Pirates signed a one-year contract worth $3.5 million with Cervelli. During the season, the Pirates signed a three-year contract extension worth $31 million with Francisco.

Francisco Cervelli
Francisco Cervelli autograph

In 2016, Cervelli’s batting dropped to .264, .377, and .322, his lowest slugging percentage, and he hit only one home run during 393 plate appearances.

Likewise, Cervelli moved into the cleanup spot after hitting an RBI double, drawing a walk, and scoring 2 runs out while playing against the Rockies.

Besides, while playing for the Pirates, Franciso’s walk-up song was loved both by his fans and teammates. 

Moreover, for the year 2017, he batted .249, which was again the lowest batting average of his career. Francisco was placed on the Pirates’ seven-day disabled list due to a concussion on June 20, 2018.

He came back to play after a couple of weeks, but he soon dropped back to the seven-day disabled list due to a recurrence of the concussion.

Furthermore, Francisco suffered from his sixth concussion on May 25, 2019.

During rehabilitation, he decided to give up on the catcher position. Later, Cervelli changed his decision and continued with his position.

Atlanta Braves

The Pittsburgh Pirates released Francisco to experience playing time with another team on August 22, 2019.

Soon, on August 24, 2019, Cervelli signed with the Atlanta Braves. In 14 games that he played for the Braves, he hit two home runs, and batted at.281 with seven RBIs.

Francisco Cervelli
Francisco Cervelli representing Atlanta Braves 

Miami Marlins

Moreover, Francisco signed a one-year contract worth $2 million with the Miami Marlins on January 9, 2020. He served as a backup catcher to Jorge Alfaro.

Soon, Francisco was placed on the Marlin’s injured list due to his condition and was later ruled out for the season 2020 after his seventh MLB concussion on August 22, 2020.

He played in a total of 16 games total in 2020. According to wpxi.com, Francisco Cervelli announced his retirement after the end of the regular season on Instagram. 

You can find season stats, splits, game logs, projections, and much more information related to Francisco Cervelli on the Fangraphs website.

International Career

Along with playing for the MLB throughout his career, Francisco also represented the Italy National Baseball Team in the 2009 and 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Summary Career Stats

Summary WAR AB H HR BA R RBI SB OBP SLG OPS OPS+
Career 13.9 2256 605 41 .268 281 275 17 .358 .382 .740 101

How much does Francisco Cervelli make? Net Worth and Salary

Looking back at his career’s contract details, Francisco’s salary while playing for the New York Yankees varied from $400k to $700k. 

Additionally, while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cervelli signed a three-year contract extension worth $31 million and a one-year contract worth $2 million with the Miami Marlins.

Accumulating everything that Cervelli has earned during his baseball career, we can assume that-

“Francisco Cervelli’s net worth falls around $35 million.”

Francisco Cervelli | Girlfriend

Cervelli has been in a romantic relationship twice in the past. His first relationship was with Patricia De Leon, Miss Panama 1995, famous as a TV- personality and an actress.

Francisco Cervelli
Francisco Cervelli with his Ex-girlfriend Migbelis Castellano.

His second relationship was with gorgeous Migbelis Castellano, Miss Venezuela 2013, famous as a Venezuelan actress, model, and tv host.

Social Media Presence:

Instagram: 230k followers

Twitter: 124.9k followers

Facebook: 104k followers

Interesting Facts about Francisco Cervelli

  1. Francisco Cervelli is a devoted soccer fan. He supports Serie A club Juventus, an Italian professional football club.
  2. Cervelli and Hernan Perez teamed up and helped gain American attention towards the Venezuela Crisis. One of the techniques they used to grab attention was writing ‘SOS Venezuela’ on their eye black. Also, he and his teammates wore t-shirts that stated ‘Freedom for Venezuela.”

Some FAQs:

Where is Francisco Cervelli from? 

Fransisco Cervelli is originally from Valencia, Venezuela

Why is Francisco Cervelli not playing?

After Francisco’s last appearance on August 22, 2020, he was placed on the Marlins injured list due to a concussion. Later, Cervelli announced his retirement.

How much is Francisco Cervelli’s rookie card worth?

Fransisco Cervelli’s baseball rookie card price ranges from $0.55-$4.77.

Is Francisco Cervelli Italian?

Yes, Fransisco Cervelli is Italian-Venezuelan by Nationality.

Why did Francisco Cervelli break up with his girlfriend?

The details regarding Cervelli’s breakup have not been revealed by any sources. 

Where did the Yankees trade Francisco Cervelli?

The professional baseball team, New York Yankees, traded Francisco Cervelli to the Pittsburg Pirates in exchange for pitcher Justin Wilson on November 12, 2014.

Does Francisco Cervelli bat right or left?

Francisco Cervelli bats and throws right.

What position does Francisco Cervelli play?

Francisco Cervelli played in the catcher position in his professional baseball career.

Does Francisco Cervelli still play?

No, Francisco Cervelli has retired from his baseball career. Cervelli announced his retirement after the 2020 regular season. He retires after a 13-year MLB career.

Aaditya Bhatta
Aaditya Bhatta

Aaditya Bhatta

Aaditya Bhatta is a dynamic writer and sports enthusiast, whose passion for both realms is reflected in his work. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for storytelling, Aaditya brings a unique perspective to his writing, captivating readers with his engaging content.

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Sports Analysis Content Creation

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  • Aaditya has consistently delivered insightful analysis and captivating content across various platforms.
  • From in-depth match reports to thought-provoking opinion pieces, Aaditya's versatility shines through in his ability to tackle diverse topics

Experience

Aaditya's journey as a writer and sports aficionado began at a young age when he discovered his passion for both pursuits. Throughout his academic and professional endeavors, Aaditya has honed his skills in content creation and sports analysis, immersing himself in the intricacies of the games he loves.

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