Former Reds catcher joins University of Pittsburgh as coach

Devin Mesoraco last played for the Reds in 2018.

Devin Mesoraco seems to be hanging up his cleats. After spending the majority of his major league career with the Cincinnati Reds, Mesoraco was traded to the New York Mets in 2018. According to Kendall Rogers of D1 Baseball, the Pennsylvania native is returning home to be a volunteer assistant to the University of Pittsburgh baseball team.

Mesoraco, a former first-round pick, never lived up to the hype. Taken 15th overall in the 2007 MLB Draft, Mesoraco was pegged to be the Reds catcher of the future. He debuted in September of 2011, but hit for just .180 in 50 at-bats.

The remainder of Mesoraco’s career was more of the same. After eight big league seasons, Mesoraco will finish his career with a .232 batting average, 58 home runs and 192 RBIs. Mesoraco did put together an All-Star caliber campaign in 2014, a season in which he played in 114 games.

Mesoraco’s career was marred by injury. Only twice during his Reds career did he play more than 100 games in a season. However, during that 2014 season, Devin Mesoraco hit .273/.359/.534 with 25 home runs and 85 RBIs.

Many fans thought that could’ve been a springboard into a successful major league career, but the following season saw Mesoraco hit just .178 while playing in just 23 games. The 2016 season was more of the same, when Mesoraco suited up in just 16 games.

Mesoraco was dealt to the Mets in exchange for Matt Harvey in 2018. Oddly, the trade was made while the two teams were in the middle of a three-game series, so Mesoraco and Harvey just switched dugouts.

Mesoraco signed a minor-league deal with the Mets following the 2018 season, but was placed on the team’s restricted list after he failed to make New York’s Opening Day roster. Mesoraco refused to report to Syracuse and did not play in the major or minor leagues last season.