Baseball: Max Stassi - Los Angeles Angels Artwork

Making an Athlete

Behind every athlete is hours of practice, coaching and growing love for the sport. When an athlete has passion built into the sport they love, it fuels their desire to achieve their dreams of playing sports at a high level. What is often told to athletes is to “trust the process”, but without an understanding of what the “process” actually entails. Making an Athlete brings light into athletes dreams of playing sports at a high level by understanding the proper course. The podcast dives into the minds and experience of former and current players, coaches, scouts, trainers and more. These shared experiences bring more visibility and understanding in what it takes to play sports at a high level. Most importantly, it focuses on how to get to the next level of sports competition. Making an Athlete focuses on the process from youth, high school, college and onto the professional level. From the minds of the athletes and coaches who have been through the process themselves, they talk necessary steps and expectations for current athletes who are looking for guidance as they are on their pursuit of finding opportunity in their sport.

All Episodes

Making an Athlete

Baseball: Max Stassi - Los Angeles Angels

March 17, 2021 • Tye Davis • Season 1 • Episode 15

Max Stassi, current catcher for the Major League Baseball Los Angeles Angels talks about his path to becoming a major league baseball player. Max was drafted in the fourth round by the Oakland Athletics in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft after his standout prep career at Yuba City High School, located in Northern California. Sporting News called Max the best available catcher of the 2009 draft class, and in that year, Max was presented with a choice to make: attend UCLA where he had committed or pursue a professional baseball career and forgo college.

Stassi played for the Vancouver Canadians of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, Kane County Cougars of the Class A Midwest League, Stockton Ports of the Class A-Advanced California League. On February 4, 2013, the Athletics traded Stassi to the Houston Astros with Brad Peacock and Chris Carter for Jed Lowrie and Fernando Rodriguez. Playing for the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Class AA Texas League in 2013, Stassi hit home runs in five consecutive games in July. Stassi playing for the Oklahoma City RedHawks in 2014

The Astros promoted Stassi to the majors on August 20, 2013, making his MLB debut that day, he recorded two hits. In his second MLB game, Stassi was hit in the face by a 96 miles per hour (154 km/h) fastball, which resulted in his being placed on the disabled list.Since the bases were loaded at the time he was plunked, he earned his first major-league RBI. Stassi began the 2014 season with the Oklahoma City RedHawks of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL). Stassi was named to the Astros' Opening Day roster in 2018 as a backup to McCann.

On July 31, 2019, the Astros traded Stassi to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for minor leaguers Rainier Rivas and Raider Uceta.