Rob Picciolo

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Rob Picciolo

|position=Shortstop

|team=

|number=

|image=Rob Picciolo (5971733271) (cropped).jpg

|caption=Picciolo with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2011

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date|1953|2|4}}

|birth_place=Santa Monica, California, U.S.

|death_date={{dda|2018|1|3|1953|2|4}}

|death_place=Los Angeles, California, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=April 9

|debutyear=1977

|debutteam=Oakland Athletics

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=October 6

|finalyear=1985

|finalteam=Oakland Athletics

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.234

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=17

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=109

|teams=

As player

Oakland Athletics ({{Baseball year|1977}}–{{Baseball year|1982}})
Milwaukee Brewers ({{Baseball year|1982}}–{{Baseball year|1983}})
California Angels ({{Baseball year|1984}})
Oakland Athletics ({{Baseball year|1985}})

As coach

San Diego Padres ({{Baseball year|1990}}–{{Baseball year|2005}})
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ({{Baseball year|2006}}–{{Baseball year|2013}})

}}

Robert Michael Picciolo (February 4, 1953 – January 3, 2018) was an American Major League Baseball player and coach.

Playing career

Picciolo played nine seasons in the major leagues, from 1977–85, for the Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, and California Angels, where he was primarily a shortstop; he also played third base and second base.

In 1,628 major league at bats, he walked only 25 times. Picciolo spent 20 years in the San Diego Padres organization after a nine-year big league career playing for the Athletics, Brewers, and Angels.{{cn|date=July 2018}}

Post-playing career

He was a minor league manager with the Class-A Short Season Spokane Indians in the Northwest League in 1986 and 1987, winning the League and Division titles in his second season there, then was a roving infield instructor the following two years before being promoted to the Padres big league coaching staff midway through the 1990 season.

There, he served under Padres managers Greg Riddoch, Jim Riggleman and Bruce Bochy as a first base coach (mid-1990-92), a bench coach (1993–2002) and third base coach (2003–05).

Picciolo was the longest-tenured coach in San Diego Padres history, serving 16 consecutive years between {{baseball year|1990}} and {{baseball year|2005}}.

From 2006 to 2010, he served as the Angels' roving infield instructor.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=5789463|title=Angels make moves, Picciolo to be bench coach|date=November 10, 2010|website=ESPN.com}} He was then named the Angels' bench coach for manager Mike Scioscia on November 10, 2010.

He was fired by the Angels on October 8, 2013.{{Cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-angels-fire-bench-coach-rob-picciolo-hitting-coach-jim-eppard-20131008,0,599440.story|title=Angels fire bench coach Rob Picciolo, hitting coach Jim Eppard - latimes.com|website=Los Angeles Times|date=October 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011235625/http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-angels-fire-bench-coach-rob-picciolo-hitting-coach-jim-eppard-20131008,0,599440.story|archive-date=2013-10-11}}

Personal life

Picciolo graduated from Westchester High School in 1971, earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and played one season of baseball in Pepperdine University. He earned All-District honors and helped Pepperdine to first place in the WCC and a spot in the NCAA District Playoffs. {{Cite web|url=https://pepperdinewaves.com/hof.aspx?hof=100|title=Rob Picciolo (1982) – Hall of Fame|website=Pepperdine University Athletics}} Picciolo died on January 3, 2018, aged 64, from a heart attack.{{cite web|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/sd-sp-long-time-padres-coach-rob-picciolo-dies-at-64-20180103-story.html|title=Longtime Padres coach Picciolo dies; 'just loved the game of baseball'|last1=Sanders|first1=Jeff|date=January 4, 2018|work=San Diego Union Tribune|accessdate=January 8, 2018}}

He was survived by his wife Debbie and two sons, Breton and Dustin, who both attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Breton was a former staffer in the Padres communications department.{{cn|date=July 2018}}