Mid Nineties Italian / American Mets Pitcher Turned Investment V.P.: Frank Seminara (1994)

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Frank Peter Seminara was born on May 16, 1967 in Brooklyn, New York. The local boy attended Columbia University, learning finances & becoming the star pitcher for their baseball team. He was the last MLB pitcher to be drafted out of Columbia University where he received a B.A. in history.

In 1988 he was signed in the 12th round by the local A.L. New York club. The six foot two right handed pitcher, was eventually drafted away by the San Diego Padres (Rule V) in 1990.

He went 16-8 at A ball Prince William, earning the Carolina Leagues Pitcher of the Year Award that same year. The next season he was 15-10 at AA Wichita, making the Padres big league staff by 1992.

He went 9-4 that season in a solid rookie debut, posting a 3.68 ERA striking out 61 batters in 100 innings as the Padres number five starter. The following season he dropped to 3-3 and was demoted to the Padre’s bull pen as a reliever, making just 17 appearances on the year.

In December of 1993 he was traded to the New York Mets in a deal involving of a bunch of minor leaguers. He had gone 1-1 against the Mets the previous two seasons, now he was at home in New York, pitching at Shea Stadium.

He made his Mets debut on April 30th against the Los Angeles Dodgers, entering the game in the 8th inning earning no decision. Seminara would pitch in ten games for the ’94 Mets, going 0-2 allowing 12 runs in 17 innings, posting a 5.82 ERA.

On May 9th in Montreal he blew a 4-1 lead, allowing a two run HR to Larry Walker & a sac fly to Moises Alou. The Mets went on to win it on a 9th inning David Segui HR.

On May 26th he earned a loss in Pittsburgh against the Pirates & then another in Cincinnati to the Reds on June 5th. He was demoted back to the minors that week, getting released at the end of the season. From there he signed on with the Baltimore Orioles the next year but never pitched in the majors again.

In his brief three year career he pitched in 47 games going 12-9 with a 4.12 ERA, striking out 90 batters in 163 innings pitched.

Retirement: Since his baseball career he worked at Morgan Stanley & Salomon Smith Barney investment companies. 

Today Frank is a Senior VP of investments at USB bank on Avenue of the America’s in Manhattan. The Seminara group has been named to the Barons 1000th since March 2011.

Comments

Frank Spoken NYer said…
I always pull for a local guy on a local team,even on the other NYC team.Frank can claim both,but had his chance with the Mets,and it was obviously a failure.But he may be the norm.Most guys signed to a ML contract either never make it, get called up and wish they hadn't,like Jesse Hudson,Bob Rauch,Randy Tate,Jackson Todd &John Pacella,or enjoy breif success in an similarly short career.Seminara is the latter,unfortunately as a Padre.Nice to see he's doing well in his hometown in a more important capacity.
December 18, 2012 at 3:06 AM
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