Joseph David Vitiello (born April 11, 1970 in Cambridge, MA) is a former American professional baseball player who played designated hitter from 1995-2003. He played for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and Montreal Expos of the Major League Baseball (MLB). He also played for the Orix BlueWave of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 2001.

Attending Stoneham High School in Stoneham, MA, Joe was a star athlete for the Spartans, with an athletic career that led to his eventual enshrinement in the school’s Hall of Fame in 2005. He played basketball and football, but his true impact came on the baseball diamond. He pitched and played first base for the baseball team, and was named the division’s top player of the year his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. Along the way he picked up a number of other recognitions and even helped lead the team to the state finals.

Vitiello attended the University of Alabama, and in 1989 and 1990 he played collegiate summer baseball with the Hyannis Mets of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was first selected by the New York Yankees in the 31st round of the 1988 MLB June Amateur Draft while in high school, then ultimately drafted by the Royals in the first round (7th overall) of the 1991 MLB Draft. In 1994, Joe, who had a 28-game hitting streak, led the American Association with a .344 batting average and .440 on-base percentage.

(excerpted from Baseball Almanac, BR Bullpen, WickedLocal & Wikipedia)