Lou Merloni

As a native of Framingham, Massachusetts, Lou Merloni was born to play for the Boston Red Sox. Merloni became a Red Sox fan favorite during his stint as a utility player for the team from 1998-2002 and again, briefly, in 2003. Merloni was frequently called up and down from the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox, a move that became known as the "Merloni Shuffle." In 1998, he hit a home run in his first major league at-bat in Fenway Park. Merloni also played for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels before retiring in 2007 after a final year in the Oakland Athletics minor league system.

After leaving the game, Merloni began a media career working at Boston's WEEI and as a pre and postgame commentator for Red Sox games and NESN. He joined Comcast Sports New England in 2009 while continuing to host shows for WEEI. Merloni became a parttime radio commentator on Red Sox games in 2013. He still co-hosts a program on WEEI and is a baseball analyst for NBC Sports Boston. Merloni is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame and also set several records while playing at Providence College.