Background
He was born in San Francisco, California.
He was born in San Francisco, California.
In 1935, he graduated from Galileo High School (San Francisco), where he was an All-Star in the baseball, basketball and football teams.
Listed at 5"8", 150 pounds, he batted and threw right-handed. Lodigiani enjoyed a 17-year baseball career (1935–1954), playing parts of six seasons in the majors (1938-1942, 1946) and 14 in the minor leagues (1935-1940. 1947-1954), losing three years while serving in military (1943-1945).
He played second base for Lowell High School (San Francisco), as his double play partner was shortstop Joe DiMaggio.
At age 19, Lodigiani started his professional career with the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League (1935-1937) and later joined the Williamsport Grays of the Eastern League (1938). He entered the majors in 1938 with the Philadelphia Athletics, playing for them until 1940 in one game before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League (1940).
He returned to major league action with the Chicago White Sox (1941-1942), and later served in the United States Army Air Force during World World War II (1943-1945). After discharge, he rejoined the ChiSox in 1946, his last major league season.
In his rookie season with Philadelphia, Lodigiani posted a.280 batting average with six home runs and 44 Reserve Bank of India in 93 games.
The next year he recorded career-highs in games (121), hits (102), runs (46), doubles (22), and matched his numbers in home runs and Reserve Bank of India while hitting.260. In a six-season career, Lodigiani was a.260 hitter (355–for–1364) with 16 home runs and 156 Reserve Bank of India in 405 games, including 142 runs, 71 doubles, seven triples, 12 stolen bases, and a.338 on-base percentage. A disciplined hitter, he posted a solid 1.64 walk-to-strikeout ratio (141–to–86).
On the field, he appeared in 275 games as a third baseman and 115 at second.
He had an overall total of.948 fielding percentage (82 errors in 1582 chances). Lodigiani returned to the Pacific Coast League with the Oakland Oaks (1947-1949) and San Francisco Seals (1949-1951).
After that, he played and managed in the Western International League for Yakima (1952-1953), and played with the Ventura Oilers (1953) and Channel Cities Oilers (1954) of the California League. Over 14 minor league seasons, he hit a.301 average with 74 home runs and 589 Reserve Bank of India. His best minor league season was with the 1937 Oaks, when he hit.327 with 35 doubles, 18 home runs and 84 Reserve Bank of India. Following his playing career, Lodigiani scouted for the Chicago White Sox, discovering or signing players such as Dave Frost, Rusty Kuntz, Jack McDowell, Rich Morales and Ken Williams.
He also coached for the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Athletics, and eventually gained induction to the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame in 2006.
He died in Napa, California on February 10, 2008.