| Mike Stanley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1963-06-25)June 25, 1963 (age 62) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 24, 1986, for the Texas Rangers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 2000, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .270 |
| Home runs | 187 |
| Runs batted in | 702 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Robert Michael Stanley (born June 25, 1963) is an American former college and professionalbaseball player who was acatcher inMajor League Baseball for fifteen years. Stanley playedcollege baseball for theUniversity of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally with theTexas Rangers (1986–1991),New York Yankees (1992–1995, 1997),Boston Red Sox (1996–1997, 1998–2000),Toronto Blue Jays (1998) andOakland Athletics (2000).
Stanley was a 1995American LeagueAll-Star, won the 1993Silver Slugger Award at catcher, and was a member of the Yankees' 1995 Wild-card team and the Athletics' 2000 AL Western Division Championship team.
Stanley was born inFort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1963. He received anathletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Jack Rhine and coachJoe Arnold'sFlorida Gators baseball team inNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1982 to 1985. Stanley primarily played catcher for the Gators, but sometimes played first and third base, and also served as the Gators' designated hitter periodically. He received Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Tournament honors in 1982, and 1984 and 1985, and was a member of the NCAA Regional All-Tournament team in 1985. While Stanley was a Gator, the team won SEC regular season and SEC tournament championships in both 1982 and 1984. He was later inducted into theUniversity of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame,[1] and remains the Gators' career record holder for runs scored and runs batted in (RBIs).
Stanley hit more than twentyhome runs in a season three times during his career. His best all-around season at the plate came in 1993 with the Yankees, when he hit .305 with twenty-six homers and eighty-fourRBI. He also hit .300 in 1994, and he notched a career-high twenty-nine homers in 1998.
Stanley became afirst baseman/designated hitter at the end of his career. He finished as a .270 career hitter with 187 homers, 702 RBI and a .370 careeron-base percentage. Stanley also hit well in the postseason, recording a .356 batting average and .434 on-base percentage in five postseason series. Stanley was one of the players involved in the lastYankees/Red Sox trade until 2014.[2]
As a Ranger, Stanley caught the last ofNolan Ryan's seven careerno-hitters on May 1, 1991.[3] On June 27, 1987, he hit the first ever pinch grand slam in Rangers history against the Twins.
Following his retirement as a player, Stanley was hired to serve asbench coach for the Red Sox during the 2002 season. He resigned after the season to spend more time with his family.
Stanley lives inMaitland, Florida. He and his wife Erin have four children: Tanner, Ryan, Jenna and Jake. His son Tanner played for the Maitland team in the2005 Little League World Series; one of Tanner's teammates wasDante Bichette Jr. Stanley andDante Bichette were the team's two assistant coaches.
Stanley served as an assistant baseball coach for theLake Highland Preparatory School inOrlando, Florida for a time.
In 2008 Stanley attended Yankees Old Timers Day for the first time.[4]
