| Mickey Hatcher | |
|---|---|
 Hatcher with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | |
| Outfielder /First baseman /Third baseman | |
| Born: (1955-03-15)March 15, 1955 (age 70) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 3, 1979, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 1990, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .280 |
| Home runs | 38 |
| Runs batted in | 375 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Michael Vaughn Hatcher (born March 15, 1955) is anAmerican former professionalbaseball player andcoach. He played inMajor League Baseball as anoutfielder,third baseman andfirst baseman from1979 through1990, most notably as a member of theLos Angeles Dodgers when he replaced an injuredKirk Gibson in the1988 World Series and hit .368 (7/19) with two home runs and five RBI to help the Dodgers win the world championship.
Hatcher was born inCleveland, Ohio, and is a graduate ofMesa High School inMesa, Arizona.[1]
After playing high school baseball forMesa High School, Hatcher attendedMesa Community College where he was named All-American twice in both football and baseball. His football jersey #81 was later retired. After starring at community college level he attended theUniversity of Oklahoma, where he played both football and baseball and played as wide receiver in the 1976Fiesta Bowl.[2] He was drafted twice (in1974 in the 12th round by theHouston Astros and in1976 in the 2nd round by theNew York Mets) before signing with the Dodgers in1977 (after being selected in the 5th round of the June draft).[3] After signing, Hatcher was assigned as an outfielder to theClinton Dodgers in the Class AMidwest League.[4] The following season, Hatcher spent time playing for bothSan Antonio in the Class AATexas League and AAAAlbuquerque. Both stops would see him split time between the outfield and thirdbase – presaging his major league career in which he would see time not only at all three outfield positions, but also first and thirdbase. After hitting .371 with 10 home runs, 93 RBI, and 88 runs for Albuquerque, Hatcher made his major league debut on August 3, 1979 subbing in forRon Cey at 3B.[5] Hatcher was credited with an RBI after taking a bases-loaded walk in the 7th inning. Hatcher would hit .269 in 33 games for the Dodgers in 1979. Hatcher would start the 1980 season knocking around AAA pitching (hitting .359 in 43 games) before again being called up to the parent club. Hatcher would only hit .226 for the Dodgers and despite averaging well over .350 in the minors, his major league stats to date were 2 HR, 10 RBI, 13 runs, and a .249 batting average in 179 plate appearances. On March 30, 1981, the Dodgers traded Hatcher and two minor leaguers to theMinnesota Twins for veteran outfielderKen Landreaux.
He played with the Twins from 1981 to 1986, hitting .284 in 672 games and then returned to the Dodgers as a free agent on April 10, 1987.
He is admired for his fun-loving approach to playing baseball, particularly on the World Champion1988 Dodger team, and was featured in various presentations to the tune of the "Mickey Mouse Club" song. He would sprint to first base after drawing walks, likePete Rose, and garnered a lot of media attention in the1988 World Series by hitting a first-inning home run in Game 1 and sprinting full-speed around the bases instead of jogging. This prompted NBC broadcasterJoe Garagiola to say "He's the cover ofThe Saturday Evening Post!" and "He's running like he's afraid they're going to take it off the board!" Hatcher had only hit one home run in that 1988 season, but hit two in the World Series.
Hatcher was famously portrayed on 1986 Fleer and 1991 Upper Deck baseball cards with his "giant glove".[6]
He remained with the Dodgers through 1991, spending his last season back in AAA, before retiring.
Following his playing days, Hatcher was a coach for theTexas Rangers in 1993 and 1994, the manager of the Rookie LeagueGreat Falls Dodgers in 1996 and 1997 and began 1998 as the manager of the Single-ASan Bernardino Stampede before becoming the hitting coach for the Dodgers in mid-season. In 2000, he became the hitting coach for theLos Angeles Angels, under managerMike Scioscia, Hatcher's teammate from the 1988 World Championship team. He was fired by the Angels on May 15, 2012, after the team started the season 16-21.[7]
The Dodgers hired Hatcher in June as a special assistant to the General Manager.[8] Hatcher's position was not renewed in 2013.[9]
