There sometimes comes a player who might not be the best on the team, but his contributions are admirable, The perennial bench guy… and not some super-sub like Kike, but a guy who has the ability to keep the team lose, and make some positive impact on the team. Mickey Hatcher was one of those guys.
Michael Vaughn Hatcher was born on March 15th, 1955 in Cleveland Ohio. He played in the big leagues from 1979 to 1990. Mickey went to high school in Mesa, Arizona. He then went to Mesa Community College where he was twice named an All-American in football and baseball. His #81 football jersey was later retired. After community college, he went to the University of Oklahoma where he again played football and baseball. He was a wide receiver on the 1976 Fiesta Bowl team.
He was drafted twice, 1974 by the Astros in the 12th round and again in 1976 by the Mets in the second round. He signed with the Dodgers in 1977 after being drafted in the 5th round of the June draft. He was sent to Clinton of the Class A Northwest league as an outfielder.
The following season, Hatch spent time between AA, San Antonio, and AAA Albuquerque. He also started playing both 1st and 3rd base at both stops. When he finally made it to the majors he not only played all 3 outfield positions but 3rd and 1st as well. After hitting .371 with 10 HR’s and 93 RBI’s and 88 runs for the Dukes, Hatch was promoted to the Dodgers.
He made his major league debut on August 3rd, 1979, subbing for Ron Cey. He was credited with an RBI drawing a bases-loaded walk in the 7th inning. He went on to hit .269 in 33 games. He had 1 HR and 5 RBI’s. In 1978 he was back at Albuquerque knocking the ball around at a .359 clip and was recalled to the big club. He did not fare as well, hitting .226 in 57 games with again 1 and 5.
Plunkett: Hatcher is very misunderstood. Everyone knows his reputation as a joker when he was playing and think all he does as hitting coach is put fake poop on the clubhouse carpet. Uh, no – Mickey’s still a fun-loving guy but he works very hard as hitting coach. Always available to work with hitters in cage, early BP, etc. That’s the No. 1 thing players want. Players will turn on a hitting coach (any coach) in a heartbeat if they don’t feel he’s working hard. Now – I don’t think Mickey is big on video analysis. That seems to be something hitters do on their own (if they’re inclined that way). Mickey is more of a supportive coach, willing to work with whatever the hitter wants to achieve/adjust.
In March of 1981, Mickey, along with Mathew Reeves and Kelly Snider, was traded to the Minnesota Twins for outfielder, Ken Landreaux. The move greatly impacted the 1981 Championship Dodger team and allowed Hatcher to get more playing time with the Twins.
Mickey hit .255 with the Twins in 99 games. In 377 at-bats he only struck out 29 times. He hit 3 HR’s and drove in 37. In 82 his BA dropped to .249. He had 100 fewer at-bats and played in only 84 games, mainly as a sub. Throughout his career, his versatility was his value to the teams he played for.
In 1983, Mickey had his best season in the majors to that point. He hit .317 in 106 games, had 9 HR’s and 47 RBI’s, and only struck out 19 times in 375 at-bats. I wish Chris Taylor could put up those kinds of stats. In 1984, he played more games than he would at any time in his career. 152. He had a career-high in hits with 174, 35 doubles, 5 triples, and 5 HRs. He drove in 69 and only struck out 34 times in 576 at-bats. He hit .302.
1985. Hatch hit .282 in 116 games. He had 28 doubles, 3 HR’s and drove in 49. He did not supply the kind of power one would expect out of an atypical 3rd baseman or 1st baseman of the day. But he was a solid player all the same. In 1986 his numbers went down a little as he hit .278 in 115 games. His homer total stayed the same, but his RBI’s dropped to 32. He still did not strike out much, only 26 times in 317 at-bats.
In March of 1987, Mickey was released by the Twins, and on April 10th he signed with the Dodgers as a free agent. Returning to the team that drafted him, Hatch played in 101 games, hitting .282 with 7 HRs and 42 RBIs. He again showed consistent contact at the plate striking out 19 times in 287 at-bats. He also kept the clubhouse in a light mood with his energy and sense of humor. Mickey would sprint to first base when he drew a walk.
In 1988, his playing time dwindled with guys like Marshall, Shelby, and Gibson patrolling the outfield, and Stubbs, Griffin, Hamilton, and Sax on the infield. But Mickey and his fellow subs were dubbed the Stunt Men by Hatcher. They consisted of Stubbs, Danny Heep, Rick Dempsey, Jeff Hamilton, and Dave Anderson. Hamilton actually got the most starts at 3rd and Stubbs was the primary 1st baseman. With guys like Mike Sharperson, Pedro Guererro, before he was traded to the Cardinals for Tudor, and Tracy Woodson getting some action too. Mike Davis, the free-agent signing who had an awful year, and Mike Devereaux, Chris Gwynn, and Jose Gonzalez, all getting some time in the outfield.
But when the 1988 World Series rolled around, the stuntmen would take a major role in helping the team win the series. None more than Mickey Hatcher. Hatch played only 88 games that year, hitting .293 with 1 HR and 25 RBI’s. But with Kirk Gibson hurt, and most likely out for the series, Hatch, who hit only .238 in the NLCS against the Mets was thrust into a starting role.
He filled in brilliantly. He hit .368 in the series, and hit 2 HR’s and drove in 5. He had exactly the same number of homers as the Bash Brothers, Canseco and McGwire, and one less run batted in. And although he did not get the honor, I thought he was the Dodgers MVP of the series. His HR in the bottom of the 1st inning was classic and he sprinted around the bases. He said he never developed a HR trot, he never had much practice at it. 39 career HR’s prove his point. He did though make contact a lot, his career K %, 6.8.
He hit .295 in 1989 in 94 games, but slipped to .212 in 1990 in 84 games and then retired after the season. Hatcher would keep the clubhouse loose and would perform various presentations to the tune of ” The Mickey Mouse Club” song. His Fleer 1986, and Upper Deck cards featured photos with his Giant glove.
Mickey was a hitting coach with the Rangers in 93 and 94. He then took over as manager of the Dodgers Great Falls teams in 96 and 97. In 1998, he started out as the manager of the San Bernardino Stampede before coming to the Dodgers in mid-season as the hitting coach. In 2000, he joined former teammate, Mike Scioscia as the Angels batting coach. He got another series ring in 2002 when the Angels beat the Giants in the series. He was fired in 2012 after the Angels got off to a 16-21 start. He was hired that June to a position with the Dodgers, special assistant to the GM. That position was not renewed in 2013.
Mickey and his wife Patty have 2 children. I loved watching the guy play. He was that much fun to watch. They still show the clip of him collapsing at home plate exhausted after botching a slide to the plate on the Dodger Stadium screen sometimes. The leader of the “Stunt Men” Is a real Dodger legend.
Discussion (24)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Nice win, Giants lose.. Gotta love that. No game tomorrow. If Pads win they are one behind, if Giants win, it is two.
All those in favor of Kenley say aye!
What a game, what a game ,what a big game ,what a mighty big game
Padres up 9 to 5 and they’re not done yet in the ninth
what can you say about Julio ,what can you say about the bullpen ,what can you say about our closer ,and our offense got it done
Way to go Belli you put the ball in play,and when you do that anything can happen
Wow praying that Lux can keep it up,he’s looking really good right now, not trying to do too much and that’s so important. The power will come just make contact first
Not liking Seager and Betts swinging for the fences we need some situational hitting here we only have a one run lead this could go south real quick if we don’t take it seriously
Don’t know why my emojis show up in the text box but when I post they disappear
Too bad Lux didn’t get 2 RBIs on his hit with the bases loaded. Having the pitcher up next is usually an out…..was hoping no DP….but my hope was deferred.
But hey, we are up 1-0 and the Giants surprisingly are losing 5-2, so it’s all good for now.
You play the cards you are dealt.
WILD CARD?
You just have to win it. It is that simple. You don’t… you go home.
The Dodgers knew the rules. Deal with it.
The Giants season is nothing short of magical, but I do not hear the fat lady singing.
Finally, I know some of you are from different centuries and words that may not have been objectionable then, night be now. That said, you do not always have to be perfectly politically correct, but let’s not be derogatory. End of story! Pay attention.
I am in Yankton, South Dakota as we speak…
Tonight’s Lineup:
HITTERS H-AB RBI HR SB AVG
M. BettsRF 109-399 53 21 9 .273
M. Muncy1B 113-444 85 33 2 .255
T. Turner2B 168-529 61 22 28 .318
C. SeagerSS 82-290 43 9 1 .283
J. Turner3B 132-479 81 25 2 .276
W. SmithC 100-372 71 24 3 .269
C. BellingerCF 47-295 33 9 2 .159
G. LuxLF 68-298 38 6 3 .228
J. UriasP 10-52 8 0 0 .192
2.5 behind with 16 remaining against a team that just won their ninth in a row. It’s not looking pretty folks. The wildcard game is a recipe for disaster. Of course, we have the luxury of choosing among 3 of the top ten pitchers in the league, but anybody can be anybody on any given day. Ask Bueller vs the Giant’s bullpen last week.
So to play 3 games better than the team with the best record in baseball probably doesn’t look very likely. But, it certainly isn’t impossible. I feel insulted going in as a wildcard, let the Giants keep tradition with that honor. But, if we do end up as the wildcard, I’ll reluctantly accept it and will watch them take down everyone in their way of the first repeat since the 98-99 Yankees.
I don’t like the wildcard, but I understand the necessity of having one when you have three divisions in each league. I really don’t like the second wildcard. It causes too much scheduling problems and often results in some really bad travel arrangement especially when they also have tie breakers at the end of the regular season to see who become which wildcard team. All of this causes unnecessary off days and often lead to the Division winner being flat after having 3 days off before they start their next series.
I don’t succumb to the idea that more teams in the playoffs is better. We have a marathon of a season and too many playoff teams cheapen the importance of regular season games. I would rather they get rid of the second wildcard and make each series a seven game series. That way we don’t have as many flukes playing for a World Championship.
With that said, if we were to add another more teams and another round to the playoffs, I wouldn’t mind going back to a 154 game season. But, as I stated earlier, I would want all post season series to be best of 7.
Good News!!!
Dodgers: AJ Pollock Set for Rehab At-Bats as Soon as Weekend
by Eric Eulau
Another day, another injury update on an impactful Dodgers player. Manager Dave Roberts seemed optimistic regarding outfielder AJ Pollock’s recovery from the hamstring injury he suffered on September 4th. The next step? . “He’s going to take simulated at-bats over the weekend here in Los Angeles.“. Then, on Monday, he’ll head out to CBR (Camelback Ranch) and he’ll get into some games over there. From that point on, we’ll just where it goes to next.”
Roberts wasn’t pressed for a hard return date on Pollock, but next week certainly pencils out. Perhaps a return to his ‘old stomping grounds next Friday when the Dodgers start a three-game series in Arizona?
Before his injury, Pollock had been nothing short of exceptional in the second half of the season. He was slashing .329/.379/.497 post All-Star break and produced an absurd 1.121 OPS in the month of July. Pollock was no slouch in 2020, but this year was shaping up to be his finest in Dodger blue.
Hopefully, if its STL, they need to use Wainwright on Saturday or Sunday to even get into the game….
STL plays the Brewers 7 more times. I kinda think its going to be Cincinnati for the 2nd slot…
Bill Shaikin says that Dave Roberts is the best manager in baseball history?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/commentary-dave-roberts-best-manager-141310586.html
Bonita historia Bear, también me gustaba esa alegría que irradiaba en el dogout, hoy en día nos hace falta una personalidad así. Prefiero un tipo como Micky a las personalidades adustas, y antisociales como Greinke. Le felicito Bear por estos recuerdos, por otra parte tendría usted algunas anecdotas o historias sobre las estrategias geniales en la dirección de equipos, o los managers que se consideran los más inteligentes en función de sus decisiones en el juego, desde luego si usted tiene tiempo.
Jorge! I have a lot of friends who root for the Padres, and sometime we bet a Carne Asada to see who takes the series, and we have a really good time because we respect each other. but some times they point and show me dodgers fans like you. and I feel ashamed
Bear if only you were my high school history teacher I wouldn’t have had to spend so much time in summer school! I guess we’ll have to wait till the playoffs for the Giants to collapse!
I’m ok with a Wild Card entry, just not a Wild Card game. I would support 4 Divisions with winners playing in a seeded tournament. You want more playoff games, to make more money, the only practical way to do it without playing into November is to cut back to a 154 game season. You want to keep it with 3 Divisions and 2 Wild Card teams, 5 playoff teams, then the Wild Card teams play best of 3.
There just has to be a better way than this. You win 100 games and get bounced by a bad called Strike 3 or a fluke play and a team in a weaker Division could win 15 fewer games and play on. How do you insure the best teams after 162 games get a 7 game shot at a Championship?
Kelly against Urias tonight. Julio going for # 18. Still has a shot at 20 wins. Bellinger and Betts have 2 HR’s apiece off of Kelly this year, Pujols and Smith have also tagged him for HR’s. Muncy is hitting .400 off of him. Carson Kelly the only D-Back with HR’s off of Urias, Marte hits over .300 against him. The rest, not so much. Buehler, Scherzer and Kersh against the Reds this weekend.
Davidson hit # 24 last night. Top of the order had a good game for OKC. Raley hit one out too. Ryan Braun finally announced his retirement. At one time the Dodgers considered trading for him. That would not have been too popular with the fans. If the Giants and Dodgers meet in the NLDS, it will be the first time they have ever met in a playoff series. It should be epic. I am already of the mind that the playoff system needs to be revamped. I like the idea of 8 teams in each league with the first round 3 games. 1-8 2-7 3-6 4-5 just like the NBA. No teams fate should be decided in a one game format. Orel had an idea last night that Davis liked. If LA and SD met, the team with the better record would only have to win one game to advance, the lower team would have to sweep a day night double header to advance. Interesting and it gives the team with the better record an advantage. And it does not lessen what they did in the regular season. If the Dodgers or Giants were knocked out in a wild card game, it makes a travesty of the regular season performance.
If the Dodgers are 3 games out with 3 to play, do you run Buehler, Scherzer and Urias or concede the division and set up the rotation for the 1 game playoff?
Got my ticket for my train trip out to LA in December. Going to spend Christmas with the family. Not that far away now.
I love Mickey Hatcher. I was lucky enough to meet him a couple of times. He’s every bit the same character in person as he was on the ball field. He certainly had a gift for coming up with some clutch hits.
Another great game last night. Too bad Lux and Belli couldn’t keep their hitting streaks going.
Gonso pitched one of his best games with five strong innings on just 67 pitches. A great step forward. He sealed the win and the clinch for a post-season spot. Congratulations Dodgers!
The second wild card spot is less of a race and more of a stumbling contest with the Reds, Phillies and Padres all on losing streaks. The Cardinals are now in the top spot after a 4 game win streak.
Oh how the mighty have fallen. The Padres are now just 4 games over 500. Let that sink in for a while.
It’s certainly coming down to the wire now. The Padres aren’t looking like they’re up for the task to help us out against the Giants and the Giants and Dodgers are keeping pressure on each other to see who blinks first. This is a crazy run to the finish line. All it takes is a little flat spell up North.
The D-Backs remaining schedule looks like it would be tough for a good team. They’ll eclipse the 100 loss mark before any team crosses the 100 win plateau. Don’t blow that pick!
Does AJ Preller get to keep his job if the Padres finish below 500?
I remember Hatch. A very average Major League player with a great smile and 1 magical World Series.
The Padres. What an embarrassment.
The giants. Sure hope their flat tire happens soon.
The Wild Card. Kinda ridiculous when you think about it. 100 wins and good luck with that one game.
Uh, no, Price does not fill me with confidence. And Bruihl? Also, No.
Sure would like to see Gonsolin go 6. Is that asking too much of a starter. He threw 67 pitches. Maybe next time.
Mickey Hatcher was one of my favorites on the ’88 champion team, that way of running after hitting a homerun.
And today Wednesday and tomorrow Thursday, SD is going to win.
Time to get closer to a one game!
Gonsolin was very good last night. If only the Giants would start to lose .
Page with Nr. 31 for GL.
If not for Orels epic performance in the WS Mickey would and should have been MVP. What a character.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!