Michael Vaughn Hatcher (born March 15, 1955) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player and coach. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

as an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

and

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

from through , most notably as a member of the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

when he replaced an injured Kirk Gibson in the

1988 World Series The 1988 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1988 season. The 85th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Oakland Athletics and the ...

and hit .368 (7/19) with two home runs and five RBI to help the Dodgers win the world championship.

Early life

Hatcher was born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, and is a graduate of Mesa High School in

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...

Playing career

After playing high school baseball for Mesa High School, Hatcher attended

Mesa Community College Mesa Community College (MCC) is a Public college, public community college in Mesa, Arizona. It is the largest of the 10 community colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District, the largest community college district in the Unite ...

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 the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

, where he played both football and baseball and played as wide receiver in the 1976 Fiesta Bowl. He was drafted twice (in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

in the 12th round by the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

and in

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

in the 2nd round by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

) before signing with the Dodgers in

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

(after being selected in the 5th round of the June draft). After signing, Hatcher was assigned as an outfielder to the Clinton Dodgers in the Class A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. The following season, Hatcher spent time playing for both

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

in the Class AA

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

and AAA

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

. 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 for

Ron Cey Ronald Charles Cey (; born February 15, 1948), nicknamed "the Penguin," is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from through , most notably as an integral member of the Los Angel ...

at 3B. 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 the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

for veteran outfielder

Ken Landreaux Kenneth Francis Landreaux (born December 22, 1954) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the California Angels, Minnesota Twins, and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1977 through 1987. Play ...

. 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. HatcherMickey

He is admired for his fun-loving approach to playing baseball, particularly on the World Champion 1988 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, like

Pete Rose Peter Edward Rose Sr. (April 14, 1941 – September 30, 2024), nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of ...

, and garnered a lot of media attention in the

by hitting a first-inning home run in Game 1 and sprinting full-speed around the bases instead of jogging. This prompted NBC broadcaster

Joe Garagiola Joseph Henry Garagiola Sr. (February 12, 1926 – March 23, 2016) was an American professional baseball catcher, and later a radio and television personality with a varied career. He played nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...

to say "He's the cover of ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

''!" 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". He remained with the Dodgers through 1991, spending his last season back in AAA, before retiring.

Coaching career

Following his playing days, Hatcher was a coach for the Texas Rangers in 1993 and 1994, the manager of the Rookie League

Great Falls Dodgers Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...

in 1996 and 1997 and began 1998 as the manager of the Single-A San Bernardino Stampede before becoming the hitting coach for the Dodgers in mid-season. In 2000, he became the hitting coach for the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

, under manager

Mike Scioscia Michael Lorri Scioscia ( ; born November 27, 1958), nicknamed "Sosh" and "El Jefe" (Spanish for "The Boss"), is an American former Major League Baseball catcher and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He managed the Los A ...

, 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. The Dodgers hired Hatcher in June as a special assistant to the General Manager. Hatcher's position was not renewed in 2013.

References

External links

Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hatcher, Mickey Baseball players from Mesa, Arizona Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball third basemen Los Angeles Dodgers players Minnesota Twins players Oklahoma Sooners baseball players Baseball players from Cleveland 1955 births Living people Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Major League Baseball hitting coaches Minor league baseball managers Los Angeles Dodgers coaches Los Angeles Angels coaches Clinton Dodgers players Albuquerque Dukes players 20th-century American sportsmen San Antonio Dodgers players Mesa High School alumni Anchorage Glacier Pilots players Baseball coaches from Arizona