Michael Anthony Harkey (born October 25, 1966) 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 current

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

. 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 a right-handed

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from 1988 to 1997 for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

, and 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 ...

. After his playing career, Harkey became a coach for the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

in 2006 and the New York Yankees from 2008 through 2013, before joining the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

, who he coached in 2014 and 2015. He returned to the Yankees in 2016 and is currently serving as their bullpen coach.

Playing career

Chicago Cubs

Harkey was born in San Diego, California, where he attended

Ganesha High School Pomona Unified School District or PUSD serves approximately 30,000 Pre-K-12 students and 17,000 adult learners at 44 schools in Pomona and Diamond Bar, California. It is located 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, and is the fourth-largest s ...

in Pomona and

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a Public university, public university system in California, and the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, largest public university system in the United States ...

(CSU) Fullerton, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the CSU Fullerton Titans. He was the first-round draft pick (4th overall) of the

in the

1987 Major League Baseball Draft The 1987 Major League Baseball draft is the process by which Major League Baseball (MLB) teams select athletes to play for their organization. High school seniors, college juniors and seniors, and anyone who had never played under a professiona ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

owner

George Argyros George Leon Argyros (born February 4, 1937) is an American former diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Spain. He is also a real estate investor and philanthropist. Argyros was the owner of Major League Baseball's Seattle Marin ...

had plans to draft him with the first overall pick (as he liked the fact that he was from California and also thought he could make it to the majors faster), but was eventually convinced to draft

Ken Griffey Jr. George Kenneth Griffey Jr. (born November 21, 1969), nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle Mari ...

instead. That year, Harkey went 2–3 with a 3.55 ERA in 12 starts for the

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Pe ...

in A-ball. He finished the season in Double-A with the Pittsfield Cubs. Harkey started the 1988 season in Pittsfield, where he pitched to a 9–2 record with a 1.37 ERA. He was promoted to Triple-A Iowa, where he was 7–2 with a 3.55 ERA. Harkey was called up to the Cubs in September. He pitched to a 2.60 ERA in five starts. The 1989 season was a disaster for Harkey. Expected to be in Chicago's starting rotation, he tried to pitch through shoulder tendinitis and worsened the problem. The Cubs placed him on the disabled list to start the year and sent him back to Triple-A. After 12 games with the

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

, he tore cartilage in his knee and missed the rest of the season. Harkey regained the velocity on his fastball and was placed in the Cubs 1990 rotation. He finished the season with a record of 12–6 and 3.26

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

in 173.2 innings, and finished fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. In 1991, Harkey pitched in four games before going down with a shoulder injury. He underwent surgery to repair a cartilage tear and missed the rest of the season. Harkey didn't return to the majors until July 20, 1992. On September 6, he attempted a cartwheel in the Wrigley Field outfield during pregame warmups and suffered a ruptured patella tendon, ending his season. On June 20, 1993, the Cubs placed Harkey on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis. He finished the season with a 5.26 ERA in 28 starts.

Colorado Rockies

Harkey signed with the

for the strike-shortened 1994 season. He lost his spot in the rotation, ultimately pitching to a 5.79 ERA in 91.2 innings (13 starts).

Oakland Athletics

He signed with the

for the 1995 season, pitching to a 6.27 ERA in 66 innings before he was designated for assignment in July.

California Angels

On July 19, 1995, the

claimed Harkey off waivers and plugged him into their rotation. On September 30, he pitched 6.2 innings of shutout baseball in a must-win game against Oakland to help the Angels force a one-game playoff with the

Los Angeles Dodgers

Harkey signed with the

for the 1996 season, but spent the entire year with the

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an ...

in Triple-A. He re-upped with the Dodgers for the 1997 season and was called up on June 23 to pitch out of the bullpen. He appeared in 10 games over multiple stints with the major league club that year.

Coaching career

Harkey served as a minor league pitching coach for

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

affiliates the

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at LoanMart Field. The franc ...

in 2000,

Fort Wayne Wizards A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

in 2001 and 2003,

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team based in Lake Elsinore, California. The Storm compete in the California League as the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond, w ...

in 2002 and 2004, and

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

in 2005, as well as the Chicago Cubs affiliate

in 2007. He served as the bullpen coach for the

in 2006. Harkey joined the Yankees for the 2008 season. Under Harkey, the Yankees bullpen played a major role in their success during the 2009 season, culminating in a victory in the

2009 World Series The 2009 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2009 season. As the 105th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff contested between the Philadelphia Phillies, champions of the National Le ...

. He served as the bullpen coach for six seasons. After the 2013 season, he was hired as the Diamondbacks' pitching coach. The Diamondbacks fired Harkey after the 2015 season. He returned to the Yankees as their bullpen coach for the 2016 season.

Personal life

Harkey's son, Tony, is a former infielder for the Cal State-Fullerton Titans and Concordia University Irvine baseball team. Tony won a NAIA World Series title in 2011 with the Concordia University Irvine Eagles. His son Cory Harkey was a

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

, and is now serving as a Special Teams Assistant Coach for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harkey, Mike 1966 births Living people African-American baseball coaches African-American baseball players Albuquerque Dukes players 20th-century American sportsmen Arizona Diamondbacks coaches Baseball coaches from California Baseball players from San Diego California Angels players Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball players Charlotte Knights players Chicago Cubs players Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Florida Marlins coaches Iowa Cubs players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Minor league baseball coaches New York Yankees coaches Oakland Athletics players Orlando Cubs players Peoria Chiefs players Pittsfield Cubs players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players Humboldt Crabs players