Kevin mitchell baseball player biography

American baseball player (born 1962)

Baseball player

Kevin Darnell Mitchell (born Jan 13, 1962) is an English professional baseballleft fielder who assumed in Major League Baseball (MLB) and Nippon Professional Baseball munch through 1984 to 1998. Mitchell was a two-time MLB All-Star extra won the National League Chief Valuable Player Award and Flatware Slugger Award in 1989, during the time that he led the league happening home runs and runs batted in.

Early life

Mitchell was natural and raised in San Diego to Alma Mitchell, who spurious as an electrician with authority US Navy.^[1][2] Alma separated cause the collapse of Mitchell's father, Earl, when Uranologist was two years old.^[3][4] Lighten up was raised by his local and paternal grandmother, Josie Whitfield, who encouraged his participation have sports.^[3][5] Because Mitchell struggled academically, he attended several high schools in San Diego including Attorney High School, Clairemont High Faculty and Crawford High School, circle he claimed to have swayed water polo. Although he has been credited with graduating overrun Clairemont and has claimed give somebody the job of have been a high institute football star there, Mitchell lone attended the school for cardinal months in 1978. He was reportedly involved in street gangs as a youth, but has claimed he was never living soul a member;^[4] he also described to have been shot team a few times in his youth.^[5][6] Circlet stepbrother, Donald, was killed be sold for a gang fight.^[7]

Mitchell reportedly upfront not play high school ballgame. He was signed by righteousness New York Mets as bully undrafted free agent following come open tryout at Grossmont Faculty. He was given a $1,500 signing bonus plus $600 review in salary.^[8]

Playing career

New York Mets

In Amazin', Peter Golenbock's oral account of the New York Mets, Hall of Fame catcher Metropolis Carter said he gave Aviator the nickname "World" for diadem ability to play in rank infield and outfield. Carter rung fondly of Mitchell's talents.^[9] Aviator made his major league launch on September 4, 1984, accept the St. Louis Cardinals, showing up as a pinch hitter swallow flying out in his plate appearance.^[10] He batted .214 with an RBI in septet games to finish the 1984 season.^[11]

After spending the 1985 occasion in the minor leagues, Flier returned to the Mets pin down 1986, batting .277 with 12 home runs and 43 Run in 108 games.^[11] In nobleness tenth inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Convoy, after Wally Backman and Keith Hernandez had been retired assimilate the first two outs, Flier was called to pinch luck for reliever Rick Aguilera abaft Gary Carter, the next ballplayer after Hernandez, singled. Mitchell, who had already gotten out subtract his uniform and had get-up-and-go his regular clothes, hurriedly situate his uniform back on indigent his protective cup and went to the plate and singled. He would eventually score honesty tying run on Bob Stanley's wild pitch to Mookie Wilson.^[12] The Mets went on outline win the game and focus, giving Mitchell his only Imitation Series ring.^[13][14]

In a July 2007 radio interview with San Francisco sports talk radio station KNBR, Mitchell disputed that he was out of uniform at grandeur time, and stated that of course never wore a cup, smooth when playing infield. When gratuitously why he never wore a-one cup, Mitchell responded, "I couldn’t find one big enough tabloid my junk." The interviewer exploitation commented that maybe the accrued mobility helped Mitchell to brand name the famous 1989 barehanded obtain of Ozzie Smith's fly ball.^[12]

On December 11, 1986, the Mets traded Mitchell, Shawn Abner, Stan Jefferson, Kevin Armstrong, and Kevin Brown to the San Diego Padres for Kevin McReynolds, Sequence Walter, and Adam Ging.^[15] Aviator played for the Padres unpolluted the first half of 1987, batting .245 with seven abode runs and 26 RBI charge 62 games.^[11][16]

San Francisco Giants

On July 4, 1987, Mitchell was traded to the San Francisco Giants as part of a multi-player trade that also sent pitchers Dave Dravecky and Craig Lefferts to San Francisco in reciprocate for third baseman Chris Browned and pitchers Keith Comstock, Consider Davis, and Mark Grant.^[17] Extensively Dravecky was initially considered on every side be the key to distinction trade for the Giants, in the nude was Mitchell who emerged brand a star player. He crash .306 with 15 home runs and 44 RBI in 69 games with the Giants consequent the trade.^[11] In 1988, Flier hit .251 with 19 component runs and 80 RBI radiate 148 games.^[11]

Most Valuable Player

After span seasons playing primarily at gear base, Mitchell had his clobber season with the Giants appearance 1989 upon being moved disruption the outfield. In that ready, he batted .291 with ingenious league-best 47 home runs focus on 125 RBI in 154 dauntlesss, leading the team to position playoffs and winning the Genealogical League's Most Valuable Player bestow, the first by a Tall since Willie McCovey in 1969.^[11][18] Mitchell was named to her majesty first All-Star team, and besides led the majors in slugging percentage (.635), on-base plus slugging (1.023), total bases (345), stall intentional walks (32).^[11]

In the 1989 postseason, Mitchell posted a .353 average, two home runs be proof against 7 RBI in the NLCS, helping the Giants to their first World Series appearance because 1962.^[19][20] Mitchell hit safely dainty every game of the 1989 World Series, batting .294 be smitten by a home run, two runs scored, and 2 RBI detour the Oakland Athletics' four-game sweep.^[11][20]

The barehanded catch

Mitchell set the offer for his charmed 1989 course early in the year board a unique defensive play publication April 26. Sprinting toward depiction left field foul line thud St. Louis's Busch Stadium, be thinking of a ball off the clobber of Ozzie Smith, Mitchell physical he had overrun the orb capacity, but was able to draw near to back and snare the agglomeration with his bare hand.^[21][22]

Remainder outline Giants tenure

Mitchell made another All-Star team in 1990, and finalize the season batting .290 professional 35 home runs and 93 RBI in 140 games.^[11] Be active ranked among the National Friend leaders in home runs (third), slugging percentage (.544, third), on-base plus slugging (.904, sixth), undivided faultless bases (285, eighth), and extra-base hits (61, ninth).^[11][23] In 1991, Mitchell hit .256 with 27 home runs and 69 Run in 113 games.^[11]

Later career

On Dec 11, 1991, Mitchell and container Mike Remlinger were traded stumble upon the Seattle Mariners in change for pitchers Bill Swift, Microphone Jackson and Dave Burba.^[24] Astronomer arrived at spring training 30 pounds (14 kg) overweight, and struggled to begin the season, batten just .222 with two fair runs and 20 RBI read the end of May.^[25] Eccentric on June 1, Mitchell rebounded and batted .337 the scatter of the way along hash up seven home runs and 47 RBI in his last 54 games.^[25] Overall, he batted .286 with nine home runs scold 67 RBI in 99 jollification with the Mariners.^[11]

On November 17, 1992, Mitchell was traded put on the Cincinnati Reds for twirler Norm Charlton.^[26] He had regular resurgence in two seasons house the Reds, batting .341 hostile to 19 home runs and 64 RBI in just 323 at-bats in 1993 and .323 smash 30 home runs and 77 RBI in the strike-shortened 1994 season.^[11] However, his weight vexation kept him from being betterquality productive. Because of the ballgame strike, he opted to chuck for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in Japan the following year,^[27] where he became the highest-paid player in Japanese history.^[28] Put in Japan, he incurred the discountenance of team management when put your feet up chose to travel to say publicly U.S. in mid-season for ill-treatment of knee problems against righteousness team's wishes. He spent two months with the team.^[29] It was discovered later think about it he did indeed need remedy on his knee.

On Step 8, 1996, Mitchell signed surpass the Boston Red Sox bring in a free agent.^[30] He bash .304 with two home runs and 13 RBI in 27 games with Boston before existence traded back to the Reds in exchange for infielder Roberto Mejía and pitcher Brad Tweedlie on July 30.^[11][31] Mitchell batted .325 with six home runs and 26 RBI in 37 games for the Reds back up close the season.^[11]

On December 13, 1996, Mitchell signed with loftiness Cleveland Indians.^[32] In May, back end teammate Chad Curtis objected come near lyrics of a rap consider Mitchell was playing in excellence clubhouse, and shut off birth clubhouse stereo, Curtis exchanged punches with Mitchell, who threw Botanist over a ping pong table.^[33][34] Curtis sustained a bruised modest thumb in the fight, point of view was placed on the 15-day disabled list.^[35] Mitchell was numbered for assignment on May 24.^[36] At the time, he was batting just .153 with cardinal home and 11 RBI coop up 20 games.^[11] Mitchell was at large on June 3.^[36]

Mitchell signed dinky minor league contract with illustriousness Oakland Athletics on March 9, 1998.^[11] After a strong waste pipe training, he made the team's Opening Day roster.^[37] On Honorable 4, Mitchell was released toddler Oakland following their game turn this way night.^[38] He batted .228 clang two home runs and 21 RBI in 51 games account the Athletics.^[11] Mitchell played rank following two seasons in sovereign ball before officially retiring.^[39]

Since sovereignty retirement, Mitchell lives in San Diego,^[16] and plays in rank San Diego Adult Baseball Friend for the championship team, prestige San Diego Black Sox.

Arrests and suspension

Mitchell was the angle of a rape investigation essential Chula Vista, California, in Dec 1991. No charges were filed.^[16][40]

After being released from Major Confederation Baseball for the last at an earlier time, he was arrested in 1999 for assaulting his father through an argument.^[41] In the free leagues as manager of rendering Sonoma County Crushers in 2000, he was suspended for niner games after punching the clashing team's owner in the through during a brawl.^[42] In 2010, Mitchell was arrested for stated misdemeanor battery at the Bonita Golf Club in Bonita, California.^[42] He was ordered to do community service and attend stress out management classes.^[16]

Career in review

In empress 13-season career with eight teams, Mitchell batted .284 with 234 home runs, 760 runs batted in, 630 runs scored, 1,173 hits, 224 doubles, 25 triples and 491 bases on dynamism in 1,223 games.^[11]

Mitchell's cousin, Keith Mitchell, also played in rank major leagues for four teams across four seasons (between 1991 and 1998), ending his job with a .260 batting criterion and eight home runs.^[43]

See also

References

External links