Mike Hargrove
| Mike Hargrove | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| First baseman / Manager | |||
|
Born: October 26, 1949 Perryton, Texas |
|||
|
|||
| MLB debut | |||
| April 7, 1974, for the Texas Rangers | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 6, 1985, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .290 | ||
| Home runs | 80 | ||
| Runs batted in | 686 | ||
| Managerial record | 1,188-1,173 | ||
| Winning % | .503 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
As player As manager |
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
As player
As manager
Dudley Michael Hargrove (born October 26, 1949) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and manager. He is currently employed as an advisor with the Cleveland Indians. Hargrove batted and threw left-handed. He played for the Texas Rangers (1974–78), San Diego Padres (1979), and Cleveland Indians (1979–85). After retiring, he went on to manage the Indians, Baltimore Orioles, and Seattle Mariners.
During his 12-year playing career, Hargrove batted .290 with 80 home runs and 686 runs batted in. He won both the AL Rookie of the Year and The Sporting News Rookie of the Year awards in 1974, after hitting a career-high .323 with the Rangers (he was the first Ranger ever to be so honored). Afterwards, he made the AL All-Star squad in 1975 and led the league first basemen in assists twice. He was most effective in getting on base, moving runners, and not giving up an easy out—unusual for a first baseman which is usually considered a power position.
Though he would later be honored as one of the Cleveland Indians' top 100 players in team history, one of Hargrove's early visits to Cleveland was less than memorable. As a rookie with the Rangers, Hargrove was one of the early targets of Cleveland fans during the infamous Ten Cent Beer Night incident on June 4, 1974.
He also attained the nickname "The Human Rain Delay" for his deliberate routine at the plate before each at-bat and before each pitch. He drove pitchers crazy by stepping out of the batter's box after each pitch and starting his routine, which consisted of (1) adjusting his helmet, (2) adjusting his batting glove, making sure it was tight on his hand and especially the thumb, (3) pulling each sleeve on his uniform up about an inch, and (4) wiping each hand on his uniform pants – and then sometimes repeating the whole process again – before finally settling back into the box. Towards the end of his career this trait was very well known and often commented upon by broadcasters. Adding further to his "Human Rain Delay" moniker was his extremely fine bat control, which allowed him to foul off countless pitches.
...
Wikipedia