Mickey Tettleton
Constantly hampered by injuries, when Mickey Tettleton managed to stay healthy, he was an excellent hitting catcher. A switch-hitter, Tettleton hit 30 homers in a season four times, and was the only player in baseball to draw at least 90 walks every year from 1990-1996. The quiet professional was never considered a great defensive catcher, but he won three Silver Slugger Awards and was named an All-Star twice. He belted 245 homers and drew nearly 1,000 free pases in his 14-year career, all spent in the American League, before knee injuries sidelined him for good.
Played For
Oakland Athletics (1984-1987)
Baltimore Orioles (1988-1990)
Detroit Tigers (1991-1994)
Texas Rangers (1995-1997)
All-Time Rankings
Mickey Tettleton ranks #43 among the Top 50 all-time at C. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1993
In Detroit, Sparky Anderson used Mickey at DH enough to keep him healthy and rested for his spells behind the plate. In '93, the switch-hitter slugged 32 homers and drove in a career-high 110 runs. He drew more than 100 walks for the fourth straight season.
Factoids
Through the first two months of the 1989 season, Tettleton was tied for the league lead in homers. He credited his power surge to his breakfast selection: Tettleton ate a bowl of Froot Loops every morning.
Description
Tettleton resembled Brian Downing in the face, and like Downing, Tettleton used an odd batting stance. Mickey stood erect, with his arms relaxed, and his bat angled parallel to the ground, held near his belt.
Born
Mickey Lee Tettleton was born on September 16, 1960, in Oklahoma City, OK.
Batted: Both
Threw: Right
Primary Position: C
Primary Team: DET
College: Oklahoma State
Major League Debut
June 30, 1984
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1984
Terry Pendleton
Kirby Puckett
Stan Javier
Eric Davis
Roger Clemens
John Franco
Dwight Gooden
Mark Langston
Bret Saberhagen
Nicknames
Froot Loop
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 2003 |
BBWAA |
0 |
% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1996 American League Divisional Series
Batting Feats
- June 13, 1988: Switch HR same game...
- May 7, 1993: Switch HR same game...
- April 28, 1995: Switch HR same game...
Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
After problems with both his knees, Tettleton retired in July of 1997. He had been out of the Rangers' lineup from mid-April until early July with a deep bone bruise on his left knee. He announced his retirement after having played in just 17 games, hititng three homers.
All-Star Selections
1989 AL
1994 AL
Replaced
Once his power emerged (helped a bit by an off-season weight program in 1988-1989, Tettleton replaced veteran Terry Kennedy as the O's backstop.
Replaced By
His last catching job was with Detroit in 1994. He was replaced by Chad Kreuter and John Flaherty. In his final seasons, with Texas, he was a DH. He was eventually replaced in that role by a committee of players, including right fielder Juan Gonzalez and Lee Stevens.
Best Strength as a Player
Power from the right-side of the plate.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Oddly, Tettleton hit poorly with men in scoring position. He batted .208 with a .396 SLG percentage. He was 15-for-81 (.185) with two homers with the bases loaded.
Learn More about Mickey Tettleton
Search Amazon.com for Books about Mickey Tettleton ⇒
Search for Mickey Tettleton at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
