Michael Andrew Macfarlane (born April 12, 1964) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

(1987–1994, 1996–1998), Boston Red Sox (1995), and

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

(1998–1999).

Early life

Macfarlane graduated from Lincoln High School in

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

in 1982. He played collegiate baseball for

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

before his selection in the fourth round (97th overall) of the 1985 draft.

Career

In 1988, Macfarlane became the first Royals rookie catcher to start on Opening Day since

Ellie Rodríguez Eliseo Rodríguez Delgado (born May 24, 1946) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1968 to 1976 for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels ...

in 1969. In 1992, he led Kansas City with 17 home runs and a .445

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...

. In 1994, he became the Royals leader in all-time games caught, surpassing a club record set by

John Wathan John David Wathan (; born October 4, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Kansas City Royals from 1976 to 1985. Wathan was a membe ...

. In a 13-season major league career, Macfarlane posted a .252 batting average with 129 home runs and 514 runs batted in in 1,164

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

. He is ranked 64th all-time among American League catchers with a .992

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

while throwing out 33% of potential basestealers. His 97

hit by pitch In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...

es ranks him 100th on the MLB all-time list.

External links

Mike Macfarlane
- Baseballbiography.com

Major League Baseball catchers Baseball players from Stockton, California Kansas City Royals players Oakland Athletics players Boston Red Sox players 1964 births Living people Memphis Chicks players Omaha Royals players Santa Clara Broncos baseball players Anchorage Bucs players {{US-baseball-catcher-1960s-stub