Michael Howard McCoy (born April 2, 1981) is a former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

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 (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. In his career, McCoy played every position, with the exception of

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

and

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Early life

McCoy attended

Grossmont High School Grossmont High School is the oldest high school in San Diego's east county, California. Its mascot is the Foothiller, so chosen because, at the time of the school's construction, east county was much more isolated from the rest of San Diego than ...

El Cajon, California El Cajon ( , ; Spanish: El Cajón, meaning "the box") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was in turn named for the box-like shape of the va ...

before playing for the

San Diego Toreros baseball The San Diego Toreros baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of the University of San Diego, located in San Diego, California, United States. The program has been a member of the NCAA Division I West Coast Conference sinc ...

team from 2000-2002. In 2001, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Chatham A's The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in t ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

and was named a league all-star. As a junior McCoy led the Toreros in doubles (16) and

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s (26), helping USD capture the 2002

West Coast Conference The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting of ...

title with teammates like Jason Marian (baseball).

Professional career

St. Louis Cardinals

McCoy was selected by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

in the 34th round (1,032nd overall) of the

2002 Major League Baseball Draft The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5. It is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book '' Moneyball''. First round selections Supplemental first round compensation selections * ...

. The infielder logged time at all three levels of the minors during his six-year run in the Cardinals system, capturing an

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...

All-Star nod for Johnson City in 2002 and leading

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

in stolen bases (30) in 2006.

Baltimore Orioles

On May 22, 2006, McCoy was dealt to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

for future considerations.

Colorado Rockies

McCoy was traded again to the

on July 19, 2006 for

Juan Castro Juan Gabriel Castro (born June 20, 1972), is a Mexican former professional baseball infielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and Philadelphia Phillies, ...

. McCoy hit .307 with five triples, 102 runs and 40 steals for the Sky Sox. On September 8, 2009 he was called up from Triple-A

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockie ...

and debuted in MLB one day later on September 9 against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Toronto Blue Jays

Over the 2009-2010 offseason he was designated for assignment, and was claimed by the

. He made their 2010 opening day roster, appearing in 46 games. In 2011, he made the opening day roster for the second season in a row. On June 11, 2011, McCoy made his first major league pitching appearance (he also pitched 3.2 innings in a minor league game in 2009) in a 16–4 loss to the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

, throwing a perfect 9th inning. His repertoire appeared to include a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

topping out at 86 mph, a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

, a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

, and a

knuckleball A knuckleball or knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to minimize the spin of the ball in flight, causing an erratic, unpredictable motion. The air flow over a seam of the ball causes the ball to change from laminar to turbulent flow. This chan ...

at low 60's to mid 70's. McCoy became the fifth position player to pitch for the Blue Jays, with the last being

Frank Menechino Frank Menechino (born January 7, 1971) is an American former professional baseball infielder and most recently the hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue ...

on August 28, 2004. He was optioned back to Triple-A Las Vegas on June 23 to make room for

Eric Thames Eric Allyn Thames ( ; born November 10, 1986) is an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee B ...

on the 40 man roster. On May 29, 2012, McCoy was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas. Eric Thames was sent down to make room for McCoy. McCoy was returned to Triple-A Las Vegas 51s on June 25. McCoy was called up to the Jays on August 11 after

Colby Rasmus Colby Ryan Rasmus (born August 11, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles. He h ...

tweaked his groin for the second time that month. McCoy was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on November 20, 2012. On November 30, he was sent outright to the Blue Jays Triple-A affiliate

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

. McCoy spent the 2013 season with the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate

Boston Red Sox

McCoy was signed to a minor league contract with spring training invitation by the

on November 15, 2013. He spent the 2014 season with the Pawtucket Red Sox, and was granted free agency on November 4, 2014.

San Diego Padres

The

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 (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

signed McCoy to a minor-league contract on February 23, 2015.

Retirement

In 2016, McCoy became the coach of the

Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The Storm plays their home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond (Pete Lehr Field), which opened in 1994; the park se ...

. In 2017, he became the coach of the

AZL Padres The Arizona Complex League Padres are a Rookie-level affiliate of the San Diego Padres, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona, which is also the ...

. In 2018, he was announced as the manager of the

Tri-City Dust Devils The Tri-City Dust Devils are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels. Tri-City plays their home gam ...

. All of the teams are minor-league affiliates of the major-league team

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCoy, Mike 1981 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Colorado Rockies players Toronto Blue Jays players Palm Beach Cardinals players Baseball players from San Diego Major League Baseball shortstops University of San Diego alumni San Diego Toreros baseball players Chatham Anglers players Johnson City Cardinals players Peoria Chiefs players Tennessee Smokies players Springfield Cardinals players Memphis Redbirds players Norfolk Tides players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Frederick Keys players Las Vegas 51s players Sportspeople from El Cajon, California Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Pawtucket Red Sox players Mayos de Navojoa players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Tomateros de Culiacán players El Paso Chihuahuas players Sportspeople from San Diego County, California