Michael Stanley Myers (born June 26, 1969) is an American former professional
left-handed
In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...
relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...
who 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) from 1995 to 2007.
High school and college
Myers attended high school at
Crystal Lake Central High School
Crystal Lake Central High School, often referred to as "Central" or "CLC," is the oldest of the three high schools in Crystal Lake, Illinois, United States.
History
Crystal Lake Central High School opened its doors in 1924 as Crystal Lake Communi ...
in Illinois and later attended
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...
, where he played
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
for the
Iowa State Cyclones baseball
Iowa State Cyclones baseball was the intercollegiate baseball program at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The program existed from 1892 to 2001. Due to budget cuts, Iowa State athletic director Bruce Van De Velde announced the end of the base ...
team. In the summers of 1988 and 1989, he pitched for the
Brewster Whitecaps
The Brewster Whitecaps are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brewster, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Whitecaps play their home games at Stony Brook ...
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 in 1989.
Minor league career
Myers was in the minor leagues for parts of six seasons. In his final four minor league seasons, he was 14–27 with a 4.29 ERA. He was used primarily as a starting pitcher until , when he pitched 42 games, all in relief, for the
Charlotte Knights
The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...
and
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...
.
Professional career
The
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
drafted Myers in the fourth round of the
1990 Major League Baseball Draft. Before he ever played for the Giants at the major league level, he was drafted by the
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The franc ...
in the
Rule 5 draft. He made his major league debut with the Marlins on April 25, 1995, pitching an inning of scoreless relief. In August of that year, the Marlins traded Myers to the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
as the
player to be named later
In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...
from an earlier deal between the two clubs, in which the Marlins acquired
Buddy Groom
Wedsel Gary "Buddy" Groom Jr. (born July 10, 1965) is a former Major League Baseball left-handed middle relief pitcher. He attended the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 1987 amateur draft.
He play ...
.
He went a combined 1–9 for Detroit between the 1996 and 1997 seasons. He did lead the Majors in appearances, appearing in 83 and 88 games respectively in both seasons. Myers pitched for Detroit through the season. After the season, Myers was traded by the Tigers with
Rick Greene and
Santiago Perez to the
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
for
Bryce Florie
Bryce Bettancourt Florie (born May 21, 1970) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.
Florie pitched for four teams, the San Diego Padres (–), the Milwaukee Brewers (1996–), the Detroit Tigers (–), and the Boston Red Sox (1999–), and fi ...
.
Myers pitched for the Brewers for two seasons, pitching in 70 games in 1998 and 71 in 1999. After the 1999 season, the Brewers traded Myers to 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 ...
for
Curt Leskanic.
In 2000, Myers had the best season of his career while pitching half his games in Coors Field. He had a 2.05 ERA in 43 games at Coors Field in 2000. He finished the season with a career low 1.99 ERA in 78 games. The following season, Myers pitched in 73 games for the Rockies, going 2–3 with a 3.60 ERA.
Before the 2002 season, the Rockies traded Myers to the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
for
JD Closser and
Jack Cust
John Joseph "Jack" Cust III (born January 7, 1979) is an American former professional baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego ...
. In 2002, he had a 4.38 ERA in 69 games while in 2003 he had a 5.70 ERA in 64 games.
He signed as a free agent with the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
for the 2004 season, but was selected off of waivers by 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 ...
in August 2004. He signed as a free agent with 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 ha ...
in the 2004–05 offseason, but was traded back to the Red Sox for two minor league players before the 2005 season began.
During the 2005–06 offseason, Myers signed as a free agent with the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
. He got off to an amazing start in 2006, with an ERA under 2.00 by mid July. But he then struggled down the stretch. One big highlight late in the season was the big outs he got in Boston during a five-game series against the Red Sox. The Yankees released Myers in August 2007, and he signed with the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
.
On January 25, , Myers signed with the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
to a minor league contract and was invited to
spring training
Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...
. Myers did not make the Dodgers team, but was assigned to play for the
Las Vegas 51s in Triple-A. He asked for his release from the 51s on April 25 and became a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
.
On March 17, 2009, Myers was hired as a special assistant to the head of the
Major League Baseball Players Association
The Major League Baseball Players Association (or MLBPA) is the union representing all current Major League Baseball players. All players, managers, coaches, and athletic trainers who hold or have held a signed contract with a Major League club ...
,
Donald Fehr
Donald Martin Fehr (born July 18, 1948) is the fifth executive director of the NHL Players Association, since 2010. He became nationally prominent while serving as the executive director of the MLB Players Association from 1983 to 2009.
Life an ...
.
Pitching style
Myers is a
submarine pitcher, throwing the ball with his arm at or below his shoulder rather than above. When Myers was with the Tigers,
Baseball Hall of Famer
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-re ...
Al Kaline
Albert William Kaline ( ; December 19, 1934 – April 6, 2020), nicknamed "Mr. Tiger", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers. For most of his career, Kali ...
, then a broadcaster with the team, suggested that Myers experiment with the submarine style of pitching. His luck improved in his next two appearances against Baltimore, retiring three batters in a row both times. "Kaline suggested my throwing sidearm to give me a little bit of funk and mystery against left-handed hitters. After what I did against Baltimore, I just kept going from there," Myers said. He threw two different
breaking ball
In baseball, a breaking ball is a pitch that does not travel straight as it approaches the batter; it will have sideways or downward motion on it, sometimes both (see slider). A breaking ball is not a specific pitch by that name, but is any p ...
s with a deceptive movement that disconcerted opposing hitters, especially left-handed hitters. Myers was also known to be particularly durable. From his first full major league season in , he appeared in at least 60 games every year, topping 80 appearances in his first two seasons to lead the league both years, and over 70 in his next four seasons.
Myers's primary role was as a left-handed relief specialist (known in the sport as a "
LOOGY
In baseball, a left-handed specialist (also known as lefty specialist) is a relief pitcher who throws left-handed and specializes in pitching to left-handed batters, weak right-handed batters, and switch-hitters who bat poorly right-handed. Beca ...
, or "Lefty One-Out Guy"), against baseball's left-handed hitters, though the statistics say he may have had difficulty performing his job against the top left-handed hitters of his era. With the Rockies and Diamondbacks, he would frequently come into games to face Giants slugger
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and the San Francisco Giants f ...
, and was similarly used by the Red Sox against
Hideki Matsui
, nicknamed " Godzilla", is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played baseball in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Mats ...
of the Yankees and by the Yankees against
David Ortiz of the Red Sox. However, through the end of the season, Bonds was 8-for-25 (.320) with a home run and eight walks against Myers, while Ortiz was 5-for-17 (.294) with a home run and two walks, and Matsui was 3-for-9 (.333) with a home run and a walk.
Personal life
Myers became an
evangelical Christian
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...
in 1993.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, Mike
Living people
1969 births
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Arizona Diamondbacks players
Baseball players from Illinois
Boston Red Sox players
Brewster Whitecaps players
Charlotte Knights players
Chicago White Sox players
Clinton Giants players
Colorado Rockies players
Detroit Tigers players
Edmonton Trappers players
Florida Marlins players
Iowa State Cyclones baseball players
Las Vegas 51s players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Milwaukee Brewers players
New York Yankees players
People from Arlington Heights, Illinois
Seattle Mariners players
Sportspeople from Cook County, Illinois
Toledo Mud Hens players
American evangelicals
Converts to evangelical Christianity