Robert Michael Stanley (born June 25, 1963) is an American former college and professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player who was a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

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), ...

for fifteen years. Stanley 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 p ...

for the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, and thereafter, he played professionally with the Texas Rangers (1986–1991),

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

(1992–1995, 1997),

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 eigh ...

(1996–1997, 1998–2000),

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 ...

(1998) and Oakland Athletics (2000). Stanley was a 1995

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

All-Star, won the 1993

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters co ...

at catcher, and was a member of the Yankees' 1995 Wild-card team and the Athletics' 2000 AL Western Division Championship team.

Career

Stanley was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1963. He received an

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United ...

to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Jack Rhine and coach

Joe Arnold Joseph A. Arnold (born February 26, 1947) is a former American college and professional baseball coach. During his twenty-four seasons as a head coach, Arnold led the college baseball teams at Florida Southern College, the University of Florida, ...

's Florida Gators baseball team in

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA) competition from 1982 to 1985. Stanley primarily played catcher for the Gators, but sometimes played first and third base, and also served as the Gators' designated hitter periodically. He received Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Tournament honors in 1982, and 1984 and 1985, and was a member of the NCAA Regional All-Tournament team in 1985. While Stanley was a Gator, the team won SEC regular season and SEC tournament championships in both 1982 and 1984. He was later inducted into the

University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame The University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame includes over 300 former Florida Gators athletes who represented the University of Florida in one or more intercollegiate sports and were recognized as "Gator Greats" for their athletic excellence ...

, and remains the Gators' career record holder for runs scored and runs batted in (RBIs). Stanley hit more than twenty

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s in a season three times during his career. His best all-around season at the plate came in 1993 with the Yankees, when he hit .305 with twenty-six homers and eighty-four RBI. He also hit .300 in 1994, and he notched a career-high twenty-nine homers in 1998. Stanley became a

first baseman 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 ...

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

at the end of his career. He finished as a .270 career hitter with 187 homers, 702 RBI and a .370 career on-base percentage. Stanley also hit well in the postseason, recording a .356 batting average and .434 on-base percentage in five postseason series. Stanley was one of the players involved in the only

Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

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 ...

trade in the last quarter-century, as of 2012. As a Ranger, Stanley caught the last of

Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning four decades, Ryan ...

's seven career no-hitters on May 1, 1991. On June 27, 1987, he hit the first ever pinch grand slam in Rangers history against the Twins. Following his retirement as a player, Stanley was hired to serve as

bench coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisi ...

for the Red Sox during the 2002 season. He resigned after the season to spend more time with his family. Stanley now lives in Maitland, Florida. He and his wife Erin have four children: Tanner, Ryan, Jenna and Jake. His son Tanner played for the Maitland team in the

2005 Little League World Series The 2005 Little League World Series took place between August 19 and August 28 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The West Oahu Little League of ʻEwa Beach, Hawaii, defeated the defending champion Pabao Little League of Willemstad, Curaçao, in ...

; one of Tanner's teammates was

Dante Bichette Jr. Alphonse Dante Bichette Jr. (born September 26, 1992) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and first baseman. He was drafted by the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the first round of the 2011 MLB draft. Ea ...

Stanley currently serves as an assistant baseball coach for the

Lake Highland Preparatory School Lake Highland Preparatory School is a private, coeducational school in Orlando, Florida. It was founded as an all-white school in 1970 by the board of a whites-only, Christians-only junior college. This gave white parents a private alternative ...

in Orlando, Florida. In 2008 Stanley attended Yankees Old Timers Day for the first time.

References

External links

2005 Little League World Series Coach Photo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, Mike 1963 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American League All-Stars Baseball players from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Boston Red Sox coaches Boston Red Sox players Florida Gators baseball players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball first basemen New York Yankees players Oakland Athletics players People from Maitland, Florida Silver Slugger Award winners Texas Rangers players Toronto Blue Jays players

Career

See also

References

External links