Kameron Kraig 'Kam' Mickolio (; born May 10, 1984) is an American former 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 ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played for the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda ...

, and

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles The , often shortened as the , are a baseball team based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League since the team's formation in November 2004. The team is owned by the Internet shopping ...

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB), and 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) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

and

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 ...

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).

Amateur career

Mickolio graduated from Belgrade High School in 2002, but did not play

because

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

did not sanction the sport. Instead, he played with a local American Legion Baseball team named the Belgrade Bandits, which finished in third place with a 32–20 record in state competition. He went 9–2 with 115 strikeouts in 88 innings pitched. He registered five

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

s and complete games each in his eleven starts. He also batted .386 with six

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. Mickolio attended the

College of Eastern Utah Utah State University Eastern (USU Eastern) is a public regional college within the Utah State Universitybr>system The USU Eastern campus is located in Price, Utah, United States. Founded as Carbon College in 1937, the college joined the Universi ...

for two years. He was the 46th-round pick (1,373rd overall) of 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 2003 MLB Draft, but did not sign a contract. Mickolio completed his college career at Utah Valley State College.

Professional career

Mickolio was selected by 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) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

in the 18th round of the 2006 MLB Draft, and signed with the team five days later on June 11. Used exclusively out of the bullpen, he compiled a 7–4 record, and progressed through the organization, starting with the

Everett AquaSox The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seating capacity ...

in 2006. He split the following season with the

West Tenn Diamond Jaxx The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Mari ...

and

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960 ...

Baltimore Orioles

Mickolio was traded by the Mariners along with George Sherrill, Adam Jones,

Chris Tillman Christopher Steven Tillman (born April 15, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 2009, and played with them until 2018. He was named an All-Star ...

and Tony Butler to the

for Érik Bédard on February 8, 2008. After spending the first four months of the 2008 campaign with the Bowie Baysox and

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

, Mickolio was promoted to the Orioles for the first time to replace an injured Sherrill on August 20. He made his major league debut later that night at

Camden Yards The Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a baseball stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early ...

, becoming the first player from Utah Valley to play in an MLB game. He pitched the top half of the eighth inning in relief of

Dennis Sarfate Dennis Scott Sarfate (born April 9, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, and Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, Saitama Seibu ...

and surrendered a run in the 11–6 win over 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 eigh ...

. When

Brian Burres Brian Burres (born April 8, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Burres' best pitch is his changeup. He also has a high 80s-low 90 MPH fastball and a curveball. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Or ...

was recalled to fill a starting rotation vacancy on August 25, Mickolio was optioned to Norfolk, but returned to the Orioles eight days later on September 2. His only decision in nine relief appearances that season was an 8–7 loss to the

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 ...

at Rogers Centre on September 17, when he allowed a one- out Travis Snider sacrifice fly to

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

to score

Scott Rolen Scott Bruce Rolen (born April 4, 1975) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds. He was an eight-t ...

in the bottom of the eighth to break a 7–7 deadlock. Pitching for the Tides in the first half of 2009, Mickolio was recalled by the Orioles on July 6 after biceps

tendinitis Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder (rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow (tennis elbo ...

forced Chris Ray onto the disabled list. He bounced back and forth between Norfolk and Baltimore twice within the next six weeks, getting his final promotion of the year on August 17 to replace Matt Albers who was sent to the Tides. Mickolio was credited with a pair of losses before

inflammation Inflammation (from la, inflammatio) is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants, and is a protective response involving immune cells, blood vessels, and molec ...

in his throwing

shoulder The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone) as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder mak ...

ended his season on September 17.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On December 6, 2010, Mickolio and David Hernandez were traded to the

for third baseman Mark Reynolds. On May 28, 2010, Mickolio was optioned to Triple-A

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

after

Zach Duke Zachary Thomas Duke (born April 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, St. ...

was activated from the disabled list. He was released on November 9.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp

Mickolio's contract was sold to the

in Japan on November 14, 2011, and he was the team's closer for three seasons. In 61 appearances (40 games finished) in 2012, Mickolio was 3–5 with a 2.79 ERA and 21 saves, striking out 54 in 58 innings. On December 6, 2012, he re-signed with Hiroshima for 75.6 million yen ($740,000 USD). In 57 appearances (45 games finished) in 2013, he was 2–4 with a 2.04 ERA and 27 saves, striking out 39 in 57.1 innings. In his third season with the Carp in 2014, Mickolio appeared in 51 games, posting a 1–1 record with 25 saves and a 2.45 ERA.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

Mickolio left the Carp after the 2014 season and signed a two-year deal with the Eagles worth an estimated 481 million yen and was assigned the number 43. He was unable to pitch in 2015 due to injury. Finally healthy in 2016, Mickolio made 45 relief appearances for the Eagles. He compiled a 5–1 record and a 2.38 ERA.

Minnesota Twins

After his stint with the Golden Eagles, Mickolio was signed by the Twins to a minor league deal on May 16, 2017. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Long Island Ducks

On April 23, 2019, Mickolio signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. On May 19, 2019, Mickolio announced his retirement from professional baseball.

Personal life

On November 12, 2011, Mickolio married the former Tiffany Leone. The couple has three children, a son, Braden Landon Mickolio, born in August 2012; a daughter, Abriella Emilia Mickolio, born in May 2014; and a daughter, Lincoln Perry Mickolio, born in May 2015. Tiffany and their three children are planning on joining Kameron in Japan in July 2016.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mickolio, Kam 1984 births Living people Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Montana Everett AquaSox players West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx players Tacoma Rainiers players Utah Valley Wolverines baseball players Bowie Baysox players Long Island Ducks players Norfolk Tides players Aberdeen IronBirds players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Hiroshima Toyo Carp players Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles players People from Wolf Point, Montana Baltimore Orioles players Arizona Diamondbacks players Rochester Red Wings players