Michael Robert "Mickey" Morandini (born April 22, 1966), is an American former professional baseball second baseman and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Toronto Blue Jays. His career highlights include selection as a National League (NL) All-Star, playing for the Phillies in the NL Championship Series and World Series, and appearing for the Cubs in the NL Division Series.

Early life and career

Morandini grew up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Leechburg, Pennsylvania, where he attended Leechburg Area High School. After graduation, Morandini attended Indiana University, where he started his college career as a center fielder, moving to the infield as a third baseman and shortstop after his freshman year.

In 1987, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, winning the league batting title, and being named league MVP. In 2005, he was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame.

Morandini declined the option to enter the Major League Baseball draft in 1987, citing his desire to play for the United States national team in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

Minor leagues

After drafting Morandini, the Phillies assigned him to the Spartanburg Phillies, one of their A-level affiliates in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He played in 63 games for Spartanburg in 1989, batting .338 with 19 doubles, earning him a promotion to the high-A Clearwater Phillies. In Florida, he notched 19 hits and 14 runs scored in 63 at-bats; he also batted in four runs.

Morandini spent the majority of the 1990 season with the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons. While playing in 139 games, he stole 16 bases and batted in 31 runs in 503 at-bats. He also batted .260 and scored 76 runs. The following season produced one of the most memorable moments of Morandini's career. In a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 20, 1992, he turned an unassisted triple play. In the sixth inning, Morandini caught a line drive off of the bat of Jeff King, touched second base to put out Andy Van Slyke, and tagged out Barry Bonds coming from first base; the Pirates went on to win the game, 3–2, in extra innings. It was the first unassisted triple play since 1968, and the first in the National League since 1927. Morandini was also the first second baseman in National League history, and the first in the regular season, to turn an unassisted triple play;

The Phillies appeared in the World Series in 1993 with Morandini at the top of the lineup; he batted second in manager Jim Fregosi's batting order more often than any other position. Morandini had a .247 batting average during the season, the lowest among the Phillies' starters; he was second on the team in stolen bases to Lenny Dykstra, and led the team in triples with nine. In 1994, Morandini posted the highest on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of his career, with a .787 mark. 1995 was arguably Morandini's finest season; he batted .283 with 6 home runs, 7 triples, and 49 RBI. and was one of five Phillies to be selected for the team. Morandini's defense throughout his career earned him the nickname "Dandy Little Glove Man". Morandini made his only appearance in the Most Valuable Player award balloting, Morandini's production declined in 1999, as he hit .241 and scored 60 runs, and he chose free agency after the season, signing with the Montreal Expos in January 2000. He was the head baseball coach at Valparaiso High School On November 21, 2011, he was named the 10th manager of the Philadelphia Phillies A-level Affiliate Lakewood BlueClaws. On November 2, 2015, Morandini was named first base coach of the Philadelphia Phillies. After two years as a coach, the team promoted Morandini to an off-field role as club ambassador.

See also

  • List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

References

  • Mickey Morandini at Baseball Almanac