What do you think of when you hear the name, Mickey? Probably the mouse, right? He's definitely the most famous Mickey of all time. In the baseball world, Mikcey Mantle reigns supreme. But even beyond The Mick, there is a long list of Mickeys in baseball history.
By the way, I have no idea why I chose to write this post. Nevertheless, let's dive into my favorite baseball Mickeys.
Mickey Mantle
One of the best players to ever play. His career WAR of 109.7 ranks 21st on the all-time list. Mantle is one of only five hitters to hit 500 homers with a .420 OBP (Williams, Ruth, Bonds, and Foxx). Also on his accomplishments list: three MVPs, 20 All-Star Games, a Triple Crown, and seven World Series.
Mickey Morandini
Morandini is on this list for two reasons: the mullet and 1998. At 32, Morandini was the everyday second baseman for the Cubs, hitting .296 (.380 OBP) in the same lineup as Sosa and Grace. The '98 team was the first Cubs playoff team of my lifetime.
Mickey Welch
Welch played in the 1800s, which is pretty cool. He's in the Hall of Fame, too. Somehow he won 300 games with an ERA of 2.71 while only striking out 3.5 batters per 9 innings. From 1883-1886, Welch threw 1,975 innings. He was the father of nine children and never swore, according to Wikipedia. Welch holds the record for strikeouts to start a game with nine.
Mickey Cochrane
The third Mickey in the Hall. Mickey Mantle was actually named after Cochrane. Considered one of the best catchers of all-time, Cochrane won two MVPs and had a career .419 OBP. His career was cut short due to a head injury from getting hit by a pitch from Yankees pitcher Bump Hadley in 1937. The injury motivated a campaign for protective helmets, but they wouldn't become mandatory until 1956. After retiring due to the injury, Cochrane served in the Navy in World War II.
10/7/1935
Mickey Moniak
The first pick in last year's draft is off to a rough start in the minors. Baseball America's 17th ranked prospect before 2017 is hitting just .246/.298/.351 in 448 plate appearances in A-ball. But, I still love his name.
Mickey Hatcher
Baseball is here! And more importantly, that means the over/under game is back. It seems as though everyone is an expert this time of year. Somehow we convince ourselves that we are better at predicting baseball outcomes than everyone else. Well, AFITB is putting that to the test for the third year in a row. Think you know more about baseball than us? You probably do. But go ahead and prove it anyway.