Mike Hampton

Lore & Background

Hampton was named to two All-Star Games and won five Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove Award. He was the Most Valuable Player of the 2000 National League Championship Series, and he pitched in the 2000 World Series for the Mets. The Colorado Rockies signed Hampton to an eight-year, $121 million contract on December 9, 2000. It was the largest contract in baseball history at the time. Hampton went 14–13 with a 5.41 ERA in 2001, and 7–15 with a 6.15 ERA in 2002. His best all-around offensive season came in 2001 with Colorado, when he hit .291 with seven home runs. The next year he hit three home runs and batted .344.

Reader's Guide

Hampton was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the sixth round of the 1990 Major League Baseball draft. He made his Major League debut in 1993. After the season, he was traded to the Houston Astros with Mike Felder for Eric Anthony. Hampton became a starter for Houston in 1995.

In 1999, Hampton had his best year, finishing with a 22–4 record and a 2.90 ERA. He picked up his first of five Silver Slugger Awards and narrowly finished second in National League Cy Young Award voting to Randy Johnson. Entering the final year of his contract, Hampton was dealt to the New York Mets. He went 15–10 with a 3.12 ERA and helped the Mets reach the postseason.

With two wins and no earned runs in two starts, Hampton was named the MVP of the 2000 NLCS. On November 16, 2002, the Rockies traded Hampton to the Florida Marlins with Juan Pierre and cash for Charles Johnson, Preston Wilson, Vic Darensbourg, and Pablo Ozuna. Two days later, the Marlins traded Hampton and cash to the Atlanta Braves for Tim Spooneybarger and Ryan Baker. Hampton won 14 games and lowered his ERA to 3.84 in 2003.

He won the Gold Glove Award for pitchers in 2003. Hampton's 2005 season was limited heavily by injuries. He went 5–3 in 12 starts, but was lost for the rest of the season with an elbow injury on August 19, 2005. Hampton had Tommy John surgery on September 25, 2005, and missed the entire 2006 season rehabbing.

After further injuries, he made his first major league start since August 2005 on July 26, 2008, but finished the season with only 13 appearances. On December 3, 2008, Hampton signed a 1-year contract worth $2 million with the Houston Astros. On September 15, 2009, Hampton underwent full rotator cuff surgery and was expected to miss the entire 2010 season. On August 21, 2010, Hampton signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He returned to the major leagues with the Diamondbacks, throwing innings in ten appearances. After the season, Hampton re-signed with Arizona to a minor league deal for 2011. On March 26, 2011, Hampton announced his retirement from baseball.

Did You Know?

• Hampton was one of the best hitting pitchers in MLB history, posting a .246 batting average with 16 home runs over 16 seasons.
• He won five consecutive Silver Slugger Awards from 1999 to 2003.