Mike Hampton

Lore & Background

Hampton was born in Brooksville, Florida, and raised in Homosassa, Florida. He attended Crystal River High School and was recruited to play college football as a defensive back at Notre Dame, Miami, and Florida State. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the sixth round of the 1990 MLB draft and made his MLB debut in 1993. After the season, he was traded to the Houston Astros. He became a starter for Houston in 1995 and had his best year in 1999, finishing 22–4 with a 2.90 ERA. He was traded to the New York Mets and helped them reach the 2000 World Series. He signed an eight-year, $121 million contract with the Colorado Rockies on December 9, 2000. On November 16, 2002, the Rockies traded him to the Florida Marlins, but two days later the Marlins traded him to the Atlanta Braves. He won the Gold Glove Award in 2003 and became the first pitcher to win both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in the same season. He missed the 2006 and 2007 seasons due to injuries and surgery. He returned to the Houston Astros in 2008 and later signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010. He retired on March 26, 2011.

In Their Own Story

The October wind off Biscayne Bay cut through the stands at the Ballpark in the Park, but nobody in the Marlins dugout felt the chill. Mike Hampton stood at the back of the bullpen, towel over his neck, watching the scoreboard. The Yankees had just taken Game 1. He rolled his shoulders, cracked his knuckles, and muttered something under his breath that the relief pitcher next to him would later swear was a prayer and a threat in the same sentence. The next morning, he'd be out there again — 95, 96, 97 off the top of his hand — and the whole city would be holding its breath. That was the job. That was the deal. And Mike Hampton, God help you, was going to throw every last one.

Reader's Guide

Hampton was one of the best hitting pitchers in MLB history, posting a .246 batting average with 16 home runs and 79 RBI over 16 seasons. He won five consecutive Silver Slugger Awards from 1999 to 2003. He holds the record for most Silver Slugger awards for a pitcher. He was named to two All-Star Games (1999, 2001). He led the NL in winning percentage in 1999 (.8462). He was the MVP of the 2000 NLCS. He pitched in the 2000 World Series for the Mets. After his playing career, he served as a pitching coach for the Arkansas Travelers in 2013 and as bullpen coach for the Seattle Mariners before resigning on July 9, 2017.

Did You Know?

• Hampton was traded to the Florida Marlins on November 16, 2002, but was immediately traded to the Atlanta Braves two days later, so he never played for the Marlins.
• Hampton won the Gold Glove Award in 2003, snapping Greg Maddux's streak of 13 consecutive Gold Gloves.
• Hampton's eight-year, $121 million contract with the Rockies was the largest in baseball history at the time, though it was surpassed two days later by Alex Rodriguez's contract.
• Hampton batted .344 in 2002, the third highest batting average for a pitcher in a season in the DH era.