Mike Cameron

Michael Terrance Cameron (born January 8, 1973) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who spent 17 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, and Florida Marlins. He now works as a special assignment coach for the Seattle Mariners. In 2002, he became the 13th player in MLB history to hit four home runs in a single game. Cameron was an All-Star in 2001 and won Gold Glove Awards in 2001, 2003, and 2006. He is one of just 25 players ever to reach 250 home runs and 250 stolen bases, entering that club as its 20th member. He also holds the unique distinction of being the only MLB player to hit two home runs in the same game for eight different teams.

Cameron was born in LaGrange, Georgia, and raised on Render Street by his grandmother, moving in with her at age seven after her husband died. He attended LaGrange High School, where his grandmother kept him off the baseball team as a junior after he failed a chemistry class, which limited his attention from scouts. He played high school football alongside future NFL player Walt Harris.

Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 18th round of the 1991 draft, Cameron set a Carolina League record with 17 triples in 1994. He made his MLB debut on August 27, 1995, got his first hit on August 30 off C. J. Nitkowski, and hit his first home run on September 27 against Jason Jacome of the Kansas City Royals. After starting 1996 in the minors, he led the Southern League in runs, stolen bases, and slugging percentage, earning mid-season and postseason All-Star honors and being named the league’s most exciting player by managers. He appeared in one major league game in August and 10 more as a September call-up, finishing his first two partial seasons with a .163 average over 39 games.

In 1997, Cameron won the starting center fielder job. On June 27, he robbed Minnesota’s Roberto Kelly of a potential go-ahead home run. He finished sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting, leading league rookies in walks and steals, and hit .259 with 14 home runs and 105 strikeouts. His offense dipped in 1999, when he batted .210 with eight home runs.

Traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Paul Konerko on November 11, 1999, Cameron hit .256 with 25 home runs, a career-high 38 steals, and 80 walks in his only season there. On February 10, 2000, the Reds sent him, Brett Tomko, Antonio Pérez, and Jake Meyer to the Seattle Mariners for Ken Griffey Jr. Replacing Griffey in center field, Cameron robbed Derek Jeter of a home run in his first week, a play the Mariners broadcaster first called “Griffeyesque,” then “Cameronesque.” He hit .267 with a career-high .365 on-base percentage in 2000 and made his first postseason appearance. In 2001, he was selected to his only All-Star Game, won his first Gold Glove, and returned to the postseason as the Mariners tied an MLB record with 116 wins.

On May 2, 2002, Cameron tied a major league record by hitting four home runs in one game, becoming the 13th player to do so. His first two homers came in the first inning, each following a home run by Bret Boone, making them the first teammates to hit back-to-back homers twice in the same inning. In his fifth at-bat, he hit a line drive to the warning track, just missing a record fifth home run. During that game, he also robbed Chicago’s Magglio Ordóñez of a grand slam. Cameron led the AL with 176 strikeouts in 2002, the most of his career. In 2003, he won his second Gold Glove and led all major league center fielders in range factor (3.42).

On December 23, 2003, Cameron signed a three-year, $19.5 million contract with the New York Mets. In his first season there, he hit a career-high 30 home runs. After the Mets acquired Carlos Beltrán before the 2005 season, Cameron moved to right field. On August 11, 2005, in San Diego, he collided with Beltrán while both dove for a fly ball, suffering a concussion and multiple fractures to his nose and cheekbones; he was removed on a stretcher. Beltrán also suffered a concussion but walked off with help.

On November 15, 2005, the Mets traded Cameron to the San Diego Padres for Xavier Nady. He won a National League Gold Glove in 2006. During interleague play in May 2006, he played his first game back in Seattle since leaving via free agency in 2004, receiving a standing ovation from Mariners fans. On October 31, 2007, it was announced that Cameron had failed a test for banned stimulants for a second time, resulting in a 25-game suspension to start the 2008 season. He claimed the supplement he took was “tainted,” though the requirement of two failed tests before an announcement made that explanation questionable. He was only the second major leaguer suspended for a second positive stimulant test, after Neifi Pérez.

On January 14, 2008, Cameron signed a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. On March 13, he applied for a therapeutic exemption to use stimulants.