Mickey Tettleton

Did You Know?

• Tettleton made a cameo appearance as himself in the 1994 baseball film Little Big League.
• He was named assistant coach at Oklahoma Christian University in 2019 and also served as hitting coach for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
• In 2023 he was hitting coach of the collegiate summer team the Greeneville Flyboys.

Amateur career

Like Mantle, he was a switch hitter with an unusual batting stance, standing nearly upright and holding his bat horizontally. He was known for a large wad of chewing tobacco and claimed Froot Loops gave him hitting power. He attended Southeast High School in Oklahoma City and then Oklahoma State University. In 1980 he played summer baseball for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He played for the Oklahoma State Cowboys team that reached the 1981 College World Series finals, losing to Arizona State, and was named to the All-Tournament Team as an outfielder.

Professional career

The Oakland Athletics selected Tettleton in the fifth round of the 1981 draft. He spent three minor league seasons with the Modesto Athletics of the California League. After beginning 1984 with the Double-A Albany A's, he was promoted to the majors in June when catcher Jim Essian broke his hand. Tettleton debuted on June 30, 1984, at age 23, serving as backup to Mike Heath. In December 1985, the Athletics traded Heath and Tim Conroy to the St. Louis Cardinals for Joaquín Andújar, making Tettleton the starting catcher. In 1986 he batted .204 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI in 90 games, and manager Tony La Russa platooned him with Jerry Willard by season's end. He began 1987 as the starter but injuries and weak hitting limited him to 82 games, and he finished with a .194 average. On March 28, 1988, the Athletics released him during spring training. On April 5 he signed with the Rochester Red Wings in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He was soon called up and shared catching duties with Terry Kennedy in 1988, raising his average to .261. In 1989 he hit 13 home runs in April and May, a record for catchers, and had 20 by midseason, earning a reserve spot in the All-Star Game. In August he had surgery to remove a cyst from his left knee and missed nearly a month. He finished 1989 with a .258 average, 26 home runs, 65 RBI, and a .369 on-base percentage, helping the Orioles improve from last place in 1988 to second in 1989. He won the American League Silver Slugger Award that year.