Day Fifty Three: Kevin Mitchell
At the time this card was made, Griffey and Jay had just put together their best seasons in 1992, but I would not say that either had offensively reached the place that they would one day attain (although they were both elite defensively already), but the answer to the great left-field question had been solved in 1992 with the addition of Giants slugger and 1989 NL MVP Kevin Mitchell. When this photo for the "Pacific Sock Exchange" (I love it) was taken Kevin Mitchell was one hundred percent without a doubt the most accomplished Major League Player in the picture. That's a trip, but it is very true. Kevin Mitchell was an absolute force of nature.
The 1992 season was a total bust for Big Kev unfortunately, but it did little to diminish his previous accomplishments: playing a large part in the 1986 Mets World Series run, and putting together one of the all-time (pre-steroids) offensive seasons and an NL Pennant in 1989. He also caught a ball hit by Ozzie Smith deep into the left-field corner at Busch Stadium with his bare hand. If you've never seen that really it's a treat. Check it out. Kevin had another All-Star showing in 1990, and faded a bit in 91, but was still an elite slugger. So when the Mariners traded Mike Jackson, Dave Burba, and Billy Swift for Mitchell in the 1991 offseason it seemed like an awesome idea. I was very excited. Kevin Mitchell had captivated my imagination in 89 like no other player had as of yet. His meteoric rise and dangerous swing was something to behold in my first and favorite life-defining season during and after my Kindergarten year. I must have watched the VHS recording my grandpa helped me tape of the 89 All Star game like 300 times (it's still on the shelf at my folk's house) and heard Ronald Reagan and Vin Scully talk about how Kevin was in a gang in San Diego (really? where was this info coming from? I dunno.) and that his grandmother helped get them back on track. The highlight of that ab was the replay of Kev making the gleeful one handed nab in left field though. I was amazed. And his shin guard and the way he swung through everything so quickly (quickest bat I saw until Sheff). He was astonishing and it is only because of the complex workings of racism in this country that Will Clark is the celebrated man from that Giants team and not Kevin Mitchell. It was Mitchell after all that won the NL MVP. Not Clark.
So I was pretty pumped when Mitchell suited up for the M's in 92, but 92 was a lost season in a lot of ways. And almost immediately Billy Swift and Mike Jackson became huge contributors to the Giants and in 1993 they landed the greatest player of all time so they never felt the loss of Kev too much. But we felt the loss of Swift and Jackson pretty acutely (imagine Jackson as a set up man for Charlton in 95, or vice versa). Anyways, things got tough for Kevin and his weight really got away from him in 1992 and by the end of 1992 he was a one and done guy for the Mariners. But he recaptured his prowess in 94 with the Reds, hitting 30 homers once again. I always wonder what his career might have done if the season had continued in 94. So many what ifs. But he was out of the game by the end of 96 and playing independent league and other non-affiliated systems for the remainder of his 30s. I think he struggled with substance abuse and some other off the field stuff, but for that one bright moment in 1989 he was the biggest star in the whole game. And he's got a World Series ring form one of the most iconic championship runs in modern baseball history to boot. And he earned that one too. Getting big hits and scoring big runs throughout that highly contested series. Unfortunately he and Clark couldn't get the Giants through the quake in 89 and were swept by the A's, but still, that NL Pennant run was a special time. And every time he took the field in 92 my dad, my sister, and I all thought about those great plays in 89 and felt happy. He was never a disappointment. And when we were all eating together as a family we would say "Are you gonna eat that?" as though we were Kevin Mitchell in the clubhouse buffet and then eat stuff off each others plates. It was great. Kevin Mitchell ate dinner with us all the time during the 90s. And it is with these wonderful memories in mind that I whole heartedly welcome Kevin Mitchell to the spacious and loving confines of my Personal Hall of Fame. There's been a spot here for you all along Big Dawg! Here's the next eBay purchase I'm going to make:
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