Mike Mordecai
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Birth Name: Michael Howard Mordecai College: University of South Alabama Personal: Wife: Jennifer (February 8, 2000)
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Mike Mordecai has twice appeared on teams that won the World Series. He was successful, mainly as a reserve infielder. His minor league stats never were spectacular and his inability to stay consistent while a member of the Braves frustrated the front office. Despite that Mike remained well liked by the fans. After a few years as a Brave, Mike became an Expo and enjoyed his best seasons there in 2000 and 2001. In the mist of the trade deadline he was traded to the Marlins. Two years later he was again a key part in helping the inexperienced Marlins win the World Series; although he never played in the Series. Mike took a job as manager with the Marlins minor league affiliate Jamestown Jammers in December of 2004. Mike graduated Hewitt Trussville High School (AL) in 1986 where he played baseball, basketball and football. The next three years he attended Southern Alabama and was even inducted into the schools hall of fame on April 27, 2001. During his time at Southern Alabama he was a two-time All-American and named to the All-Sun Belt Conference team each year. In 1987 he helped the Jaguars to the conference title in 1987. Mike majored in criminal justice and minored in sociology. With their sixth round selection of the 1989 amateur draft the Braves drafted Mike. He began his minor league career at Class A Burlington and eventually worked his way up to Greenville. In 1992 he made his way to AAA Richmond on June 19. In 1993 he was selected as Richmond’s Most Competitive Player. He played every position on the filed with the exception of center field and pitcher that season. He had back to back four hit games in June. In 1994 Mike made it to the majors, well for four at bats. His first stint was from May 3-20, when he replaced Jeff Blauser on the roster. His first hit was a game winning three-run homer in the ninth against the Phillies. He later appeared again in July. He received the John M. Zwack III Memorial Award for being most community-minded player. Mike was a key clog in the 1995 World Series team as he provided depth on the bench. He made his first start at second base July 16 at San Diego. In the NLDS he went 2-for-3 with a double and 2 RBI. His pinch-hit single in the ninth inning of Game Two gave the Braves the go ahead run. In the World Series he went 1-for-3. Unfortunately for Mike the Braves had Mark Lemke at second base, Chipper Jones at third and Fred McGriff at first preventing him for getting more then a reserve role with the team. Mike was the Braves starting third basemen on opening day though as Chipper Jones set out with an injury. In an 18 inning contest against the Dodgers on August 3 Mordi drove in the go-ahead run on a single. On August 30 he collected his first three hit game of his career at Chicago. In 1998 Mordecai would join the Montréal Expos. On July 24th he returned from the disabled list and he connected with his first homerun since September 28, 1996. On September 2 Mike went 2-for-2 with a homer off of Alan Morman and a triple. Mike would make 53 starts the next year including a career-high 13 straight from May 17-31. Mike hit home runs in consecutive games for the first time in his career also. A solo HR off Brewer Hideo Nomo on May 21 after belting one off the Phillies Chad Ogea May 19 as well as one May 29 off the Giants Shawn Estes and hitting one the following day off of Chris Brock. In total he hit five homers that year setting a new career high. Mordi collected three hits at Philadelphia on May 17. He also set a career-high eight game hitting streak from May 26-June 8. On July 16 against the Orioles he collected his third three hit game of his career. Mike was married February 5, 2000 and his wife Jennifer gave birth to son Jackson on August 2 that year. Mike also has a daughter Taylor Mae who was born on April 27, 1995. Mike found himself playing often for the 2001 Expos. He started thirty-three games at third base, four at short, and one at first. On April 2, 2001 Mordi found himself behind home plate as the catcher in a wild game between the Expos and the Cubs. It was the first time Mordecai had played catcher. Mike was key in rallying the Expos back from a 15-13 deficit against the Cubs when he got a 9th inning single off of Rick Aguilera on May 14. Mikes wife gave birth to son Jackson on August 2. He returned to the team a couple of days later and singed in the winning run against Houston. On the 8th he again tied a career high of three hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2002 Mike found himself traded to the Marlins. He turned his numbers around after the trade hitting .286 opposed to the just .203 he featured in Montréal. In 2003 he hit two game winning homeruns. His first came on July 23 at Atlanta off RHP Trey Hodges in the top of the 12th inning at Turner Field, as he entered the game as a 10th-inning pinch-runner for Mike Lowell. The second came in his next at bat. Of course the at bat wasn’t until the August 13 against the Dodgers Victor Alvarez in the 11th inning. In the 2003 playoffs mike appeared in three games, all in the he NLCS against the Cubs. He went just 1-for-5 but his one hit was a three RBI double in the Marlins Game 6 win at Wrigley Field. Mike didn’t appear on the field in any of the World Series games; the Marlins went on to win in seven.
For only the second time in his career he appeared at catcher, as he caught eight frames against the Reds on June 1 2004. On June 27 Mike tied his career high of four hits against the Devil Rays. His only homer of the year came in the last game off of Philadelphia’s Brett Myers. On December 20 Mike accepted a managerial job with the Jamestown Jammers, the Marlins’ affiliate in the New York-Penn League. A few days later the team announced that they would give Mike a chance to join the team in September so he could reach 10 years of Major League service. Mordecai did play in the majors in 2005 featuring two at-bats with a strike out. Mordecai then formally retired. |
