Mike Milchin

Michael Wayne Milchin

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 3", Weight 190 lb.
• School Clemson University
• High School John Randolph Tucker High School
• Debut May 14, 1996
• Final Game September 29, 1996
• Born February 28, 1968 in Knoxville, TN USA

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Biographical Information

Pitcher Mike Milchin played professionally from 1989 to 1996, reaching the majors in his final season which he split between two teams. Before that, he was a star in the amateur ranks and in college.

Amateur career

While attending Clemson University, Milchin played for the US junior national team in 1986. He was a first baseman and pitcher for the USA in the 1988 Olympics. He hit only .154/~.290/.154 for team USA that year as the backup to Tino Martinez, but went 4-1 with two saves and a 1.93 ERA, second to Charles Nagy among those with 20+ IP and ahead of Jim Abbott, Ben McDonald and Andy Benes. The US won unofficial Gold Medal at the Olympics that year. In the 1988 Baseball World Cup, he went 0 for 1 at the plate but allowed no earned runs in 5 2/3 IP, saving one game. Milchin was picked by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second round of the 1989 amateur draft, the only pitcher they took in the first 10 rounds.

In the St. Louis chain

Milchin went 1-2, 2.18 for the 1989 Hamilton Redbirds, walking 9 and whiffing 46 in 41 1/3 IP. He was promoted to the Springfield Cardinals, where he was 3-2 with a 2.14 ERA and over a strikeout per inning. In 1990, Mike split the year between the St. Petersburg Cardinals (6-1, 2.77) and the Arkansas Travelers (6-8, 4.31), making it to AA by the end of his second season.

In '91, the southpaw battled toe and shoulder injuries. He went 3-2, 3.06 for Arkansas (38 K, 8 BB in 35 1/3 IP) and 5-9, 5.07 with the Louisville Redbirds. Baseball America rated him the #8 prospect in the St. Louis system. His injury woes continued in 1992 as he broke a toe and had knee surgery. He went 2-6, 5.79 in his 12 outings for Louisville and his walk rate got much worse - 31 in 65 1/3 IP. Baseball America still placed him as the #6 prospect in the organization. Mike improved to 3-7, 3.95 in 1993 in his third year with the Redbirds. The Cards waived him and he was picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Albuquerque

Milchin suffered shoulder tendonitis in 1994 and had reconstructive left elbow surgery, missing all yar. Returning in 1995, he was 8-4 with a 4.32 for the Albuquerque Dukes. The highlight came on June 13 when he threw a seven-inning no-hitter in the second half of a doubleheader with the Vancouver Canadians.

Making it to the majors

The Minnesota Twins signed Mike for the 1996 season and assigned him to the Salt Lake Buzz. Now a reliever, he had two saves and no decisions with a 3.68 ERA in 19 outings. He was called up to the major league team, where he had a 8.31 ERA and 2-1 record in 26 games, allowing too many hits. He was waived again and picked up by the Baltimore Orioles, for whom he went 1-0, 5.73 in 13 contests to conclude his career. Overall, he was 40-42 as a professional pitcher, 3-1 in the majors.

Post-MLB career

Milchin became an agent after retiring as a pitcher. He represented Justin Verlander, the #2 pick in the 2004 amateur draft, and was unable to negotiate a deal with the Detroit Tigers. When the Verlander family bypassed Milchin and conducted their own discussions, they got a contract signed within eight days.

Sources: 1989-1997 and 2005 Baseball Almanacs, The Big Book of Jewish Baseball by Peter Horvitz and Joachim Horvitz, IBAF website, 1988 Team USA Media Guide