Mike Richardt

Michael Anthony Richardt

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 170 lb.
• School Fresno City College
• High School Hoover High School (Fresno)
• Debut August 30, 1980
• Final Game September 30, 1984
• Born May 24, 1958 in Los Angeles, CA USA

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Biographical Information

In 1981, Mike Richardt led the American Association (AAA) in hitting with a .354 average, playing with the Wichita Aeros (.354, 8, 60, 10 SB). He also was the Texas Rangers minor league player of the year that season. Wichita was one of the most hitter-friendly places to play in all of organized baseball at that time, and he would never come close to matching that batting average again.

Richardt had made his big league debut at the end of the 1980 season, hitting .225 in 22 games, and did not play at all in the majors in 1981, but following his excellent minor league campaign that year, he was given a chance to play regularly in 1982. He made the team out of spring training as the starting DH, but hit only .217 with 3 extra-base hits in April to be sent back to the minors. He returned in late May, then played mainly in left field for the rest of that month and in June, but not as a full-time player. He was finally placed in his natural position, second base, at the beginning of July, sending starter Doug Flynn to the bench (Flynn would be sold to the Montreal Expos within a few weeks). He was the regular at the position the rest of the way and ended up playing 119 games, hitting .241 with 3 homers and 43 RBIs. His OBP was only .281, and his slugging percentage was also below .300, so his OPS+ was a terrible 62.

He never got another shot at being a regular in the majors after that. In 1983, he hit .174 in 22 games, then in 1984, he went 1 for 9 in 6 games for Texas. On May 25th, he was traded to the Houston Astros for utility player Alan Bannister. he played 16 games for the Astros at the end of that season, going 4 for 15. Those were his last major league games. He retired a first time early in the 1985 season, when he was with the AAA Tucson Toros, then attempted a comeback in 1988 with the unaffiliated Fresno Suns of the California League. After hitting .331 in 38 games there, he was given another shot by the Rangers, who signed him for the AA Tulsa Drillers, where he hit .255 in 28 games. And, as had been the case in previous years, his batting average was basically all there was to his game, as he never drew many walks or hit for extra bases. He retired for good after that final stint.