Mike Roarke

Michael Thomas Roarke

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.
• School Boston College
• High School West Warwick High School
• Debut April 19, 1961
• Final Game October 3, 1964
• Born November 8, 1930 in West Warwick, RI USA
• Died July 27, 2019 in Cranston, RI USA

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Biographical Information

Catcher Mike Roarke played four years in the majors and then was a longtime coach.

Roarke attended Boston College, where he played both baseball and football. One of his teammates on the baseball team was future big league player and manager Joe Morgan. Graduating in 1952, he then signed with the Boston Braves along with Morgan. He made his pro debut that summer with the Evansville Braves of the Three-I League but missed much of that season and the entire next one while serving in the military. He returned to baseball in 1954 and played in the Braves chain through 1959.

Following the 1959 season, Roarke was traded to the Detroit Tigers as part of a five-played deal. After spending 1960 with the Denver Bears, he reached the majors as a 30-year-old in 1961, as a backup to Dick Brown. He remained with the Tigers through 1964, hitting .230 with 6 home runs in 194 games.

After his retirement as a player, Roarke was a Tigers coach in 1965 and 1966 and a member of the California Angels staff from 1967 to 1969. He returned to the Tigers as a coach for the 1970 season. He then spent the next five seasons as a minor league manager in the Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago Cubs organizations. He was then a member of the Cubs coaching staff from 1978 and 1980 and a St. Louis Cardinals coach from 1984 to 1990. After a stint with the San Diego Padres from 1991 to 1993, he ended his career as the Boston Red Sox pitching coach in 1994.

Related Sites

• Mike Roarke at the SABR Bio Project
• Boston College Hall of Fame