Mike Compton (baseball)

Michael Lynn Compton (born August 15, 1944 in Stamford, Texas) was a Major League Baseball player, who played catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1970.

Compton attended Sul Ross State University. In 1965 he was signed as an amateur free agent by the Phillies.

On May 2, 1970, Philadelphia Phillies catchers Mike Ryan and Tim McCarver both had a hand broken in a game against the San Francisco Giants.^[1] With their catching corps depleted, the Phillies had to use Jim Hutto, Del Bates, Doc Edwards, and Compton at the position. Bates and Compton had never played in the Major Leagues before 1970. Edwards was the Phillies bullpen coach and had last played in the majors in 1965.

Compton batted .165 in 110 at bats with one home run. Before the 1970 season was over, Compton was demoted to the Eugene Emeralds of the Pacific Coast League. Compton would spend the rest of his professional career playing for the Emeralds.

After his playing career was over, Compton managed and coached in the farm systems of the Phillies and Cincinnati Reds. More recently Compton has been a minor league catching coordinator and is credited with inventing a ball retrieval tool known as The Ball Hawg.^[2]

References

1. ↑ "Mike Compton from the Chronology". Baseballlibrary.com. 
2. ↑ "The Ball Hawg". theballhawg.com. 

External links

• Baseball Almanac