Butch Huskey
This poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Butch Huskey" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2018) |
Butch Huskey | |
---|---|
Outfielder | |
Born: Anadarko, Oklahoma, U.S. | November 10, 1971|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 8, 1993, for the New York Mets | |
Last MLB appearance | |
October 1, 2000, for the Colorado Rockies | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .267 |
Home runs | 86 |
Runs batted in | 336 |
Teams | |
Robert Leon "Butch" Huskey (born November 10, 1971), is an American former professional baseball player who played in the major leagues primarily as an outfielder in 1993 and from 1995 to 2000.
Early life
Huskey was raised in
1989–1993
Huskey was drafted by the
Huskey won the award again in 1993, for the
1994–1996
Huskey played the entire 1994 campaign with the
In 1996, Huskey was primed to compete with backup infielder Edgardo Alfonzo for the starting position at third base for the New York Mets, following the trade of incumbent Bobby Bonilla to the Baltimore Orioles the previous season. However, the unexpected play of shortstop Rey Ordóñez prompted Dallas Green to alter the infield alignment: Ordonez was awarded the starting shortstop position, with José Vizcaíno shifting to second base, and Jeff Kent shifting to third base. To compensate both Huskey and eager Mets fans, he was awarded the starting right field job, a position he had only played once previously at the Major League level. Huskey struggled defensively in the outfield, soon finding himself being replaced by more athletic natural outfielders, such as Carl Everett and Alex Ochoa, as well as being berated on several radio talk shows for his excessive weight. However, Huskey soon found himself in a platoon role with first baseman Rico Brogna, a left-handed hitter. Huskey went on to be the Mets' busiest first baseman that year, finishing with a .278 average, 15 home runs, 60 runs batted in, and one stolen base.
1997–1998
1997 proved to be another tumultuous season for the young right-hander. With incumbent third baseman Jeff Kent traded away, Huskey was awarded the opening day third baseman's job. However, Huskey again struggled defensively, and was benched in favor of Edgardo Alfonzo, who went on to have a breakout season. Huskey once again found himself in right field, this time to platoon with the struggling Carl Everett. This season proved to be his most successful, as he posted a batting average of .287, with 24 home runs, 81 runs batted in, and eight stolen bases. Huskey was only 25 years old, and some scouts compared him to Mark McGwire. One highlight of Huskey's 1997 season came on September 15, when he hit a home run off Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Beech that landed in section 638 of Veterans Stadium. He became only the third player to hit a ball into the stadium's 600 level, following Willie Stargell and Rubén Rivera. Jim Thome would be the only other player to reach the 600 level with a batted ball before the stadium closed following the 2003 season.[4]
All hopes seemed lost following the 1998 season, as Huskey regressed offensively, posting a batting average of .252, with 13 home runs, 59 runs batted in, and seven stolen bases. Following the season General Manager Steve Phillips announced that he would explore more options in right field. On November 11, 1998, the Mets re-acquired Bobby Bonilla, from the Los Angeles Dodgers, this time to play right field, in exchange for pitcher Mel Rojas. On December 14, 1998, the Mets traded Huskey to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for pitcher Lesli Brea.
1999–2001
Huskey was expected to have a limited bench role with Seattle, but his bat (15 home runs in only 262 at-bats) earned him more and more playing time. While Seattle had no playoff hopes at midseason, several other teams still did, and were looking to bolster their rosters. One such team was the Boston Red Sox, who acquired Huskey on July 26, 1999, in exchange for Robert Ramsay. Huskey served as a right-handed complement to Boston's left-handed designated hitter, Brian Daubach. Huskey performed well in Boston, hitting seven home runs down in the second half of the season in only 124 at-bats and helped the Red Sox to a wild card berth. Following the season, Huskey signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Twins on January 27, 2000.
Huskey was expected to have a breakout season in 2000 with Minnesota as the Twins' everyday designated hitter, but he struggled offensively, hitting only five home runs in 215 at-bats. On July 15, 2000, he was traded with
His number
As a Met, Huskey started out his career in 1993 wearing number 10, and then wore the number 42 for the rest of his Met career from 1995 to 1998 when Major League Baseball retired the number in honor of Jackie Robinson on April 15, 1997, in a game between the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers at Shea Stadium. A grandfather clause enabled him to wear the number for the remainder of his career if he so chose; he changed his number to 44 with the Red Sox in 1999, then reverted to 42 with the Twins before finishing out his career with the Rockies wearing number 35.
In popular culture
Huskey is mentioned in the Yo La Tengo song "Moby Octopad" (from the 1997 album I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One).[5]
Notes
- The Daily Oklahoman. p. 26. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ "Biography – Butch Huskey". NewsOK.com. 11 July 1999. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ^ Baldwin, Mike (11 July 1999). "Diamond Vision Lawton Ike Product Huskey Is Glad He Chose Baseball Over Football". NewsOK.com. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ISBN 1-59213-428-9.
- ^ "The Baseball Project: Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails | Records".
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
This biography of a living person contains unreferenced categories ( adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced categories may be challenged and removed. (February 2022) ) |