Although he had some difficulty adjusting to hitting major league pitching early in his career, catcher Mickey Tettleton settled in defensively quickly. In his first four years with the Oakland A’s, he batted .263, .251, .204 and .194. Fielding wise, his numbers were very respectable, .992, .989, .984 and .987. After being released by Oakland he signed a contract with Baltimore and had three solid years with the Orioles, 1988-90. With experience Mickey Tettleton learned to hit the fastball and his power numbers rose quickly. He hit 21 doubles and 26 homers for Baltimore in 1989. In 1991 Mickey Tettleton signed as a free agent with Detroit and for three straight seasons powered over 30 homers and in 1991 hit two homers that cleared the roof of Tiger Stadium. In 1993 the 6 ft 3 inch backstop had his first 100 RBI season, 110 RBIs, and he was shifted to the outfield for 53 games, played 35 at first base and 51 as a catcher. In 1995 Mickey Tettleton signed with the Texas Rangers as a free agent, and hit 32 home runs his first season there. All-in-all he was a well-known power-hitting catcher. |