Mike Schmidt
- In full:
- Michael Jack Schmidt
- Also Known As:
- Michael Jack Schmidt
- Awards And Honors:
- Baseball Hall of Fame (1995)
- Most Valuable Player (1986)
- Most Valuable Player (1981)
- Most Valuable Player (1980)
- Silver Slugger Award (x6)
- Gold Glove (x10)
- three-time MVP
- Baseball Hall of Fame (inducted in 1995)
- World Series MVP
- 12x All-Star
- 1 World Series championship
- College:
- Ohio University (Athens, OH)
- Height/Weight:
- 6 ft 2 inches, 195 lb (188 cm, 88 kg)
- Batting Hand:
- right
- Throwing Hand:
- right
- Debut Date:
- September 12, 1972
- Draft:
- Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the second round of the June 1971 MLB draft.
- Last Game:
- May 28, 1989
- Jersey Number:
- 20 (1973-1989, Philadelphia Phillies)
- 22 (1972-1972, Philadelphia Phillies)
- Position:
- third baseman and first baseman
- At Bats:
- 8,352
- Batting Average:
- 0.267
- Hits:
- 2,234
- Home Runs:
- 548
- On-Base Percentage:
- 0.38
- On-Base Plus Slugging:
- 0.908
- Runs:
- 1,506
- Runs Batted In:
- 1,595
- Slugging Percentage:
- 0.527
- Stolen Bases:
- 174
Mike Schmidt (born September 27, 1949, Dayton, Ohio, U.S.) is a retired professional baseball player, one of the finest all-around third basemen in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. He spent his entire career with the National League Philadelphia Phillies.
Schmidt played college baseball in Ohio and was drafted by the Phillies in 1971. After playing for their minor league team, he was brought up to the major leagues in 1972. He struggled with hitting in his first few seasons, but by 1974 he led the league in home runs and began to have some consistency as a batter. In 1980 Schmidt hit 48 home runs, breaking the existing record for home runs in a season by a third baseman. He led the National League in home runs eight times, and, by the conclusion of his 18-year career, he had amassed 548 home runs (then ninth on the all-time list) and had 1,595 runs batted in.
- Brooks Robinson (16)
- Mike Schmidt (10)
- Nolan Arenado (10, as of 2023)
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award—the most prestigious defensive award in Major League Baseball—is given annually to the best fielders at each position in the National League and the American League.
His defensive skills were easily equal to his offense, and he was awarded 10 Gold Gloves (1976–84 and 1986) during his career. During Schmidt’s tenure the Phillies won two National League pennants (1980 and 1983) and a World Series championship (1980). Schmidt was voted Most Valuable Player on three occasions (1980, 1981, and 1986). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 1995. He is a coauthor of the book Clearing the Bases: Juiced Players, Monster Salaries, Sham Records, and a Hall of Famer’s Search for the Soul of Baseball (2006; cowritten with Glen Waggoner).
