Meet Mike Hargrove

MIKE HARGROVE

"The Human Rain Delay"

Positions: First Baseman and Left Fielder

Full Name: Dudley Michael Hargrove

Bats: Left - Throws: Left

Born: October 26, 1949 in Perryton, Texas, USA

Organizations: Cleveland Indians (7), Texas Rangers (5), San Diego Padres (1)

MIKE HARGROVE'S WALL OF GLORY

HONORS AND AWARDS

• All Star: 1 (1975)
• Rookie of the Year: 1 (1974)

BATTING

• BB Leader: 2 (1976, 1978)
• OBP Leader: 1 (1981)

FIELDING

• Putouts: 1 (1980)
• Def. Games as 1B: 1 (1980)
• Putouts as 1B: 1 (1980)
• Assists as 1B: 2 (1978, 1982) 

WHO?

The "Human Rain Delay" is an American former first baseman. After retiring Hargrove managed the Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners. .

Mike Hargrove played during 12 seasons, winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 1974 (AVG .323, 4 HR, 66 RBI), becoming the first Ranger to be so honored. He was especially effective in getting on base and moving runners.

Mike Hargrove earned his nickname for his deliberated routine at the plate before each at-bat (and some times between pitches), making pitchers lose their focus. His famous routine consisted of:

• Adjusting his helmet
• Adjusting his batting glove
• Pulling each sleeve of his uniform up
• Wiping each hand on his pants

After 12 seasons, "The Human Rain Delay" retired with and AVG of .290, 80 HR, 686 RBI and 1.614 hits. 

After retiring as a player, Hargrove worked as a Manager for the Cleveland Indians (721-591), Baltimore Orioles (275-372) and Seattle Mariners (192-210). He led the Indians to 5 consecutive AL Central Division titles (1995-99) and 2 World Series appearances (1995 and 1997). As a manager his W-L Record is 1.188-1.173.

MY COMMENT:

"The Human Rain Delay"

That has to be one of coolest and most crazy nicknames among baseball players.

Some people thought that his famous routine was a sign of a mental disorder of some kind, mostly the obsessive-compulsive disorder, something that has firmly denied. His routine was deliberately designed to drive opposite pitchers crazy. Add to the mix that he was a patient batter and that he connected a lot of foul-balls, and you would have some never-ending at-bats!

That crazy, yet effective routine, however overshadowed his career. His career, was short (12 seasons) but with some interesting stats. For example, he exceeded 100 bases on balls in 4 seasons, and he usually was among the AL leaders in on-base %. Also, he got more BB (965) than SO (550) in all his 12 MLB seasons as a player. That is quite impressive.

BEST FIVE SEASONS

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Pos
1976	26	TEX	AL	151	541	80	155	30	1	7	58	2	97	64	.287	.397	.384	.781	*3/HD
1977	27	TEX	AL	153	525	98	160	28	4	18	69	2	103	59	.305	.420	.476	.897	*3/H
1979	29	TOT*	MLB	152	463	75	134	26	4	10	64	2	88	55	.289	.404	.428	.832	37H/D
1980	30	CLE	AL	160	589	86	179	22	2	11	85	4	111	36	.304	.415	.404	.819	*3
1982	32	CLE	AL	160	591	67	160	26	1	4	65	2	101	58	.271	.377	.338	.715	*3/DH

* Played for San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians

Note: If you are using a cell phone to look at this table, put it horizontally for a better experience

What do you think? "The Human Rain Delay" was a good strategy (and a cool nickname)? Share your thoughts!