May 9, 2018
When former Vanderbilt baseball player Mike Baxter (2004-05) and current Commodore assistant coach played for the New York Mets, he established a Mets franchise record with five walks in a nine-inning game. This occurred on July 30, 2012 in San Diego and also tied a National League record.
“I have no idea how that happened,” Baxter said with a laugh. “None of them were intentional. I was hitting about .275 with one or two homers. I wasn’t doing anything worth walking five times. There were other bats in the lineup for them to be worried about. That was one of those days that I was seeing the ball well. It wasn’t like I was battling too much. They just fell behind in the count, and didn’t make pitches. I walked five times. It was a crazy day–just strange.”
Baxter was born and raised in Queens, N.Y., and graduated from Archbishop Molly High School. He went on to attend Columbia University, batting .375 in 46 games playing third and first base. Collegiate Baseball named him to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America team.
“Out of high school I was lightly recruited and didn’t have many collegiate options to play baseball,” said Baxter. “When I was a kid, I would watch the Omaha World Series and the SEC. I always wanted to play baseball in the South. When I was considering college, I wanted the best education possible, so I went to Columbia.
“I played there for a year. My old summer league coach had known coach [Tim] Corbin from recruiting in the past. They connected. I was looking for something more than Columbia and was put in touch with Coach Corbin, who was about to begin his second year at Vanderbilt. The rules were different back then since you were allowed to transfer without sitting out a year.”
The Commodores finished 45-19 (16-14, SEC) in Baxter’s first season on West End. Baxter played first base and DH in starting in all 64 games, chipping in a .322 batting average with two home runs and 38 RBIs. Baxter was also named to the All-SEC Academic Honor Roll in both of his first two years.
“When I showed up on my first day, I knew I was in a unique spot,” Baxter said. “In Coach Corbin’s first meeting with us, he laid out his expectations and how things were done here. I knew I made the right decision. I liked the way he played the game–his intensity and vision.
“I was excited to play at the highest level collegiately. We had a good group as far as talent — maybe not the top-flight players, but competitive, hard-working guys. There ended up being some big leaguers from that team. I remember a weekend at LSU, where we lost two tight games on Friday and Saturday by one run each. Those were emotional losses.
“Then Sunday, Matt Buschmann pitched a complete game shutout. It was a turning point for the group to respond. We caught a good run, and in the SEC Tournament lost in the finals to South Carolina. We went into the regional where we beat George Mason, Princeton and Virginia.”
This was the first year that Vanderbilt had been invited to the NCAA Tournament since 1980. In the Charlottesville Regional, victories came over George Mason (7-3), Princeton (11-1) and Virginia (7-3). The Commodores earned a trip to Austin to take on Texas in the Super Regional. The Longhorns took two-of-three games, 15-3 and 10-2.
“There was a carryover from the year before though I didn’t play then,” said Baxter. “Worth Scott’s home run [in the final game the previous season] sent the team to the SEC Tournament, and it sent a buzz in the community about Vanderbilt baseball and the direction of the program.
“We felt that, and just won. There were not a lot of expectations for us on a national level. We got down to the regional setting and believed we could win. It was an exciting time since the Virginia program was on the rise. That was the environment that as a kid, I was looking for playing for and a chance to go to Omaha and the College World Series. In the Super Regional we were two games from going to Omaha, but lost the first two games. It was another great environment at Texas. They had such a good team.”
In Baxter’s junior season, he led Vanderbilt in average (.374), hits (79), doubles (16), triples (3), home runs (9), RBIs (48) and stolen bases (27). But the Commodores were 34-21 (13-17, SEC) and failed to make the postseason.
“I felt like I had a good season,” Baxter said. “Looking back I wish we had won one of the final games against Florida that would have put us in the SEC Tournament. If we had made it to the postseason anything could have happened at that point. We got swept and lost some tight games.
“That year was up and down as far as consistency. From a team standpoint, it was not as smooth with bumps in the road along the way. Unfortunately, we could not get the wins like we wanted to. It was not the best way to go out though. I did have a good year personally, statistically. It was disappointing not playing in the postseason.”
What did Baxter learn playing for Corbin in college that helped him towards a professional baseball career?
“He taught me to have confidence,” said Baxter. “I came down here hoping things were going to be right. I believed that I could play, but I probably wasn’t sure. Immediately when you are put into this environment you have to toughen up, and come to the ballpark to be competitive everyday.
“That was some of the first lessons I learned right away. That’s really all you wanted was for the guys to be mentally engaged to compete whether it was in practice or games. You could see the way he approach everything with the focus and attention to detail that it takes. It’s nice to look back 15 years later to see what he has built. That speaks for itself with the vision he had for the program. I know if I hadn’t transferred here I wouldn’t have developed the skills to let me play baseball for a long time.”
Baxter would skip his senior season and be selected by the San Diego Padres in the fourth round of the 2005 Major League Amateur Draft.
“Until May of that year I really never spoke with a professional scout,” Baxter said. “I was a late bloomer and didn’t get much professional attention. I always had the dream to play professionally. I had teammates that were higher profile draft picks and heavily scouted through the course of their high school and college careers. When San Diego selected me in the fourth round I was pleased, and felt it was a good time to start that journey. They showed a commitment to me, and I took that shot to move on.”
Baxter began his professional career (2005) in Single-A, Ft. Wayne, where he played in 45 games and batted .219 with one home run and 17 RBIs. After five more years in the minors he landed in Triple-A Portland in 2010, going on to appear in 136 games, hit .301 with 18 home runs with 72 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. San Diego then purchased Baxter’s contract at the end of the minor league season for an extended spot on the Padres roster.
“I played five full seasons in the minors, and started off poorly, and didn’t hit right away,” said Baxter. “I was on a slow track with bad numbers early. I really didn’t turn it on until I got to Double-A and the Arizona Fall League. I worked with Rick Eckstien who was an excellent coach that helped me find my swing.
“Along the way you have to keep that mindset that you are going to get an opportunity to play in the big leagues, or you were wasting your time. I had some great experiences along the way. I got to go to China with the Padres during spring training. We played in Beijing, and for a minor league guy that was a great experience hanging out with Trevor Hoffman and Adrian Gonzalez. I came back in the offseason and set up a home in Nashville and finished my degree in 2010.”
The outfielder made his major league debut on September 6, 2010 in San Diego against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Baxter vividly remembers putting on a big-league uniform for the first time in the Padres locker room.
“Obviously I was excited,” said Baxter. “Buddy Black, the Padres manager, called me in when I arrived at Petco Park. He said to me, ‘You are going to play tonight. It is going to happen.’ Tim Stauffer was on the mound that night and was coming back from an injury so he was allotted to go four or five innings. He was back from rehab in the minors.
“We knew he was going to come out of the game early. Buddy told me regardless of the game situation I was going to pinch-hit for him, and that I should be ready. It was nice that he gave me a heads up to prepare. I didn’t have to sit on the bench wondering if I would get into the game. I faced Vicente Padilla who was an old veteran pitcher for the Dodgers. I came up with runners on first and third with no outs.
“He threw me a 59-mile-an-hour ephus pitch that I thought I was going to hit into the stands. I did a double-take on it, swung as hard as I could and popped up to the second baseman. I don’t know if it was the slowest first pitch ever in the big leagues to a first-time batter.”
Baxter, who bats left-handed and throws right-handed, would bat seven more times that season also as a pinch-hitter. He would register his first major league hit on Sept. 26. Baxter would hit .125 (1-for-8) with one RBI and two strikeouts for his short time with San Diego.
“My first hit was against Reds pitcher Francisco Cordero,” Baxter said. “It was a blowout and we were down by eight runs. He put me in to get Adrian Gonzalez off his feet for an inning or two.
“I went in to play first base and I had been 0-for 6 at that point. I was worried that I would go into the off-season with a 0-for. He threw me a fastball, and I hit a line drive to right. I’ll take it. It was the only one that season, but it put me on the board. That was another cool moment at that time for sure.”
Baxter began the 2011 season on the DL, and was later placed on waivers by the Padres. The New York Mets chose him off the waiver list. It would be a move that benefited the 26-year old who began the season in Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A. The Mets called him up in August, and in his first game Baxter hit an RBI double that was part of a come-from-behind win over San Diego.
“When I was coming up in San Diego, I wasn’t performing well early,” Baxter said. “I put myself off the prospect track. I’m very thankful they called me up in 2010, but don’t think I was really in their plans. They had drafted players and signed free agents that had taken over. After I got hurt in spring training in 2011, they put me on waivers when I was ready to come back. That’s the beauty of baseball—sometimes one door closes and another one opens.
“I was surprised by the move, but when I found out the Mets were claiming me it was a dream. I was from Queens, New York and raised there. The Mets were my favorite team as a child. I lived about three miles from the stadium. It was going home for me. It was a unique opportunity to play baseball at home and share that experience with my family.”
After the call-up, Baxter finished the season in New York. He played in 22 games, batting .235 (8-for-34) with one home run and four RBIs. Baxter hit four home runs in his major-league career and on Sept. 28, clubbed his first dinger. The two-run blast led to a 3-0 New York victory over Cincinnati.
“It was the last day of the season and my last at bat,” said Baxter. “We were playing the Reds in Citi Field and Edinson Volquez was pitching. I was glad to get one of those. It was a fastball up in the zone. I got it up and out to left centerfield. My family was at the ballpark that night. It was a nice way to end the year, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to keep me on the roster through the offseason. I signed with them again the next year, which was a minor league deal.”
In 2012, Baxter began the season as a reserve outfielder on the Mets active roster. On June 1, Baxter became part of New York Mets history when Mets pitcher Johan Santana tossed the franchise’s first no-hitter. In that game, Baxter helped preserve the pitching gem with an outfield catch that resulted in an injury.
“The Mets always had good pitchers, and as a kid in New York I was teased about how bad the Mets were,” said Baxter. “We were in the seventh inning and there was one out. Yadier Molina was hitting for the Cardinals. Johan was going deep into the game.
“I would say he didn’t have his best stuff that night. He probably had about four or five walks and around 100 pitches. But you knew a no-hitter was going on since we were deep into the game. And there was a big buzz in the stadium too. Molina hit a ball over my left shoulder. It was a hard line drive.
“I went back pursuing it. I caught the ball, and sort of stubbled and couldn’t protect myself when I was running. I collided with the wall. I separated my AC joint in my shoulder and fractured a couple of top ribs. I missed about eight weeks and fortunately Johan finished the game and got his no-hitter. It was an honor to be part of that game.”
Baxter was placed on the DL and after a rehab assignment, rejoined the Mets on July 30. It was just four days later that Baxter was again part of Mets history with the five-walk game. Baxter finished that season playing in 89 games batting .263 (47-for-179) with three home runs, 17 RBIs and five stolen bases.
The next season, Baxter was once again assigned on the Mets opening day roster as a reserve outfielder. He was sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas in June and called back to New York in September. In that season Baxter played in 74 games batting .189 (25-for-132) with no home runs and four RBIs.
In October, Baxter was placed on waivers and claimed by the Dodgers. He only appeared in four games with Los Angeles in 2014, finishing the season in the minors. Eventually, he signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs in Jan. 2015 and played in 34 games in Chicago where he batted .246 (14-for-57) with no home runs and two RBIs.
“I had signed with the Mariners in 2016 and took a minor-league deal with them, but I didn’t make their roster out of camp,” Baxter said. “I went to Triple-A Tacoma where I was playing poorly and not hitting very well. In early June, we were playing against the Astros Triple-A team. Jandel Gustave, a big right-handed pitcher, hit me with a 98-mile an hour fastball that broke my left wrist.
“I knew coming off the field that might be the end of the line for me. At that point in my life my wife was expecting our second child. My son, Will, was two years old. My family was growing, and I was working my way out of the big leagues. I was in the minors more than I was in the big leagues. That injury put me out of the game for a fair amount of time. I came back and tried to play a few games at the end of the season. I knew that was probably going to be it.
“I got a lot out of the game as a player. I was very grateful for the time and experiences that it gave me. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. If you told me when I was in high school or college that I would have been able to play that long, and get to the big leagues for a little while, I would have signed up for it. As a player you always wished you played more and played well. Sometimes the beauty of being done you get to reflect on it with a clear mind and realize how lucky you were.”
Baxter was asked about the toughest pitchers he faced in the major leagues.
“Roy Halliday was really good, and he was on the backside of his career,” said Baxter. “You could see how talented he was as a pitcher. He didn’t have overwhelming velocity, but he was a skilled pitcher. He could do what ever he wanted. He threw whiffle balls. As far as velocity Jose Fernandez, when he was a rookie with the Marlins was as tough a pitcher I ever faced.
“He was electric with a great slider and a 95-mile an hour fastball. He stands out as one of the better arms I faced. Such a tragedy what happened to him. [Fernandez was killed in a boating accident in September 2016 at age 24] And Aroldis Chapman, he’s probably No.1. I got one at-bat, and it was a strikeout with a 3-2, 98-mile an hour fastball on the outside corner. That was one pitch I won’t forget.”
Baxter’s six-year major league career totals include 232 games, batting .228 (95-for-417) with four home runs, 28 RBIs and five stolen bases. After retiring as a player, Baxter went to work for the Toronto Blue Jays in their player development department. Baxter is currently in his first season as Vanderbilt’s hitting coach and recruiting coordinator.
“Through the years I was training at Vanderbilt during the offseason,” said Baxter. “In 2009, when I came back to school to finish my degree, I did an internship. I was a Human and Organizational Development major. The administration let me do a coaching internship with our team. They understood that I wanted to coach when I was finished with my baseball career.
“I was like an undergrad student assistant for five months with Coach Corbin. I got my feet wet there, and confirmed that I wanted to coach when I was done. For the next few years I would informally be around the program whether it was training or going to practices or just hanging out with the guys. I’ve always been close to the staff.
“Last summer when I with Toronto, Coach Corbin asked me if I be interested in the role. I always thought there was one thing on my mind when I was done, and that was to be on the staff at Vanderbilt where I played. The program has meant a lot to me. When he called, I was thrilled and jumped at the opportunity.”
If you have any comments or suggestions, contact Bill Traughber via email WLTraughber@aol.com.
