ArmchairGM Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Full Name: Douglas Andrew Mientkiewicz Primary Position: 1B
Height/Weight: 6'2"/205 First Game: September 18, 1998
Birthdate: June 19, 1974 MLB Experience: 10 years
Birthplace: Toledo, Ohio
Bat/Throw: Left/Right

Biography[]

Doug Mientkiewicz (Douglas Andrew Mientkiewicz) was born on June 19, 1974 in Toledo, Ohio. He made his Major League debut on September 18, 1998 for the Minnesota Twins. In 1999, his rookie year, he hit .229 with 2 home runs and 32 RBI. Mientkiewicz played for the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Kansas City Royals over the course of his 9 year career.

Most people believe that Doug Mientkiewicz's best season was 2001, when he slugged 15 home runs, hit for a .306 average and knocked in 74 runs.

High school career[]

At Westminster Christian High School in Miami, Florida, Doug Mientkiewitcz was a three-sport standout in baseball, basketball, and football. There, he often played alongside classmate Alex Rodriguez, the current starting third baseman for the New York Yankees and the highest-payed player in baseball. As a senior, he was an All-State pick in both baseball and football.

Collegiate career[]

Mientkiewicz attended the Florida State University where he played for coach Mike Martin's Seminoles. He ended his career at FSU after his Junior year in 1995 ranked 10th in the NCAA in RBI and ninth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in batting average. He led his FSU team in batting average for three straight seasons and was selected to the College World Series All-Decade team for the 1990s.

MLB career[]

Mientkiewicz is a notorious line-drive hitter and hits well against both lefties and righties. He has a nice, short stroke with gap power (though no home run hitter) and tremendous discipline at the plate, coupled with good knowledge of the strike zone. For his career he has a good 0.951 walk-to-strikeout ratio (310-to-326). Though not a base-stealing threat, Mientkiewicz will get every extra base he can.

Although he batted .300 for two years with the Minnesota Twins, Mientkiewicz has not produced at the plate at that level in recent years. Defense is still the best part of Mientkiewicz's game. He has a great glove with soft hands, great mobility, good range and a strong arm. Also, Mientkiewicz is excellent at scooping balls in the dirt, tagging down on a high throw and extending himself to make the play. He won the Gold Glove Award in 2001 with the Minnesota Twins.

In an eight-year career, Mientkiewicz is a .268 hitter with 50 home runs, 155 doubles, 294 RBI, 303 runs scored, and a .360 On-Base Percentage in 735 games.

The 2004 World Series ball controversy[]

Mientkiewicz recorded the final out of the 2004 World Series, ending Boston's 86-year championship drought. The Red Sox led 3-0 in Game 4 in St.Louis when Mientkiewicz entered in the bottom of the seventh inning as a substitute in first base. Mientkiewicz didn't handle the ball until there were two outs in the ninth. St. Louis shortstop Edgar Rentería grounded back to pitcher Keith Foulke, who trotted toward first base and underhanded the ball to Mientkiewicz. As the ball that symbolically ended the Curse of the Bambino, the item would be of considerable interest to memorabilia collectors. Controversy resulted when Mientkiewicz kept the ball and the Red Sox later asked for its return. A spokesperson for Major League Baseball indicated that the ball belonged to Mientkiewicz, but the Red Sox contended that it belonged to them, as they wanted to have it for archive or museum use. In an announcement made with the Red Sox in January 2005, Mientkiewicz said the ball will now accompany the World Series trophy as it makes its way through the cities, towns, and other assorted places of New England during its yearlong tour. The ball will be displayed as part of a special plaque. On 23 April 2006 it was announced that he had reached an agreement with the Red Sox and the ball would go to the hall of fame. Red Sox claim on the ball was questionable as the game was not played on Fenway Park and based on precedent Mientkiewicz could have claimed it. [1].

Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko recorded the final out of the 2005 World Series in similar fashion. His handling of the ball was less controversial than Mientkiewicz, as he very publicly turned the ball over to club chairman Jerry Reinsdorf during the team's victory celebration. During the off-season, Konerko was re-signed to a large contract.

Scouting Report[]

Strengths

  • Good glove (2001 A.L. Gold Glove)
  • Great strike zone judgment; will definitely take a walk
  • Likes to sit on fastballs when he's ahead
  • Half-decent gap power
  • Above-average in terms of making contact

Weaknesses

  • Chases Sliders
  • Slow runner
  • Doesn't exactly have the best bat-control skills

Best Year

Mientkiewicz had a career-high 20 Win Shares in 2003, when he hit .300/.393/.450 with the Minnesota Twins, but his very best year came for the Twins in 2001, when he posted a .306/.387/.464 line and won a well-deserved Gold Glove (+11 FRAA).


Most Known For
The defensive replacement for Kevin Millar during the 2004 post-season, Mientkiewicz caught the ball flipped to him by Keith Foulke for the final out of the 2004 World Series, giving the Red Sox their first World Series title in 86 years. In the following months and for more than a year, Mientkewicz would be in a battle with the Red Sox over the ownership of the ball. The matter was finally laid to rest as both sides agreed to give the ball to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Statistics[]

Batting Stats[]

Year Team G AB R H HR RBI AVG OBP SLG 2B 3B BB SO HBP SH SB IBB GDP
1998 MIN A 8 25 1 5 0 2 .200 .310 .240 1 0 4 3 0 0 1 0 0
1999 MIN A 118 327 34 75 2 32 .229 .324 .330 21 3 43 51 4 3 1 3 13
2000 MIN A 3 14 0 6 0 4 .429 .400 .429 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2001 MIN A 151 543 77 166 15 74 .306 .387 .464 39 1 67 92 9 0 2 6 10
2002 MIN A 143 467 60 122 10 64 .261 .365 .392 29 1 74 69 6 0 1 8 7
2003 MIN A 142 487 67 146 11 65 .300 .393 .450 38 1 74 55 5 2 4 4 9
2004 MIN A 78 284 34 70 5 25 .246 .340 .363 18 0 38 38 3 2 2 2 9
2004 BOS A 49 107 13 23 1 10 .215 .286 .318 6 1 10 18 1 0 0 0 3
2004 TOT A 127 391 47 93 6 35 .238 .326 .350 24 1 48 56 4 2 2 2 12
2005 NY N 87 275 36 66 11 29 .240 .322 .407 13 0 32 39 2 2 0 7 12
2006 KC A 91 314 37 89 4 43 .283 .359 .411 24 2 35 50 5 1 3 1 6
2007 NYY A 72 166 26 46 5 24 .277 .349 .440 12 0 16 23 3 6 0 0 3
Total NL 87 275 36 66 11 29 .240 .322 .407 13 0 32 39 2 2 0 7 12
Total AL 855 2734 349 748 53 343 .274 ? ? 188 9 361 399 36 14 14 24 61
Total 942 3009 385 814 64 372 .271 .358 .407 201 9 393 438 38 16 14 31 73

Fielding Stats[]

Year Team POS G GS INN PO A ERR DP TP PB SB CS PkO AVG
1998 MIN A 1B 8 7 64 61 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
1999 MIN A 1B 110 95 845 882 50 3 75 0 0 0 0 0 .997
2000 MIN A 1B 3 3 26.2 22 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
2001 MIN A 1B 148 143 1269.1 1263 69 4 95 0 0 0 0 0 .997
2001 MIN A DH 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2002 MIN A 1B 143 132 1177.1 1073 69 5 92 0 0 0 0 0 .996
2003 MIN A 3B 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2003 MIN A OF 3 2 18 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
2003 MIN A 2B 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2003 MIN A 1B 139 133 1159.1 1091 68 4 86 0 0 0 0 0 .997
2003 MIN A DH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2003 MIN A RF 3 2 18 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
2004 MIN A 1B 77 73 668.2 661 37 4 61 0 0 0 0 0 .994
2004 BOS A 1B 47 26 272 263 25 1 14 0 0 0 0 0 .997
2004 BOS A 2B 1 1 7 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
2004 TOT A 1B 124 99 940.2 924 62 5 75 0 0 0 0 0 .995
2005 NY N 1B 83 79 675 692 42 4 59 0 0 0 0 0 .995
2006 KC A 1B 90 82 724.2 749 42 3 83 0 0 0 0 0 .996
2007 NY A 1B 70 48 458 482 23 2 59 0 0 0 0 0 .996
Total 3B 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Total RF 3 2 18 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
Total 1B 918 821 7340 7239 428 30 630 0 0 0 0 0 .996
Total DH 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Total 2B 2 1 8 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
Total OF 3 2 18 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000

Transactions[]

Trivia[]

  • His nickname is Eye Chart alluding to the difficulty of the spelling of his last name.
  • Mientkiewicz was on the U.S. Olympic team when they won the gold medal at the 2000 games in Sydney, hitting the game-winning home-run against South Korea in the semi-finals.


See also[]

Advertisement