Mike Hampton

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Mike Hampton

Atlanta Braves — No. 32
Starting pitcher
Bats: Right	Throws: Left
MLB debut
May 17, 1993 for the Seattle Mariners
Selected MLB statistics (through 2005)
Earned run average	3.97
Win-loss	138-101
Strikeouts	1,272
teams
Seattle Mariners (1993) Houston Astros (1994-1999) New York Mets (2000) Colorado Rockies (2001-2002) Atlanta Braves (2003-present)

Michael William Hampton (born September 9, 1972 in Brooksville, Florida, USA) is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher who plays for the Atlanta Braves. He bats right-handed and throws left-handed.

Contents 1 Early career 2 Colorado and Atlanta 3 Awards and Accomplishments 4 Statistics 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Early career

Mike Hampton was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 4th round of the 1990 draft. He first broke into the major leagues in 1993, but had a disappointing start. After the season, he found himself traded to the Houston Astros, where he would become a star.

Hampton became a starter for Houston in 1995, and kept his ERA under 4.00 for every season he was with the Astros. In 1999, Hampton had his best year. He broke through with a 22-4 record, best in the National League, and a 2.90 ERA. He picked up his first of five Silver Slugger Awards and narrowly finished second in National League Cy Young Award voting to Randy Johnson.

Entering the final year of his contract, Hampton was dealt to the New York Mets in the wake of his big season. He went 15-10 with a 3.12 ERA and helped the Mets greatly in the postseason. With two wins and no earned runs in two starts, Hampton was named the MVP of the 2000 NLCS. Hampton received a loss in his only World Series appearance.

[edit] Colorado and Atlanta

The Colorado Rockies signed Hampton to an expensive, long-term contract on December 9, 2000. The contract is the 17th largest in the history of sports. The Rockies hoped Hampton, who had been one of the best pitchers in the league over the past few seasons, would be able to succeed in the tough pitching conditions of Coors Field.

Hampton went a slightly disappointing 14-13 with a 5.12 ERA in 2001, his pitching clearly affected by the high altitude of Denver. The next season was even more of a disaster for the highly-paid Hampton, as he went 7-15 with his ERA climbing to 6.15. The only positive from Hampton's two Colorado years was his hitting (ten home runs and .300+ batting average over two seasons).

In November 2002, Hampton and his contract were traded to the Florida Marlins, then to the Atlanta Braves. Braves' pitching coach Leo Mazzone set about trying to get Hampton's career back on track after the Coors Field debacle. Hampton won 14 games and got his ERA back down to 3.84 in 2003. He overcame a slow start in 2004 by winning 10 of his last 11 decisions and helping to propel the Braves to another division championship.

Hampton did not contribute nearly as much in 2005 as he was limited heavily by injuries. He went 5-3 in twelve starts, but was lost for the rest of the season with an elbow injury on August 19, 2005. Hampton had Tommy John surgery on September 25, 2005 and missed the entire 2006 season rehabbing.

The Braves were hoping for Hampton to be ready to rejoin the rotation in time for the start of the 2007 season. The rehab was on schedule until Hampton tore his oblique muscle on March 7, 2007, which will sideline him until at least May.^[1]

[edit] Awards and Accomplishments

• 2-time All-Star (1999, 2001)
• National League Championship Series MVP (2000)
• Led NL in winning percentage (.846, 1999)
• Became the first pitcher ever to win the Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger awards in the same season (2003). The Gold Glove also snapped then-Atlanta teammate Greg Maddux's streak of 11 consecutive Gold Gloves. Hampton remains the only National League pitcher other than Maddux to win a Gold Glove since Ron Darling won in 1989.

[edit] Statistics

Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	HR	BB	SO
1993	Seattle Mariners	1	3	9.53	13	3	0	0	1	17.0	28	3	17	8
1994	Houston Astros	2	1	3.70	44	0	0	0	0	41.1	46	4	16	24
1995	Houston Astros	9	8	3.35	24	24	0	0	0	150.2	141	13	49	115
1996	Houston Astros	10	10	3.59	27	27	2	1	0	160.1	175	12	49	101
1997	Houston Astros	15	10	3.83	34	34	7	2	0	223.0	217	16	77	139
1998	Houston Astros	11	7	3.36	32	32	1	1	0	211.2	227	18	81	137
1999	Houston Astros	22	4	2.90	34	34	3	2	0	239.0	206	12	101	177
2000	New York Mets	15	10	3.14	33	33	3	1	0	217.2	194	10	99	151
2001	Colorado Rockies	15	10	5.41	32	32	2	1	0	203.0	236	31	85	122
2002	Colorado Rockies	7	15	6.15	30	30	0	0	0	178.2	228	24	91	74
2003	Atlanta Braves	14	8	3.84	31	31	1	0	0	190.0	186	14	78	110
2004	Atlanta Braves	13	9	4.28	29	29	1	0	0	172.1	198	15	65	87
2005	Atlanta Braves	5	3	3.50	12	12	1	0	0	69.1	74	5	18	27
Career		138	101	3.97	375	321	21	9	1	2074.0	2156	177	826	1272

[edit] References

1. ^ Hampton strains side muscle

[edit] External links

• Mike Hampton at:
  • Baseball Reference (analysis and career stats)
  • ESPN (profile and daily stats)

Preceded by Eddie Perez	National League Championship Series MVP 2000	Succeeded by Craig Counsell
Preceded by Greg Maddux	National League Gold Glove Award (P) 2003	Succeeded by Greg Maddux