Mike Epstein
Encyclopedia
Michael Peter Epstein (born April 4, 1943 in the Bronx, New York), nicknamed SuperJew, is a former Major League Baseball
player for the Baltimore Orioles
, Washington Senators
, Oakland Athletics
, Texas Rangers
, and California Angels
from –.
The first baseman
was noted as a strong power hitter who did not hit for a high batting average
, though he walked (and was hit by pitches) so often that he finished with a respectable career .359 on base percentage
.
in Los Angeles.
, but his father insisted he finish college.
A collegiate All-American in , he was a member of the first U.S. Olympic
team that year, and helped them win the gold medal
.
in the California League
after Epstein led the league in batting and home runs that year. He was MVP of the California League that year for the Stockton Ports
.
In , playing for the Rochester Red Wings
, he was then named Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year, after being also named the International League
MVP (.309, 29 HR, 102 RBI).
After the Orioles tried in vain to convert him to the outfield (they already had Boog Powell
at first base), they demoted him to Rochester again. The outspoken Epstein refused to report, going home to California instead, and did not play again until the end of May 1967, when he was traded by the Orioles with Frank Bertaina
to the Washington Senators
for Pete Richert
. Later that season, in first at-bat against the Orioles, Epstein hit a grand slam
.
In he was 4th in the league in hbp (9).
He had arguably his best season in with the Senators, when in only 403 at bats he hit 30 home run
s (9th in the American League
), had 85 Runs Batted In, and hit for a respectable .278 batting average
(and .347 with runners in scoring position) with an excellent .414 on base percentage
and .551 slugging percentage. He was 4th in the league in hbp (10), and hit a home run every 13.4 at bats. He was 25th in voting for the American League
MVP. This was also the only year in which the reconstituted Senators finished above .500.
In 1970 he was 2nd in the league in hbp (13), while hitting 20 home runs.
In May 1971 he was traded by the Senators with Darold Knowles
to the Oakland Athletics
for Frank Fernandez, Don Mincher
, Paul Lindblad
, and cash. In 1971, while hitting 18 home runs in 329 at bats, he was hit by the pitch 12 times, leading the league.
In he hit 26 home runs (3rd in the league) for the world champion Athletics. He hit a home run every 17.5 at bats (3rd in the AL), had a .490 slugging percentage (5th), a .376 on base percentage (6th), 62 walks (10th), and was hit by a pitch 11 times (2nd). He was 16th in voting for the American League
MVP.
In November 1972 he was traded by the Athletics to the Texas Rangers
for Horacio Pina
. The A's wanted to free up the first base position for Gene Tenace
, who was the star of the 1972 World Series
. In May he was traded by the Rangers with Rich Hand
and Rick Stelmaszek
to the California Angels
for Jim Spencer
and Lloyd Allen
. In 1973 he was 7th in the league in hbp (8).
On May 4, , he was released by the Angels.
He was inducted as a member of the United States National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Through 2010, he was sixth all-time in career home runs (behind Mike Lieberthal
) among Jewish major league baseball players.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player for the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, Washington Senators
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, and California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
from –.
The first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
was noted as a strong power hitter who did not hit for a high batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, though he walked (and was hit by pitches) so often that he finished with a respectable career .359 on base percentage
On base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...
.
High school
Epstein was a member of the baseball and football teams at Fairfax High SchoolFairfax High School (Los Angeles)
Fairfax High School is a Los Angeles Unified School District high school located in Los Angeles, USA, near the border of West Hollywood in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles...
in Los Angeles.
College and Olympics
Epstein played baseball at the University of California-Berkeley. As a junior in he hit .375 and was offered a contract by the Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, but his father insisted he finish college.
A collegiate All-American in , he was a member of the first U.S. Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
team that year, and helped them win the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
.
Minor leagues
In , Epstein began his professional baseball career in the Baltimore Orioles organization and was dubbed "Superjew" by rival manager Rocky BridgesRocky Bridges
Everett Lamar "Rocky" Bridges is a former utility infielder with an 11-year career in American Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1961. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals of the National League, and the Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland...
in the California League
California League
The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
after Epstein led the league in batting and home runs that year. He was MVP of the California League that year for the Stockton Ports
Stockton Ports
The Stockton Ports are a baseball team in Stockton, California. The Ports play in the Northern Division of the Class A – Advanced California League and are a Minor League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Their home field is Banner Island Ballpark which seats over 5,000 people and opened in...
.
In , playing for the Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
, he was then named Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year, after being also named the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
MVP (.309, 29 HR, 102 RBI).
Major leagues
He was first brought up for 6 games by the Baltimore Orioles in , at the age of 23, having hit over .300 with at least 29 home runs and 100 RBI in his first two minor league seasons.After the Orioles tried in vain to convert him to the outfield (they already had Boog Powell
Boog Powell
John Wesley Powell is a former major league first baseman who played for the Baltimore Orioles , Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers...
at first base), they demoted him to Rochester again. The outspoken Epstein refused to report, going home to California instead, and did not play again until the end of May 1967, when he was traded by the Orioles with Frank Bertaina
Frank Bertaina
Frank Louis Bertaina was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Baltimore Orioles , Washington Senators , and St. Louis Cardinals . Listed at 5' 11", 177 lb., Bertaina batted and threw left-handed...
to the Washington Senators
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
for Pete Richert
Pete Richert
Peter Gerard Richert is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Washington Senators , Baltimore Orioles , St...
. Later that season, in first at-bat against the Orioles, Epstein hit a grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
.
In he was 4th in the league in hbp (9).
He had arguably his best season in with the Senators, when in only 403 at bats he hit 30 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s (9th in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
), had 85 Runs Batted In, and hit for a respectable .278 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
(and .347 with runners in scoring position) with an excellent .414 on base percentage
On base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...
and .551 slugging percentage. He was 4th in the league in hbp (10), and hit a home run every 13.4 at bats. He was 25th in voting for the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
MVP. This was also the only year in which the reconstituted Senators finished above .500.
In 1970 he was 2nd in the league in hbp (13), while hitting 20 home runs.
In May 1971 he was traded by the Senators with Darold Knowles
Darold Knowles
Darold Duane Knowles is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher, and the current pitching coach of the Florida State League's Dunedin Blue Jays...
to the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
for Frank Fernandez, Don Mincher
Don Mincher
-External links:***...
, Paul Lindblad
Paul Lindblad
Paul Aaron Lindblad was an American Major League Baseball left-handed middle-relief pitcher. During his career, he pitched primarily for the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics. At the time of his retirement in , he had recorded the seventh-most appearances of any left-hander in history.Lindblad...
, and cash. In 1971, while hitting 18 home runs in 329 at bats, he was hit by the pitch 12 times, leading the league.
In he hit 26 home runs (3rd in the league) for the world champion Athletics. He hit a home run every 17.5 at bats (3rd in the AL), had a .490 slugging percentage (5th), a .376 on base percentage (6th), 62 walks (10th), and was hit by a pitch 11 times (2nd). He was 16th in voting for the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
MVP.
In November 1972 he was traded by the Athletics to the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
for Horacio Pina
Horacio Piña
Horacio Piña García [pee'-nyah] is a former relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball between and . Piña also played professionally in Mexico for several years...
. The A's wanted to free up the first base position for Gene Tenace
Gene Tenace
Fury Gene Tenace , better known as Gene Tenace, is a former Italian-American professional baseball player and current coach in Major League Baseball. He was a catcher and first baseman from through . Tenace was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics from Valley High School in Lucasville, OH and...
, who was the star of the 1972 World Series
1972 World Series
The 1972 World Series matched the American League champion Oakland Athletics against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds, with the A's winning in seven games. These two teams would meet again in the fall classic eighteen years later...
. In May he was traded by the Rangers with Rich Hand
Rich Hand
Richard Allen Hand . He graduated from Lincoln High School in Seattle and attended University of Puget Sound. He is a retired professional baseball player who played four seasons for the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, and California Angels of Major League Baseball...
and Rick Stelmaszek
Rick Stelmaszek
Richard Francis Stelmaszek is a former Major League Baseball catcher, and the current bullpen coach for the Minnesota Twins....
to the California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
for Jim Spencer
Jim Spencer
James Lloyd Spencer was a Major League Baseball first baseman. Born in Hanover, Pennsylvania, the left-handed Spencer was recognized for his excellent fielding ability, but also served in later years as a designated hitter....
and Lloyd Allen
Lloyd Allen
Lloyd Cecil Allen was a pitcher for the California Angels , Texas Rangers , and Chicago White Sox .In seven seasons he had an 8-25 win-loss record in 159 games, with 19 games started, 22 saves, 297⅓ innings pitched, 291 hits allowed, 183 runs allowed, 155 earned runs allowed, 19 home runs allowed,...
. In 1973 he was 7th in the league in hbp (8).
On May 4, , he was released by the Angels.
He was inducted as a member of the United States National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Through 2010, he was sixth all-time in career home runs (behind Mike Lieberthal
Mike Lieberthal
Michael Scott "Mike" Lieberthal , nicknamed Lieby, is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He batted and threw right-handed....
) among Jewish major league baseball players.
Miscellaneous
- Owing to his ethnic and religious background, along with his power, Epstein's nicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
was "Superjew."
- Epstein wore a black armband during the 1972 playoffs in memory of the 11 Israeli athletes murdered by terrorists at the Munich Olympics1972 Summer OlympicsThe 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
. Teammates Ken HoltzmanKen HoltzmanKenneth Dale Holtzman is a left-handed former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics...
and Reggie JacksonReggie JacksonReginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
also wore the armbands. Somewhat surprisingly, A's owner Charles Finley, who usually demanded conformity from his players, gave them the OK to wear the tributary items until the season ended with the A's World Series victory.
- During his minor league days with the Rochester Red Wings, he drew the Star of DavidStar of DavidThe Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
onto his glove.
- Epstein had great success against Joe NiekroJoe NiekroJoseph Franklin Niekro was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of Minor League Baseball pitcher Lance Niekro. A native of Blaine, Ohio, Niekro attended Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio and attended West...
during his career, going 7–10 with 4 home runs and 4 walks.
See also
- List of select Jewish baseball players
- List of University of California, Berkeley alumni