1976 Topps #483 - Mickey Stanley

• Mickey Stanley was a major leaguer from 1964-1978. He was born in Michigan and became a legend in Detroit Tigers history. Mickey was signed in 1961 and was in the minors from 1961-1965. Stanley put up solid (but not spectacular) numbers in his minor league stops. The Tigers gave Mickey a brief look in 1964 (.273 in 11 AB) and a longer look in 1965 (.239 in 117 AB).
• Stanley came to the Tigers to stay in 1966. He batted .289 in 235 at bats as a part-time center fielder. In 1967 Mickey became the starting center fielder and batted .210 in 333 at bats.
• Mickey is mostly remembered for his 1968 season. He won his first Gold Glove award in the outfield and had a solid offensive season, batting .259 with 11 HR and 61 RBI. At the end of the season Detroit manager Mayo Smith asked Stanley to play shortstop in order to get a better bat in the lineup for the upcoming World Series (starting shortstop Ray Oyler batted .135 in 1968). Mickey had never played shortstop in his career but agreed to the  move. The move worked as the Tigers won the World Series in seven games (Stanley batted .214 in the series). ESPN ranked the move as the third most gutsiest call in sports history.
• The Tigers tried to keep Stanley at shortstop after they lost Oyler in the expansion draft, but the move lasted only 59 games before Stanley was moved back to the outfield. Mickey would play a few games per year in the infield for the rest of his career, but he was  mainly an outfielder. Stanley batted .235 with 16 HR and 70 RBI in 1969 and won his second Gold Glove even though he played outfield in 101 games.
• Stanley won his third consecutive Gold Glove in 1970 and batted .252 with 13 HR and 47 RBI. In 1971 Mickey batted a career-high .292 with 7 HR in 139 games. 
• The Tigers won the AL East in 1972 and Stanley batted .234 with 14 HR and 55 RBI. Mickey went 2 for 6 in four games in the 1972 ALCS. Mickey Stanley - The Kid Who Became A Star - October 1972 Baseball Digest. In 1973 Stanley won his fourth (and last) Gold Glove and batted .244 with 17 HR and 57 RBI.
• Mickey suffered a broken hand after being hit by a pitch in 1974 and played in only one game after July 25. He batted .221 in 99 games and was never again a full-time player after 1974.
• Stanley was a utility player from 1975 through 1978 and played every position except pitcher and catcher. He batted .256 in 52 games in 1975, .257 in 84 games in 1976, .230 in 75 games in 1977, and .265 in 53 games in 1978. Mickey retired after he was released by the Tigers following the 1978 season.
• After his playing career Stanley worked as a manufacturer's representative and later built subdivisions with his son. He now lives in Brighton, MI.
• Here is Mickey's SABR biography.
• Liked to face: Dave Boswell (.480 in 25 AB); Bill Gogolewski (.429 in 21 AB); Jerry Augustine (.400 in 20 AB)
• Hated to face: Dave Leonhard (.000 in 15 AB); Eddie Watt (.059 in 17 AB); Roger Nelson (.071 in 14 AB)