1976 Topps #615 - Mike Cubbage

• Mike Cubbage was drafted by the Washington Senators in 1971. Mike played in the minors from 1971-1974 and got a chance to play in the majors with the Texas Rangers at the end of the 1974 season. Cubbage played in nine games and went 0 for 15 (.000).
• Mike started the 1975 season in AAA Spokane and batted .313 with 10 HR in 56 games. Cubbage was brought up to the Rangers in mid-June. Mike batted .224 in 58 games for the Rangers in 1975.
• Cubbage started the 1976 season with the Rangers and batted .219 in 14 games. On June 1 Mike was sent to the Minnesota Twins as part of the big trade that brought Bert Blyleven to Texas. Cubbage played in 104 games for the Twins in 1976 and batted .260.
• Mike was the starting third baseman for the Twins for the next two years. He had decent batting averages and on base percentages, but he didn't supply as much power as the Twins would have liked. In 1977 Cubbage batted .264 with 9 HR in 129 games and in 1978 he batted .282 with 7 HR in 125 games.
• The Twins decided to start John Castillo at third base in 1979. Castillo had about the same kind of year that Cubbage had the previous year. Mike became a utility player and batted .276 with a .371 on base percentage in 94 games.
• Cubbage was a utility guy again in 1980 and batted .246 in 103 games. After the 1980 season Mike became a free agent and signed with the New York Mets
• Mike was with the Mets for only one season. Cubbage batted .213 in 80 at bats in 1981. Mike was cut at the end of spring training in 1982. Cubbage played for AAA Tidewater in 1982 but didn't get back to the majors. He had signed a 3-year, $1  million contract before the 1981 season.
• After his playing career Mike managed in the Mets' system from 1983-1989. Mike was the third base coach for  the Mets in 1990 and managed the club for the last seven games of the 1991 season. Cubbage was the third base coach for the Mets for several more seasons before being hired as third base coach by the Houston Astros in 1996.
• Mike later moved on to become the third base coach for the Boston Red Sox. Cubbage served as the interim manager for the Red Sox for six days during spring training in 2002 after Joe Kerrigan was fired. Cubbage suffered a diabetic seizure during a game on April 11, 2003 and had to be taken from the field on a stretcher. Cubbage now scouts for the Tampa Bay Rays.
• Here is Mike's TTM information.
• Liked to face: Bob Stanley (.500 in 14 AB); Lary Sorensen (.429 in 28 AB); Dennis Leonard (.400 in 30 AB)
• Hated to face: Mike Norris (.000 in 16 AB); Gaylord Perry (.059 in 17 AB); Don Aase (.105 in 19 AB)

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