Former Padres, Giants, Astros, and Tigers first baseman Mike Ivie passed away on Friday, as noted by Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He was 70 years old.
Selected first overall by San Diego in the 1970 MLB draft, Ivie made his MLB debut at just 18 years old in 1971, slashing a phenomenal .471/.526/.471 in a six-game cup of coffee that season. Initially drafted as a catcher, Ivie developed the yips early on in his professional career, an issue that forced him to move to first base shortly after his debut. He spent the next two seasons in the minor leagues before returning to the majors in 1974. From 1975 to 1977, Ivie served as the Padres’ regular first baseman, slashing a roughly league .271/.322/.393.
Following the 1977 campaign, Ivie was traded to San Francisco, where he would have the best seasons of his career. In 1978 and 1979, Ivie stepped to the plate a combined 807 times, slashing a phenomenal .296/.361/.515 that was 41% better than league average at the time by measure of wRC+. Ivie slugged a combined 38 home runs, 32 doubles, and six triples across those two campaigns, and even chipped in eight stolen bases.
Ivie struggled to replicate that strong production in 79 with the Giants during the 1980 season, and was traded to the Houston Astros early on in the 1981 campaign. Continued struggles led Ivie to request his release from the Astros, which was granted early in the 1982 season. He finished his career as a member of the Tigers, for whom he slashed .232/.299/.448 with 14 home runs and 12 doubles in 80 games during the 1982 campaign before retiring from professional baseball in 1983 at the age of 30. Overall, Ivie’s major league career spanned 11 seasons and saw him record 724 hits including 81 home runs in 857 career games. He finished his playing days with an above average career slash line of .269/.324/.421.
MLBTR sends our condolences to his family, friends, former teammates and loved ones.
RIP
Is there an afterlife?
No
Yes.
Of course you’d say that. You’re an Angels fan, LOL!
Soon all Angels fans will believe if not now. Life after Ohtani
Being an Angel fan is part of my identity and so is my religion.
I’m not going to argue about an afterlife, and I respect his opinion. I hope he respects mine enough to agree to disagree. This isn’t the place for a theological debate.
Amen,brother!
John 14:2 “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
Nope. Only memories of the deceased.
I’d like to respond “yes” to that question, but I fear you would start to question my sanity. …
Yes.
RIP Mike
One of the greatest quotes in baseball was Rick Monday on Mike Ivie.
“Mike Ivie is a forty million dollar airport with a thirty dollar control tower”.
The game needs characters, and we just lost one way too young. RIP.
Halo – Agree with everything you wrote. Spaceman Lee is a kindred spirit to Ivie, and Lee pitched in a game last year at age 75!
RIP Mr Ivie, thoughts and prayers to his loved ones.
RIP, Mr. Ivie !
This saddens me and hits me at my core. One of my “Boys of Summer ” watched him in AA Alexandria, and then during his MLB career. Hit a home run to straight away CF, 415 feet, that landed in the bed of a moving pickup truck, on the highway about 30 yards away. RIP. Hug those babies.
I remember as young adult going to Wrigley Field and sitting In box seats during batting practice. And wind blown out and watching.
Mike Ivie hit balls onto Waveland Ave and the game start and he was not in the starting lineup.
And thinking to my self that his manager must have known so thing
He did pinch hit In bottom of 8th Inning and hit a ball that was In deep center and at wall center field had caught It.
Unfortunately the winds had changed and held the ball In ballpark.
RIP MI
Wow, another player from my youth passes.
I was just thinking the same thing.
If there is a way, I’d love to be able to have some sort of tracker on this site that shows which former major leaguers died, even if they only appeared in one game.
Baseball Reference will do that for you
RIP
I will always remember Mike Ivie as the first card I saw when I opened up my first package of Topps baseball cards in 1976. He was posed mid-swing in his hideous Padres uniform with a little golden cup in the corner that read “Topps All Star Rookie.”
RIP to my first baseball card.
Cool memory!Thanks for sharing that!
I remember that too 🙂
Ketch – My first baseball card is still alive, Oddibe McDowell.
Oddibe young again ….
I started collecting baseball cards in 1976 so this is sad. I remember being a little disappointed that Danny Meyer wasn’t the 1B. But our priorities are different when we’re young. From that 1975 Topps Rookie All Star Team, we lost the following:
C Gary Garter
1B Mike Ivie
2B Jerry Remy
SS Tom Veryzer
LP Tom Underwood
RIP Mr Ivie. I remember as a kid being excited that the Tigers brought him in. A mediocre year for a mediocre team.
I didn’t know about the issues as catcher. What were “the yips” the writer referred to? Throws back to the pitcher?
Yips are anything routine that become unable to do. Happens in all sports and in life. In MLB: rick ankiel, Steve Blass, Steve sax, Mark wohlers, Sasser, etc. I think knoblauch but maybe not. Can’t throw strikes, can’t throw accurate to 1b, 2b. Can’t shoot free-throws, can’t put. Anything really.
Dale Murphy. Chuck knoblauch are some others
Jon Lester, Daniel Bard…
As a former catcher, there was a brief time when I was scared to death of throwing the ball back to the pitcher. No issues throwing to a base, but for a couple days that short toss was terrifying. YIPS!
The Tigers weren’t mediocre 82-83. Sparky overmanaged and played favorites.
Forever Giant Mr Ivie.
Forever Giant
Grand slam vs Dodgers in1978. Epic.
As a kid, i was in line for an autograph from Mike Ivie at a table in the San Diego Stadium concourse. I had a baseball groupie girl living across the street from me, so I would hear all sorts of good gossip. She used to bring players home for dinner and I would get to eat with people like Jerry Johnson (that guy was built like a football player) and Dan Spillner.
Well, I dumb-kidly asked Ivie of why he had problems throwing back to the pitcher. I must have been 8 years old, maybe younger. Doh!
After his death, I have read reports that he had some maturity issues because he went straight from high school to pro ball. I wonder if I upset him.
I played with MIke in instruction league in Arizona, with Don Stanhouse , Lenny Randle, and Dan Ford, The team was called the Mesa pros. Mike was a bonus baby at that time. We all wore the unis of our affiliate since we all played for different pro teams. One day Mike who was drafted by the Padres came out in a White Sox uni, because his girlfriend was a White Sox fan. Our coach wasn’t too happy with him and benched him.. He was a free spirit and we had a ball. RIP!
Great story!
Loved playing with Oscar in the minors with the Cubs, he was the fastest runnner on the team. Boy did he love his fried chicken, he ate it every day. Great person, always happy!
Thank you for that memory.
My brother was in camp with the Giants in 78, Ivie took him under his wings, making a big impression. My brother Mike would tell stories about him and how the clubhouse loved him. RIP – Heaven has another good one.
RIP Mike Ivie…
Two memories of Mike Ivie being a catcher: I recall reading at the end of one spring training, the Padres told the other team to run on Mike. Mike threw out five base runners that game.. I remember being at Wrigley Field and seeing Mike start at catcher for the Padres. It was so unusual, I still remember this. He must not have done that very often. I didn’t understand him having the yips then, RIP to Mike and condolences to his family and friends.
RIP
RIP Mike Ivie. I remember watching him at San Diego Stadium as a kid. Good memories