Mike Caldwell, baseball player, 1971-1984

Mike Caldwell

Born: 1/22/1949 in Tarboro, NC, USA

MLB Debut: 1971-09-04 | Final Game: 1984-09-25

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Ralph Michael Caldwell

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Biography

Mike Caldwell was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1971 to 1984. Born in 1949, he made his Major League debut and quickly established himself as a reliable starter in a competitive era of baseball. Caldwell finished his career with a record of 137-130 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.81, showcasing his ability to keep runs to a minimum while accumulating a notable total of 939 strikeouts. He also contributed with 18 saves, reflecting his versatility and value to his teams. Caldwell played during a transitional period in baseball, bridging the gap between the tail end of the deadball era and the more offensive-minded approach that characterized the late 1970s and early 1980s. His pitching style was marked by a combination of control and a diverse arsenal that allowed him to adapt to the changing dynamics of the game. Throughout his career, Caldwell was known for his competitive spirit and durability, often taking the mound in critical situations. His contributions to the teams he played for have left a lasting impact, making him a respected figure in baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
137 130 475 307 98 23 18 2408.7 2581 1020 218 597 939 3.81 0

Career ERA 3.81 vs. league average 3.72 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1971 SDP NL 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 6.7 4 0 3 5 0.00 — -
1972 SDP NL 7 11 42 20 4 2 2 163.7 183 73 49 102 4.01 3.26 (-23%) -
1973 SDP NL 5 14 55 13 3 1 10 149.0 146 62 53 86 3.74 3.75 (avg) -
1974 SFG NL 14 5 31 27 6 2 0 189.3 176 62 63 83 2.95 3.63 (+19%) -
1975 SFG NL 7 13 38 21 4 0 1 163.3 194 87 48 57 4.79 3.71 (-29%) -
1976 SFG NL 1 7 50 9 0 0 2 107.3 145 58 20 55 4.86 3.51 (-38%) -
1977 CIN NL 0 0 14 0 0 0 1 24.7 25 11 8 11 4.01 4.00 (avg) 404.3
1977 ATL AL 5 8 21 12 2 0 0 94.3 101 48 36 38 4.58 4.00 (-15%) -
1978 ATL AL 22 9 37 34 23 6 1 293.3 258 77 54 131 2.36 3.69 (+36%) -
1979 ATL AL 16 6 30 30 16 4 0 235.0 252 86 39 89 3.29 4.00 (+18%) -
1980 ATL AL 13 11 34 33 11 2 1 225.3 248 101 56 74 4.03 3.84 (-5%) -
1981 ATL AL 11 9 24 23 3 0 0 144.3 151 63 38 41 3.93 3.58 (-10%) -
1982 ATL AL 17 13 35 34 12 3 0 258.0 269 112 58 75 3.91 3.86 (-1%) -
1983 ATL AL 12 11 32 32 10 2 0 228.3 269 115 51 58 4.53 3.87 (-17%) -
1984 ATL AL 6 13 26 19 4 1 0 126.0 160 65 21 34 4.64 3.81 (-22%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
476 216 11 34 7 0 0 8 0 4 62 0.157 0.172 0.190 0.362 -1036.4

Career AVG .157 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 39.0% below league average.

Career OBP .172 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 46.8% below league average.

Career SLG .190 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 49.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.362 vs. league average 0.703 across their career seasons — 48.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1971 SDP NL 6 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
1972 SDP NL 42 50 1 7 0 0 0 3 0 0 20 0.140 .243 (-43%) .310 (-56%) .353 (-60%) .664 (-58%) -476.2
1973 SDP NL 56 35 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 12 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1974 SFG NL 31 63 4 9 0 0 0 2 0 2 15 0.143 .256 (-44%) .324 (-48%) .369 (-61%) .693 (-55%) -560.2
1975 SFG NL 38 44 2 7 3 0 0 3 0 0 11 0.159 — — — — 0.0
1976 SFG NL 50 19 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.158 — — — — 0.0
1977 CIN NL 14 4 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1977 ATL AL 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 ATL AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 ATL AL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 ATL AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 ATL AL 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 ATL AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 ATL AL 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 ATL AL 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1982 ALCS ML4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1982 WS ML4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 AEDIV ML4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 2 6 4 0 29.0 35 13 4 12 4.03

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1982 ALCS ML4 0 1 1 1 0 3.0 7 5 1 2 15.00
1982 WS ML4 2 0 3 2 0 17.7 19 4 3 6 2.04
1981 AEDIV ML4 0 1 2 1 0 8.3 9 4 0 4 4.32

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 475 308 116 499 15 39

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1971 SDN P 6 0 1 2 0 0
1972 SDN P 42 20 9 47 2 3
1973 SDN P 55 13 12 29 2 1
1974 SFN P 31 27 11 48 0 7
1975 SFN P 38 21 10 33 1 2
1976 SFN P 50 9 8 22 1 2
1977 CIN P 14 0 0 4 0 0
1977 ML4 P 21 12 7 27 0 3
1978 ML4 P 37 34 14 50 0 2
1979 ML4 P 30 31 7 64 2 3
1980 ML4 P 34 33 8 37 1 5
1981 ML4 P 24 23 5 26 0 0
1982 ML4 P 35 34 13 48 1 5
1983 ML4 P 32 32 4 38 2 4
1984 ML4 P 26 19 7 24 3 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 476

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1984 Player of the Week Week of 1984-04-13
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-08-18
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-09-22
1978 TSN Comeback Player of the Year

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
North Carolina State University Raleigh NC 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1978 Cy Young Award AL 2nd 76.0 140 0
1978 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 41.0 392 0