Mike Cervenak

From BR Bullpen

Michael Christopher Cervenak

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 5' 11", Weight 180 lb.

High School Divine Child High School
School University of Michigan
Debut July 11, 2008

Born August 17, 1976 in Trenton, MI USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Mike Cervenak hit .342/?/.463 for Michigan in 1997 and followed with a .385/?/.659 year as a junior. The Oakland Athletics took him with their final pick of the 1998 amateur draft, in the 43rd round, but he did not sign. In '99, he batted .340/.371/.559 as a senior and made the Big Ten Conference All-Conference team at third.

Undrafted, Mike signed with the Chillicothe Paints and hit .306/.339/.419 as their shortstop. The next year, Cervenak hit .357/.415/.620 for the Paints and was picked up by the New York Yankees and he batted .329/.371/.477 with their Greensboro Bats club. Despite joining late in the year, he tied for the team lead with five triples.

In 2001, the 25/26-year old began a four-year run with the Norwich Navigators, hitting .274/.347/.430 with 37 doubles and followed with a .276/.330/.478 year with 34 doubles, 21 homers and 91 RBI. In 2003, Mike put up a .270/.329/.442 line with 20 HR and 91 RBI.

The San Francisco Giants picked up Mike and put him back on Norwich, now their farm team. He hit .337/.414/.583 with 36 doubles, 21 homers and 88 RBI and made it to AAA, where he batted .250/.267/.614 with five long balls in 10 games for the Fresno Grizzlies. He was third in the Eastern League in average and led in OBP.

The 29/30-year-old infielder had a big year in 2005 with Fresno, hitting .312/.369/.498 with 19 homers and 103 RBI, leading the San Francisco system, but did not get a call-up. He moved to first base during the year. In the 2005 Baseball World Cup, he batted .368/.455/.816 with 12 runs, 5 doubles, 4 home runs and 9 RBI as the USA's top hitter.

Cervenak signed with the Kia Tigers for 2006 but was a bust, only managing a .224/.258/.343 line and being let go. He returned to Fresno and hit .283/.311/.442 in 68 games there to finish the year.

Cervenak was signed to a minor league deal and invited to the Baltimore Orioles training camp as a non-roster invitee for 2007. He was assigned to the Norfolk Tides and hit .283/.316/.424 with 15 HR and 78 RBI.

Moving to the Philadelphia Phillies chain in 2008, Cervenak batted .310/.331/.439 in 90 games for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Right before the All-Star break, he was added to the Phillies roster as an extra bat. He debuted in the bottom of the 11th inning of a 5-5 game against the Diamondbacks as a pinch-hitter for J.C. Romero. Facing Connor Robertson, Cervenak flied out to left field.

Mike worked as a physical therapist aide for a couple years in the off-seasons early in his career. Before he became a pro baseball player, he had planned to become a physical therapist.

Main Sources: 1998-2006 Baseball Almanacs

Also see Baltimore Sun interview with Mike