Mike Cervenak
Encyclopedia
Michael Christopher Cervenak (born August 17, 1976 in Trenton, Michigan
) is a professional baseball third baseman
. Until his call-up in to the Phillies, Cervenak was a career minor leaguer, and the embodiment of a journeyman
player, having spent time in three minor league organizations at several levels of play, overseas in the Korean Baseball League, and in an independent league. Having spent an extensive part of his career playing for the Norwich Navigators, residents of the area dubbed him the "Mayor of Norwich
."
in , an independent team, as a teammate of Aaron Heilman
. He made an appearance in the annual Midnight Sun Game
. After graduating from the University of Michigan
, Cervenak was not drafted in . This led him to sign with the Chillicothe Paints
of the Frontier League
, where he played into the season.
organization, playing 38 games and batting
.329 at Single-A Greensboro over the rest of the year. He spent all of and at Double-A Norwich, hitting 21 home run
s and tallying 91 RBI
in the last year of his Yankees career. He was selected by the San Francisco Giants
in the Rule 5 Draft
at the end of the 2002 season.
Cervenak remained at Norwich for the and seasons, now a member of the Giants' farm system. He batted .270 with 20 home runs and 91 RBI in 2003 when he was named to the All-Star team, and he won the minor league triple crown
in 2004. He led the Giants organization in batting average (.328), home runs (26), and RBI (98) between Norwich and Triple-A Fresno
. The Giants sent him to the Arizona Fall League
to aid his development at the end of the season. He was named a post-season All-Star for the 2004 season.
and runs batted in; however, the Giants released him at the end of the season.
of the Korean Baseball League. He opened the season poorly, batting only .224. The Tigers released him, and Cervenak returned to Fresno, batting .413 over his first 12 games. Throughout the year, he managed to play all over the infield, playing first base, second base
and third base, and as a designated hitter
. Cervenak played for Norfolk
, an Orioles
affiliate, in , where he batted .283 in 140 games. He hit 15 home runs, batted in 78 runs, and had an OPS
of .740. He led the team RBI and home runs, as well as games played (140), at-bats (554), runs scored
(69), and hits (157).
and began the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley
, where he recorded a franchise-record 18-game hitting streak during the season. Cervenak was first called up to the major leagues on July 10, 2008, to replace J. A. Happ
on the Phillies' roster, after spending 1,088 games in the minor leagues. Cervenak's role was to provide an extra bat off the bench, since the Phillies did not need their fifth starter over the All-Star break
. He was batting .310 with 7 home runs and 52 RBI at the time of his call-up. He made his major league debut pinch-hitting for J. C. Romero against the Arizona Diamondbacks
, but was optioned back to Triple-A on July 21. He was recalled to take Pedro Feliz
' place on the roster on July 29, after Feliz sat out three straight games with a back injury. His first major league hit came on August 6, a single
to left field against the Florida Marlins
, which also notched his first RBI, driving in third baseman Eric Bruntlett
. After compiling a total of seven major league at-bats, Cervenak was optioned to the minors on August 16 to make room on the roster for Rudy Seánez
. After being brought up on September 1 for roster expansion, Cervenak promptly raised his average to .250 with a pinch-hit single up the middle, his second major-league hit.
In November 2009 Cervenak was released by the Phillies, and on December 18, 2009 he signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets
.He signed a minor league contract with the Florida Marlins
for the 2011 season.
Trenton, Michigan
Trenton is a small city in Wayne County in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 18,853...
) is a professional baseball third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
. Until his call-up in to the Phillies, Cervenak was a career minor leaguer, and the embodiment of a journeyman
Journeyman (sports)
A journeyman or journeywoman is an athlete or professional sports player who is technically competent, but unable to excel. In certain parts of the world the term has less negative connotations and the inability to excel is not needed for a player to be labelled thus.-Definitions:Alexandra Allred...
player, having spent time in three minor league organizations at several levels of play, overseas in the Korean Baseball League, and in an independent league. Having spent an extensive part of his career playing for the Norwich Navigators, residents of the area dubbed him the "Mayor of Norwich
Norwich, Connecticut
Regular steamship service between New York and Boston helped Norwich to prosper as a shipping center through the early part of the 20th century. During the Civil War, Norwich once again rallied and saw the growth of its textile, armaments, and specialty item manufacturing...
."
1998–2000: Independent baseball
While a college student, Cervenak played for the Alaska Goldpanners of FairbanksFairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
in , an independent team, as a teammate of Aaron Heilman
Aaron Heilman
Aaron Michael Heilman is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. Heilman was drafted by the New York Mets out of Notre Dame in 2001. He came up through the Mets system as a starting pitcher but was converted to a relief pitcher in 2005...
. He made an appearance in the annual Midnight Sun Game
Midnight Sun Game
The Midnight Sun Game is a baseball game played every summer solstice at Growden Memorial Park in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. Because the sun is out for almost 24 hours a day, the game starts at about 10:30 at night and completes around 1:30 the next morning...
. After graduating from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, Cervenak was not drafted in . This led him to sign with the Chillicothe Paints
Chillicothe Paints
The Chillicothe Paints are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chillicothe, Ohio, in the United States. The team is a member of the summer collegiate Prospect League.-Team history:...
of the Frontier League
Frontier League
The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either...
, where he played into the season.
2000–2004: The Norwich years
Cervenak was signed out of the Frontier League by the New York YankeesNew York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
organization, playing 38 games and batting
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.329 at Single-A Greensboro over the rest of the year. He spent all of and at Double-A Norwich, hitting 21 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and tallying 91 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
in the last year of his Yankees career. He was selected by the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
in the Rule 5 Draft
Rule 5 draft
The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
at the end of the 2002 season.
Cervenak remained at Norwich for the and seasons, now a member of the Giants' farm system. He batted .270 with 20 home runs and 91 RBI in 2003 when he was named to the All-Star team, and he won the minor league triple crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...
in 2004. He led the Giants organization in batting average (.328), home runs (26), and RBI (98) between Norwich and Triple-A Fresno
Fresno Grizzlies
The Fresno Grizzlies are a minor league baseball team based in Fresno, California. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League , is the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club. The Grizzlies play in Chukchansi Park , located in downtown Fresno and built in 2002...
. The Giants sent him to the Arizona Fall League
Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League is an off-season league owned and operated by Major League Baseball which operates during the fall in Arizona, United States at five spring training complexes...
to aid his development at the end of the season. He was named a post-season All-Star for the 2004 season.
2005: A year in Fresno
Cervenak spent the entire season at Fresno, leading the league in RBI with 103. He also batted .338 with runners in scoring position over the course of the 2005 season, had two 11-game hitting streaks in the year, and was named a mid-season All-Star. His overall batting average for the year was .312, and he led the team in games played at third base with 50, though he also played 75 games at first base. Cervenak led the team in games played, at-bats, hitsHit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
and runs batted in; however, the Giants released him at the end of the season.
2006–2007: Overseas and back to the States
Rather than returning to American affiliated baseball, Cervenak chose to sign with the Kia TigersKia Tigers
Kia Tigers Professional Baseball Club is a Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982. The Tigers are a member team of the Korean Baseball Organization and the most successful team in Korean baseball having won the national championship, the Korean Series, ten times, with a perfect 10-0...
of the Korean Baseball League. He opened the season poorly, batting only .224. The Tigers released him, and Cervenak returned to Fresno, batting .413 over his first 12 games. Throughout the year, he managed to play all over the infield, playing first base, second base
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
and third base, and as a designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
. Cervenak played for Norfolk
Norfolk Tides
The Norfolk Tides are a minor league baseball team in the Triple-A International League. They play at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia. Since 2007 they have been a farm team of the Baltimore Orioles; prior to that, they had a 38-year affiliation with the New York Mets.-Franchise history:The...
, an Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
affiliate, in , where he batted .283 in 140 games. He hit 15 home runs, batted in 78 runs, and had an OPS
On-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League...
of .740. He led the team RBI and home runs, as well as games played (140), at-bats (554), runs scored
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
(69), and hits (157).
2008: Major league debut
After the 2007 season, he signed with the PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
and began the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a minor league baseball team that plays in the International League. The IronPigs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The team plays their home games at Coca-Cola Park, which is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
, where he recorded a franchise-record 18-game hitting streak during the season. Cervenak was first called up to the major leagues on July 10, 2008, to replace J. A. Happ
J. A. Happ
James Anthony "J. A." Happ is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Houston Astros. He is a six-foot-six left-hander. Though his name is James Anthony and his initials are "J...
on the Phillies' roster, after spending 1,088 games in the minor leagues. Cervenak's role was to provide an extra bat off the bench, since the Phillies did not need their fifth starter over the All-Star break
2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 79th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York, home of the New York Yankees, on...
. He was batting .310 with 7 home runs and 52 RBI at the time of his call-up. He made his major league debut pinch-hitting for J. C. Romero against the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
, but was optioned back to Triple-A on July 21. He was recalled to take Pedro Feliz
Pedro Feliz
Pedro Julio Feliz is a Dominican Republic minor league baseball third baseman for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball. Feliz has hit 20 or more home runs in four of his first five seasons as a starting third baseman and is an above average fielder at third base...
' place on the roster on July 29, after Feliz sat out three straight games with a back injury. His first major league hit came on August 6, a single
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
to left field against the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
, which also notched his first RBI, driving in third baseman Eric Bruntlett
Eric Bruntlett
Eric Kevin Bruntlett is a retired Major League Baseball utility player who last played in the New York Yankees organization. He was known for his defensive versatility; he usually played second base or shortstop, but has also played left field. Bruntlett played every position except for catcher...
. After compiling a total of seven major league at-bats, Cervenak was optioned to the minors on August 16 to make room on the roster for Rudy Seánez
Rudy Seanez
Rudy Caballero Seánez [SEE-ah-nez] is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was the prototypical major league journeyman....
. After being brought up on September 1 for roster expansion, Cervenak promptly raised his average to .250 with a pinch-hit single up the middle, his second major-league hit.
In November 2009 Cervenak was released by the Phillies, and on December 18, 2009 he signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
.He signed a minor league contract with the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
for the 2011 season.