O a M G - Oakland Athletics

PERSOnAL/MiSCELLAnEOUS
Michael D. Taylor…graduated from Apopka High School in 2004, earning First Team All-American
honors from USA Today and Collegiate Baseball…attended Stanford University where he earned All-
Pac-10 honors as a junior in 2007…hit .316 with 21 home runs and 126 RBI in 174 games in three
seasons as a Cardinal.
lifeTime playinG reCord
Year club avG. G aB r h 2B 3B hr rBi sh sF hp BB so sB cs slG oBp e
2007 Williamsport .227 66 233 30 53 14 0 6 33 1 2 2 23 53 8 2 .365 .300 5
2008 Lakewood .361 67 249 40 90 12 3 10 50 0 2 6 31 43 10 3 .554 .441 3
Clearwater .329 65 243 36 80 27 1 9 38 0 2 2 19 46 5 6 .560 .380 2
2009 Reading .333 86 318 59 106 22 4 15 65 0 3 7 35 51 18 4 .569 .408 1
Lehigh Valley .282 30 110 15 31 6 1 5 19 0 3 2 13 19 3 1 .491 .359 2
2010 Sacramento .272 127 464 79 126 26 6 6 78 0 3 5 51 92 16 5 .392 .348 9
Career TransaCTions
2007 — Selected by the Philadelphia Phillies organization in the 5th round of the First-Year Player Draft. 2009 —
Traded to the Toronto Blue Jays with pitcher Kyle Drabek and catcher Travis D’Arnaud in a three-team trade in which
Toronto sent Roy Halladay to Philadelphia, Philadelphia sent Cliff Lee to Seattle and Seattle sent pitchers Phillippe
Aumont and Juan Ramirez and outfielder Tyson Gillies to Philadelphia, December 16. Traded to the Oakland Athletics
for infielder Brett Wallace, December 16.
Jim “CaTfish” hunTer award
In 2004, the Oakland Athletics implemented the Jim “Catfish” Hunter Award, which is given annually to an A’s player
whose play on the field and conduct in the clubhouse best exemplifies the courageous, competitive and inspirational spirit
demonstrated by the A’s late Hall of Fame pitcher.
A native of Hertford, North Carolina, Hunter posted a 224-166 record to go along with a 3.26 ERA in his 15-year Major League
career with the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees. He holds Oakland’s all-time career mark for wins (131)
and won 20 or more games in five consecutive seasons (1971-75). In 1974, he won the American League’s Cy Young Award
after winning a career-high 25 games.
“Catfish” earned five World Series rings during his career and was 4-0 with one save in seven World Series appearances with
the A’s. An eight-time All-Star, he made his major league debut in 1965 with the Kansas City Athletics and did not miss a start
until the 1977 season. He was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.
“Catfish” was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) in September of 1998 and died of
complications from the disease on September 9, 1999 at the age of 53.
Winners of the Jim “Catfish” Hunter Award include Tim Hudson (2004), Mark Ellis (2005; 07), Jason Kendall (2006), Mike
Sweeney (2008), Kurt Suzuki (2009) and Ben Sheets (2010).
2011 Oakland athletics Media Guide < 219
2011 athletics