Mitchell Page
Mitchell Otis Page (October 15, 1951 – March 12, 2011) was an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and designated hitter from to , most prominently as a member of the Oakland Athletics where, he placed second to Hall of Fame member Eddie Murray in the 1977 American League Rookie of the Year balloting. Page made an impressive start to his major league career when, he became the second player in Major League Baseball history with more than 20 home runs and 40 stolen bases in their rookie season however, his offensive production declined over the next few seasons and, he never lived up to the promise of his debut season. He played his final season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. After the conclusion of his playing career, Page became a successful hitting coach for the Washington Nationals and for the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. He also authored a book on hitting. Early years Page was born in Los Angeles, California where he was a star baseball player at Centennial High School in Compton, California alongside fellow future major league player, Al Cowens. He was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the fourth round of the 1970 Major League Baseball Draft, but chose instead to attend Compton Community College. He then transferred to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona where he played alongside his future Athletics teammate, Wayne Gross. Page was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round of the 1973 Major League Baseball Draft. Page made a methodical climb up the minor league ladder, and in 1976 he joined the Triple-A Charleston Charlies in the International League. He had a .294 batting average with 22 home runs for the Charlies, earning him the team's Most valuable player award however, he remained in the minor leagues because the Pirates had Al Oliver, Richie Zisk, and Dave Parker in their major league outfield. Then on March 15, 1977, the Pirates and Oakland Athletics announced that Page was being traded along with Tony Armas, Doc Medich, Doug Bair, Dave Giusti and Rick Langford for Phil Garner, Chris Batton and Tommy Helms. Oakland A's In Oakland, the star players of the Swingin' A's teams that won three consecutive World Series championships earlier in the decade had left the team by trades or via free agency. Page made his major league debut at the age of 25 on the opening day of the season, replacing the departed Joe Rudi as the Athletics' left fielder. His early performance indicated a promising career ahead of him when he began the season with an eight-game hitting streak along with a .500 batting average, as the Athletics surged to a 7-1 record. Page was named the American League Player of the Week on April 17th, just two weeks into his major league career. On September 2, he earned his second Player of the Week award and ended the season with a .307 batting average along with