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Mike Hessman, the minor-league home run king, has retired
The greatest home run hitter you've possibly never heard of officially called it a career on Saturday.
Mike Hessman, the minor league career home run leader in the United States and Canada, announced his retirement after spending 20 seasons in professional baseball.
Hessman, who will turn 38 in March, hit minor league home run No. 433 on Aug. 3 against former major-league pitcher Dustin McGowan to surpass Buzz Arlett on the all-time list. That would prove to be the final home run of Hessman's professional career. He also hit 14 homers over parts of five MLB seasons, and added another seven during two stints in Japan, giving him 454 overall.
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The majority of Hessman's home runs— 323 to be exact — came at the Triple-A level, where he became known as a real-life version of Crash Davis, the character portrayed by Kevin Costner in the movie "Bull Durham." Hessman made it to the show though, playing for the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers and New York Mets. Hessman last appeared in the majors with New York back in 2010.
With the Tigers season lost this year, many fans clamored for Hessman to be recalled so he could go out on top. That call never came, but Hessman does go on a high-note having established the minor league record.
Here's more on his career courtesy of Baseball America's J.J. Cooper.
Hessman’s career minor league statistics seem almost unfathomable. He played 2,095 minor league games, had 1,095 runs scored and 1,795 hits and drove in 1,207 runs. Mexican League slugger Hector Espino holds the all-time minor league home run record with 484 home runs, all hit in the Mexican League.
Hessman’s career is equally remarkable for its longevity. He was drafted by the Braves in the 15th round of the 1996 draft–part of the same draft that netted Atlanta right-hander Jason Marquis and infielder Mark DeRosa.
Hessman hinted at retirement after breaking the record in August, citing how difficult it had become to leave his wife and children behind. He's expressed interest in coaching and managing however, and according to MiLB.com's Josh Jackson that appears to be the direction his life is headed.
The 37-year-old slugger announced on Twitter on Saturday that it was "time to swap out a bat for a fungo" as he ends his career as a player and begins a coaching career. The tweet was later deleted, but Hessman confirmed via text message that, although he couldn't release further details, he is indeed retiring as a player.
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It's probably not the career Hessman envisioned when the Braves selected him in 1996, but he still managed to carve out his own niche, his own place in baseball history, all while spending 20 years playing the game he loved. That counts for something. Now, here's to many more years on the other side of baseball.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
