Mike Ferraro

[Michael Trzinski]

Mike Ferraro played five games in April 1969 for the Seattle Pilots before he was traded to the New York Yankees. The infielder didn’t return to the big leagues until 1972 when he made 100 starts at third base for the Brewers. He amassed only 500 at-bats in four big league seasons but made his mark as a minor league manager in the Yankees chain, winning three league championships in five seasons.

Michael Dennis Ferraro was born in Kingston, New York and was signed by the Yankees in 1962 as an amateur free agent. Ferraro spent five years in the minors—including winning a batting title as a 19-year-old for Class-A Fort Lauderdale in 1964—before making his big-league debut with New York in a 10-game September audition. He played 29 games for the Yanks in 1968 and was drafted in the offseason by the Pilots in the expansion draft. After just a couple weeks with Seattle in 1969, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. He played two minor league seasons with the Orioles and then got traded to Milwaukee after the 1971 season.

Ferraro was the everyday third sacker for the Brewers, but four other players made starts, including first baseman George Scott, who got the call 20 times at the hot corner during the year. Ferraro batted .255/.284/.323 over 406 plate appearances. He was traded to the Twins before the 1973 season but played a few games in the minors before being released. The Yankees signed him for minor league depth. He was released by the Yankees during spring training the following season but a few days later became a special instructor and then manager of the Oneonta Yankees in the short-season A New York-Penn League. He led the team to a 53-16 record in his first season, winning the league title and earning Manager of the Year honors. He had a 35-34 record the following season. He moved up the ladder all the way up to Triple-A over the next three years, including piloting his squads to a pair of league titles.

Ferraro was named to the manager job for Cleveland in November 1982, but prior to the 1983 season, he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous left kidney. He recovered and managed the Indians for 100 games (40-60) before he got fired in late July.

In 1986, Ferraro led the Kansas City Royals for 74 games after Dick Howser stepped down with health issues related to a brain tumor. Ferraro was a coach for the Royals for 2 1/2 seasons prior to taking over for Howser. Ferraro also served as a coach for New York from 1979-1982, 1987-88 and 1990-91. He also coached for Baltimore in 1993.

Ferraro passed away in July 2024.

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