Mickey Morandini

Morandini grew up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Leechburg, Pennsylvania, where he attended Leechburg Area High School. After graduation, Morandini attended Indiana University, where he started his college career as a center fielder, moving to the infield as a third baseman and shortstop after his freshman year. Morandini declined the option to enter the Major League Baseball draft in 1987, citing his desire to play for the United States national team in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. After appearing in one game during the Olympics, he returned to Indiana for his senior season; he was named a second-team All-American for the 1988 season. Morandini graduated as the Indiana University record-holder in several statistical categories, including runs scored (277), doubles (61), triples (29), and stolen bases (127). The Philadelphia Phillies selected Morandini in the fifth round of the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft.\n', ' After drafting Morandini, the Phillies assigned him to the Spartanburg Phillies, one of their A-level affiliates in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He played in 63 games for Spartanburg in 1989, batting .338 with 19 doubles, earning him a promotion to the high-A Clearwater Phillies. In Florida, he notched 19 hits and 14 runs scored in 63 at-bats; he also batted in four runs. Finishing the season with the AA-level Reading Phillies, Morandini hit 5 home runs in 188 at-bats, posting a .351 average. Morandini won the 1989 Paul Owens Award as the top minor league position player in the Phillies organization. Morandini committed 22 errors in his first professional season as a shortstop and with Dickie Thon playing shortstop at the major league level, the Phillies organization shifted him to his eventual major league position, second base during the 1989 Florida Instructional league season.\n', ' Morandini spent the majority of the 1990 season with the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons. While playing in 139 games, he stole 16 bases and batted in 31 runs in 503 at-bats. He also batted .260 and scored 76 runs. During this season, Morandini was named 41st out of the top 50 prospects in Major League Baseball by Baseball America. The move to second base improved his fielding percentage greatly; Morandini cut his errors in half in only one season, posting 11 with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He also earned a short promotion to the major league club; he played in 25 games, hitting 4 doubles and 1 home run in 87 plate appearances.\n', '