Mike Campbell obit

Former Cubs Pitcher, First-Round Draft Pick Dies Suddenly at 61

The Seattle native, who was drafted one pick after Barry Bonds by his hometown team, died Monday in Kirkland, Washington.

 

He was not on the list.

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Mike Campbell, a Seattle native who debuted with his hometown Mariners in 1987 and threw his final pitch for the Chicago Cubs in 1996, died on Monday in Kirkland, Washington. He was 61.

The King County Medical Examiner confirmed Campbell's death Friday to Newsweek Sports. His cause and manner of death are pending.

Campbell was a first-round draft pick by the Mariners in the 1985 MLB Draft out of the University of Hawaii. Only six players — including all-time home run leader Barry Bonds (sixth) and future Hall of Famer Barry Larkin (fourth) — were selected ahead of Campbell.

Campbell wasted little time shooting through the Mariners' minor league system. In 1986, he was promoted to Triple-A for the first time. In 1987, he went 15-2 with a 2.66 ERA in 24 games (23 starts) for the Calgary Cannons, the Mariners' top farm team.

That led to Campbell's first big-league promotion in July 1987. He went 1-4 with a 4.74 ERA in nine starts as a rookie. In 1988, he made 20 starts for Seattle, going 6-10 with a 5.89 ERA (71 ERA+).

That subpar season proved to be Campbell's last best shot at remaining in the Mariners' rotation.

In July 1989, Campbell was traded to the Montreal Expos as the player to be named later in the blockbuster deal that sent Mark Langston to Montreal for Randy Johnson, Brian Holman and Gene Harris.

A series of injuries, most critically to his right (throwing) shoulder, limited Campbell to 17 major league appearances over the next decade. His journeyman career saw included stints with the Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Red Sox organizations.

Campbell made 13 appearances for the Cubs in 1996, going 3-1 with a 4.46 ERA (98 ERA+) in his final big league season. He retired with a 12-19 record and 5.86 ERA in 51 games (41 starts) over parts of six years.

Campbell also pitched one season for the Yokohama Bay Stars in Japan in 1997.

After retiring, Campbell returned to Safeco Field — this time as the co-owner of a desserts franchise that operated multiple concession stands in professional sports venues.