Mitchell Page

Mitchell Otis Page (October 15, 1951 – March 12, 2011) was an American 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.

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.

Page made a methodical climb up the minor league ladder, and in 1976 he joined the Triple-A Charleston Charlies in the International League.

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. On September 2, he earned his second Player of the Week award and ended the season with a .307 batting average along with 21 home runs, 75 runs batted in and 42 stolen bases for the Athletics, becoming the second player in Major League Baseball history after Tommie Agee with more than 20 home runs and 40 stolen bases in their rookie seasons. Page was named the Sporting News Rookie of the Year, and collected nine votes to Eddie Murray's twelve to finish second in voting for the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

Page had a respectable season, batting .285 with seventeen home runs and 70 RBIs. He was used as the designated hitter during the regular season as injuries had limited his range in the outfield. He produced just a .247 batting average with nine home runs and 42 RBIs in his new role. Page spent most of with Tacoma and on the disabled list.

Pittsburgh Pirates Page was released by the Athletics during Spring training . He signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates shortly afterwards, and in twelve at bats, hit .333, with three walks as a pinch hitter in August. He remained with the club through the 2004 World Series, but left the post immediately afterwards to enter an alcohol treatment facility near his Oakland, California home. The Cardinals batted just .190 in the World Series against the Boston Red Sox.

Page returned to baseball as minor league hitting instructor for the Washington Nationals in , and became the major league hitting coach in 2006. In 2006 he authored a book on hitting titled, The Complete Manual of Hitting. Page left the job in May 2007 due to a relapse of his alcoholism. He returned to the organization later in the year as a roving minor league instructor.

Page played the role of the California Angels first baseman, "Abascal", in the Disney movie Angels in the Outfield.

Death Page died in his sleep on March 12, , at the age of 59.