Mickey McGuire Jr., a versatile infielder whose 15-year professional baseball career spanned from the Baltimore Orioles to Japan’s Hiroshima Carp, died Sunday. He was 84.
Born Jan. 18, 1941, in Dayton, Ohio, McGuire rose from sandlots on Melba Street to the bright lights of Memorial Stadium to become a backup infielder on the talented Orioles teams of the 1960s.
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McGuire went 0-for-4 in a six-game cup of coffee with the O’s as a 21-year-old in 1962. He then bided his time in the minor leagues for another five years before getting a 10-game look in 1967.
McGuire retired with four hits in 17 big league plate appearances. All but 16 of his 1,767 professional games came in the minors or Japan.
At Paul Laurence Dunbar High in Dayton, McGuire was a rare multi-sport star. He was the first Black athlete named All-City quarterback in Montgomery County, averaged 22 points per game for the basketball team, and competed in track and field.
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Later, the school would honor him with a place in its Hall of Fame.
Baseball was McGuire’s greatest love. Signed by Orioles scout Jack Baker in 1960, McGuire embarked on a career that reflected both perseverance and quiet excellence.
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Earl Weaver, the Orioles’ future Hall of Fame manager, saw plenty of McGuire as the bench boss at Triple-A Rochester over the years. In 1966, Weaver described McGuire as the Red Wings’ most valuable player. McGuire batted .307 that year as the team’s everyday second baseman.
Despite Weaver’s blessing, McGuire was buried behind an infield of Davey Johnson and two future Hall of Famers — Brooks Robinson and Luis Aparicio — who would help Baltimore win the 1966 World Series.
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Across 1,600 minor-league games, McGuire was a reliable contact hitter. He finished his North American career with the Chicago White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate in 1972. McGuire played two seasons with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan before retiring in 1974.
Returning to Dayton, McGuire graduated from Central State University and thrived in business, joining the “Millionaires Club” at Metropolitan Life Insurance for his top sales.
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Baseball remained in McGuire’s blood. He coached at Wright State, Central State, and Dunbar High, mentored countless local players through the Ted Mills Baseball Academy, and was later enshrined in the Dayton Baseball Hall of Fame and honored at the Louisville Slugger Museum.
McGuire is survived by his wife, Dora; sons Mark and Myron; four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren.
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