Taken by the independent Miami Miracle in the 1990 draft, Mike Lansing returned to Miami for his second pro season in 1991. By mid-May that year, he'd pushed his average over .300, to .305, The Vero Beach Press Journal wrote.
"A lot of it is I have a good attitude and a good mental approach," Lansing told The Press Journal. "I'm a lot happier than I was last year."
From that unusual start as a draftee of an independent team, Lansing soon moved to affiliated ball and he eventually made it all the way to the majors. His major league career lasted nine seasons. He even hit for a major league cycle. He also got mentioned in the Mitchell Report.
Lansing's career began that year in 1990, taken by independent Miami in the sixth round of the draft out of Wichita State University.
Lansing started with Miami and saw 61 games. he hit .242. He then returned there for 1991 and saw 104 games, while hitting .287.
For 1992, Lansing arrived in the Expos system, his contract purchased by Montreal. He played that year at AA Harrisburg, hitting .280 over 128 games.
He then made Montreal for 1993. He got into 141 games for the Expos that year and hit .287 while stealing 23 bases.
He also got off to a hot start. In his first 39 at bats, he picked up 16 hits and knocked in 10, The Wichita Eagle wrote.
"Being here is awesome; it's everything that everybody works for," Lansing told The Eagle. "I'm happy to be here, but I don't want to just be happy to be here."
Lansing quickly became a regular with the Expos. He saw at least 106 games each season over five campaigns, including topping 150 games twice.
For 1998, the Expos traded Lansing to the Rockies and he saw another 153 games and hit .276.
After seeing just 35 games in 1999, back surgery threatening his career. But he returned to see 139 between the Rockies and Red Sox in 2000. That June, with the Rockies, he hit for the cycle at Coors Field, doing it in the first four innings of a 19-2 runaway.
"Everyone knew what was going on," Lansing told The Associated Press after that game. "I hit it in a good spot, but you have to try not to do too much--hit one somewhere in the gap, and you have to go into second."
Lansing then returned with the Red Sox for 2001. He saw 106 games and hit .250, his last season in the majors. He then ended his career at AAA with the Indians in 2002.
Then, in 2007, he found himself in the Mitchell Report, Kirk Radomski telling baseball investigators he recalled making four or five small transactions with Lansing and that Lansing was familiar with testosterone. Lansing did not respond to investigators' request for comment.
More recently, Lansing has served as a coach in the minors.
- Vero Beach Press Journal, May 19, 1991: Miracle Down Dodgers
- Wichita Eagle, April 18, 1993: Lansing surprising plenty of NL fans
- Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, June 19, 2000: Lansing's Cycle Puts Rockies on Top in West
Made the Majors:1,389-32.5%-X
Never Made Majors:2,882-67.5%
5+ Seasons in the Majors:565-X
10+ Seasons in the Minors:347
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