Bobby Witt Jr. made history on Saturday. He became the 13th rookie in major league history to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in the same season, joining a very interesting list of players. While there are future Hall of Fames such as Mike Trout and Carlos Beltran, there are also players such as former Oakland A’s outfielder Mitchell Page.
In 1977, Page became just the second player to join the 20-20 club, following Tommie Agee 11 years prior. As Agee had been an All Star caliber player before his chronic knee issues sapped his effectiveness, there was hope that Mitchell would be able to develop into a star as well.
Mitchell Page – a case of what if for Oakland A’s
He had an impressive beginning to his career. Taking over as the A’s everyday left fielder, he produced a .307/.405/.521 batting line in his 592 plate appearances, hitting 21 homers and stealing 42 bases. He finished second to Eddie Murray in the AL Rookie of the Year vote and appeared well on his way to stardom.
While Page did not replicate those numbers in 1978, his 134 OPS+ and 17 homers were still respectable. He was just 23 for 42 in stolen base attempts, but was still an all around weapon and wanted to be paid as such. He wound up getting into a contract dispute with owner Charlie Finley during spring training in 1979, eventually being suspended after he refused to play in exhibition games.
Page eventually returned to the A’s, but he was not the same player. As was the case with Agee, he battled injuries, being used as a designated hitter as he was no longer able to play in the outfield. He struggled that season, but had a rebound campaign in 1980, leading to the hope that he could be a solid major league option.
Instead, that was his last hurrah in the majors. Page struggled in the first half of the 1981 season and received just three plate appearances after the strike ended. He spent much of the next two seasons in Triple-A or on the Injured LIst, eventually being let go during spring training in 1984. He signed with the Pirates, but received just 15 plate appearances that year as he spent the majority of that season, and all of 1985, back in the minors.
Overall, Page produced a solid .266/.346/.429 batting line in his 2398 major league plate appearances, hitting 72 homers and 84 doubles while stealing 104 bases. However, it is also a career that makes one wonder what could have been as he never fulfilled the promise displayed during his rookie season.
Page entered the coaching ranks after his playing days were over, serving in the A’s, Royals, Cardinals, and Nationals organizations. He was the Cardinals hitting coach when they reached the World Series in 2004, but left immediately afterward to enter a rehab facility for alcoholism. Those issues with alcohol interrupted his coaching career several times, and he eventually left the Cardinals organization in May 2010 for “personal reasons.” Sadly, he died in his sleep on March 12, 2011 at just 59 years old.
Mitchell Page appeared destined for stardom as the second rookie to post a 20-20 season. Instead, he is another ‘what if’ in Oakland A’s history.