Former Major League Baseball No. 1 overall draft pick Mike Ivie died on Friday, according to an obituary from Posey Funeral Directors in North Augusta, South Carolina. The post said he “passed away peacefully at his home … after battling ongoing health issues.” He was 70.
Ivie was selected by the San Diego Padres in 1970 at 17 years old. He was drafted out of Atlanta’s Walker High School, where he hit .550 his senior year, per Vintage Detroit. He made his Major League debut with San Diego a year later and played six games before being demoted to the minors until 1974.
The Padres paid tribute to Ivie on Monday with a social media post.
“We are mourning the loss of former Padre Mike Ivie, who passed away last week at the age of 70,” a Twitter post said. “Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and loved ones at this difficult time.”
Ivie was known for excelling at the plate but failed to find the same success defensively as he bounced around from catcher, first baseman, third baseman and outfielder. In the 1975 season, he hit .249 with eight home runs but had 17 errors in 61 games at third base.
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In 1978, he joined the San Francisco Giants, where he starred as a pinch-hitter. He hit four home runs that year and holds the record for most pinch hit grand slams in a season with two. He had a career-high 27 home runs the next year. The franchise saw him as the successor for Hall of Famer Willie McCovey, but a hunting injury and slowed offensive production prevented him from fulfilling those expectations.
He was traded to the Houston Astros in 1981 and finished his career with the Detroit Tigers, playing his last season at the age of 30.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara Joiner Ivie, his two sons, Steven and Scott, and his grandchildren, Kyler, Abram, Taylin, Jake and Diesel.
