Former No. 1 overall draft pick Mike Ivie, who played parts of 11 big league seasons, has died. He was 70.
Ivie died Friday in North Augusta, South Carolina. According to Posey Funeral Directors, Ivie died of ongoing health issues.
Ivie batted .269 with 81 homers and 411 RBIs in 857 games with the San Diego Padres (1971, 1974-77), San Francisco Giants (1978-81), Houston Astros (1981-82) and Detroit Tigers (1982-83).
In 1970, Ivie was drafted as a catcher by the Padres and billed to be a future star. But Ivie developed troubles throwing the ball back to the pitcher, setting back his development.
He ended up starting just five games as a catcher, four in 1971 and one in 1976. San Diego also tried him at third base before he eventually saw most of his playing time at first base. His best season for the Padres was when he batted .291 in 1976.
Ivie was traded to the Giants prior to the 1978 season and hit four pinch-hit homers. He set a major league record that season with two pinch-hit grand slams.
In his second year with San Francisco, he established career highs of 27 homers and 89 RBIs.
Ivie’s major league career was over at age 30 when the Tigers released him in 1983. Late in his career, Ivie said the pressures and high expectations deeply affected him.