Mike will begin his first full season with Chicago after being acquired in July of 2013 in a five-player deal for right-handed pitcher Matt Garza … saw his only major league action in 2012 with Texas, batting .152 (5-for-33) with a double and five RBI in 16 games... Owns a .258 batting average (321-for-1244) with 212 runs, 68 doubles, three triples, 67 home runs and 213 RBI in 344 career minor league games... Has recorded double-digit home run campaigns in three of his four minor league seasons... Entered the 2012 campaign ranked as the Rangers second-best prospect by Baseball America... Selected as the 2012 Rangers Tom Grieve Minor League Player of the Year after leading all Double-A players in home runs (28) and OPS (.977) in the Texas League... Named Rangers Minor League Player of the Month for May, batting .333 (33-for-99) with 17 walks, seven doubles, five homers, and 23 RBI in 26 games... Played for the U.S. squad in the 2012 Futures Game at Kauffman Stadium during All-Star Weekend... Named to the 2011 Arizona Fall League All-Prospect team after leading the circuit in home runs (13), RBI (43), total bases (81) and slugging (.764)... Drafted by Texas in the supplemental round (49th overall) of the 2010 draft after attending the University of Connecticut... Attended the University of Connecticut in Storrs ... left Connecticut as the program's all-time home run leader with 44... Entered the draft rated by Baseball America as the third-best overall college defender... Graduated from Branford (Conn.) High School, where he was a four-year letter-winner and three-time All-State selection... Participated in the second-annual Cubs Rookie Development Program in January of 2014, as well as the Cubs Convention.
2015
Appeared in 24 games (23 starts) with the White Sox after being claimed off waivers from the Cubs on 9/5 … made 20 starts at third base and three at first. ... Batted .191 (18-94) with four home runs, five RBI and seven runs scored over 30 games between the Sox and Cubs. ... Hit one homer with the Cubs and three with the Sox, becoming the first player in major-league history to homer for both Chicago teams in the same season. ... Was placed on the Cubs disabled list with a fractured right wrist on 4/15 … appeared in 17 rehab games between Class AA Tennessee and Class AAA Iowa … was reinstated from the disabled list and optioned to Iowa on 7/10. ... His three home runs with the Sox traveled an average of 434 feet, including a 444-foot shot on 9/17 vs. Oakland … homered in consecutive games for the second time in his career on 9/16-17 vs. the A's (three straight from 5/7-9/14). ... Batted a combined .273 (60-220) with 16 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 25 RBI and 35 runs scored over 62 games between Iowa and Tennessee in the Cubs organization.
2014
Mike hit 12 home runs after spending the majority of the year with the Cubs in his first full season with the organization ... his 12 homers ranked tied for second among National League rookies...All told, batted .160 (36-for-225) with 23 runs, eight doubles, 12 homers and 33 RBI in 89 games for Chicago...Twenty of his 36 hits went for extra bases ... is the fifth player since 1901 to record at least 20 extra-base hits despite 36 or fewer hits on the season...Joined the Yankees Charlie Keller in 1947, the Rangers Warren Newsome in 1997, Milwaukee's Russell Branyan in 2008 and Cody Ransom, who did so in 2013 with the Padres and Cubs...Made 48 starts at third base and nine starts at first base...Batted .165 (13-for-79) with six home runs off lefties compared to a .158 average (23-for-146) with six homers against righthanders...Hit his first career home run, April 3 in Pittsburgh, a solo shot off Wandy Rodriguez...Homered in three-straight games, May 7-9, at the White Sox and at Atlanta...Recorded his first career grand slam off the White Sox' Maikel Cleto, May 8 at U.S. Cellular Field … the four RBI marked a career high...Belted eight home runs in his first 32 games as a Cub...Reached 12 home runs by the All-Star break...Only Geovany Soto in 2008 recorded more home runs (16) in franchise history as a rookie prior to the All-Star Break...Was optioned to Triple-A Iowa, July 22 ... hit .302 (32-for-106) with nine doubles, seven home runs and 24 RBI in 28 games...Landed on the minor league seven-day disabled list, August 20, with a hamstring strain ... was recalled from a post-season rehab assignment at Single-A Kane County two days later...Had a career-high three hits, drove in a run and reached safely four times, September 7 vs. Pittsburgh.
2013
Began the season in the Texas Rangers minor league system before he was acquired by the Cubs in July as part of a five-player deal involving pitcher Matt Garza … spent majority of the first half with Triple-A Round Rock, batting .213 (49-for-230) with 37 runs, 15 doubles, 11 home runs and 32 RBI in 65 games... Posted a .168 batting average (22-for-131) with three doubles, one triple, three home runs and eight RBI in 39 games with Triple-A Iowa... Clubbed his first I-Cubs homer, August 6 at Tacoma … finished 1-for-2 with the home run and three walks... Went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Iowa's 8-5 victory vs. Memphis, August 24... Appeared in three games with Double-A Frisco, going 4-for-12 (.333) with two doubles, a home run and two RBI... Landed on Round Rock's seven-day disabled list, May 8-30, with inflammation of the right eye … was assigned to Frisco after his activation... Logged his lone multi-homer game of the season June 16 at Oklahoma City, going 2-for-5 with the two clouts and three RBI... Registered a home run and three RBI in back-to-back games, July 20-21 … was traded to the Cubs, July 22.
2012
Began the year at Double-A Frisco, but spent final 2
months with Texas in his major league debut after his contract was
purchased on Aug. 2...selected as Rangers Tom Grieve Minor
League Player of the Year for his 4 months at Frisco, where he
was twice named the club's player of the month (May and June)...
won the Texas League home run title despite missing the final
month of the season.
TEXAS: Batted .152 (5-33) with no HR and 5 RBI in 16 games...
his playing time in September was limited due to plantar fasciitis
in his right heel...made his ML debut as starting first baseman on
Aug. 2 vs. LAA, the same day he was promoted from Frisco...went
1-for-3 with a run scored, with a single to left in his first ML at-bat
in the 2nd inning (off C.J. Wilson)...became the 42nd Ranger to
get a hit in his major league debut and first since Leonys Martin
on 9/2/11 at Boston...had 2 RBI in 2nd career game on Aug. 4 at
KC...walk-off, pinch-hit single on Aug. 11 vs. DET was first by a
Ranger rookie since Mike Lamb on 5/5/00 vs. OAK...according to
Elias, Olt was just the 3rd player in Rangers history to post his first
career walkoff RBIwithin his first 5 career games...had 4 RBI in
first 5 games...did not appear Sept. 6-12 due to right heel injury...
appeared as a defensive replacement for an injured Adrian Beltre
on Sept. 12 vs. CLE and left the game after reaggravating the
injury while running down the first base line...saw action in one of
the club's final 20 games...had 11 total starts at first (8), third (2),
and right field (1)...was not on Rangers' postseason roster for the
A.L. Wild Card Game vs. Baltimore due to the right heel injury.
WINTER BALL: Played for Licey in Dominican Winter League,
batting .250 (14-56) with 2 HR, 4 doubles, and 8 RBI in 18
games...had 12 walks against 17 K's.
FRISCO: Batted .288 (102-354) with 17 doubles, 28 home runs,
and 82 RBI in 95 games at Frisco (AA)...led all Double-A players
in home runs and OPS (.977), while the home run figure ranked
T2nd among all minor league players at the time of his promotion...
despite missing the final month of the Texas League slate, ranked
among the statistical leaders in nearly every offense category, including home runs (1st, 28), SLG (1st, .579), RBI (4th, 82), OBP
(5th, .398), walks (9th, 61), total bases (10th, 205), and batting
(13th, .288)...played primarily third base, also seeing first career
action at first base and in right field...batted .312 (78-250) with 20
home runs and 58 RBI over 66 first half games and .231 (24-104)
with 8 home runs and 24 RBI in 29 second half games...hit .294
(77-262) with 13 doubles and 20 HR against right-handed pitching
and .272 (25-92) with 4 doubles and 8 HR versus southpaws...
hit .314 (33-105) with runners in scoring position and .391 (18-46)
with RISP and 2 outs...named Rangers Minor League Player of
the Month for May, batting .333 (33-99) with 17 walks, 7 doubles, 5
HR, and 23 RBI in 26 games...tied for 4th-most RBI of any player
at the Double-A level during the month, while his .993 OPS ranked
10th...selected as the Texas League Player of the Week for May
28-June 3, logging 5 straight multi-hit games, including 3 consecutive 2-HR contests, June 1-3...totaled 7 long balls through his first
5 games in June...won player of the month honors again in June,
hitting .325 (26-80) with 17 runs, 15 walks, 3 doubles, 10 HR, and
24 RBI over 22 contests...led all Double-A players in HR and OPS
(1.175) in June, while 24 RBI ranked T3rd...selected to South Division squad in the Texas League All-Star Game on June 28 at
Tulsa, but did not play with a hamstring injury... led all Double-A
players with 19 RBI from July 17 to August 1, his final day with
Frisco...was selected to the Texas League's Postseason All-Star
Team...in Baseball America's midseason rankings, was tabbed
as baseball's 11th-best prospect overall and Texas League's best
power prospect...rated by the publication as 4th-best prospect in
Texas League after the season.
FUTURES GAME: Played for the U.S. squad in the Futures
Game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City during All-Star Weekend...started at third base and played the entire game, going
1-for-5 with a double and RBI...had RBI double off Angels prospect Ariel Pena in the 9-run, 6th inning of U.S. team's 17-5 victory.
FROM THE CONSTITUTION STATE: Born in New Haven, is
just the 3rd Rangers player to ever be born in Connecticut, joining John Ellis (1976-81), born in New London, and Joe Lahoud
(1976), born in Danbury.
2011
Spent first full professional season with Myrtle Beach (High-
A)...named the 3rd-best prospect in the Carolina League by Baseball
America and tabbed as the best defensive third baseman in a
survey by the same publication...selected as the Rangers Minor
League Defender of the Month for April...led the Pelicans in both
home runs (14) and walks (48) despite missing nearly 2 months
due to injury...hit .297 (27-91) with 8 home runs and 18 RBI against
left-handers and .248 (37-149) with 6 home runs and 24 RBI versus
right-handers...named the CL Hitter of the Week for April 7-17, batting
.424 (14-33) with 3 home runs and 10 RBI over 9 games...batted
.286 (54-189) with 10 home runs and 34 RBI over first 54
games...suffered a broken collarbone in a home plate collision on
June 6 vs. Winston-Salem...was on disabled list June 7-Aug. 18,
including a rehab assignment with the AZL Rangers, Aug. 14-18...
returned to Myrtle Beach on Aug. 19...logged first career multihome
run effort, going deep twice Aug. 25 vs. Lynchburg...drove
in a team-best 4 runs during the CL playoffs.
ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE: Named to the Arizona Fall League
All-Prospect team after leading the circuit in home runs (13), RBI
(43), total bases (81), and slugging (.764), while also ranking
among the leaders in average (8th, .349) and walks (T8th, 15)...
batted .478 (11-23) against left-handed pitching...averaged a HR
every 8.15 AB and recorded the first 40-RBI season in the AFL
since 1996...logged 4 multi-home run performances with the Surprise
Saguaros...hit safely in 23 of 27 games played and closed
out the season on a 17-game hit streak, during which he batted
.397 (25-63) with 9 home runs and 31 RBI.
2010
Spent first professional season with Spokane...rated statistically
as the top defensive third baseman in the Northwest
League with a .942 fielding pct...ranked among the league leaders
in runs (2nd), doubles (T6th), home runs (7th), and RBI (T5th)...
batted .309 (17-55) with 3 home runs and 12 RBI against lefties
and .288 (60-208) with 6 home runs and 31 RBI vs. right-handers...
collected a season-high 3 hits on 6 occasions...drove in a
season-high 5 runs on July 15 vs. Vancouver...hit safely in a season-
high 8 straight games from July 21-29...named the Rangers
Minor League Defender of the Month for August...hit .367 (29-79)
with 4 home runs and 19 RBI over final 20 regular season games
to raise season average from .266 to .293...tallied at least one
RBI in 7 straight games from Aug. 14-21, totaling 12 RBI during
the stretch...batted .176 (3-17) with a double and 4 RBI in 5 games
during the NWL playoffs.
