| Joe Mikulik | |
| Position: | Outfielder / Coach |
| Birth Date: | 30 October 1963 |
| Birth Place: | Weimar, Texas |
| Bats: | right |
| Throws: | right |
Joseph Mikulik ([1]), born October 30, 1963, in Weimar, Texas,[2] is the current bench coach for the Spokane Indians Baseball Club.[3] He's a former minor league baseball player, former manager of the Asheville Tourists, Myrtle Beach Pelicans and Frisco RoughRiders minor league baseball teams. The 5' 11" right-handed batting outfielder never rose above AAA baseball, but was a key player in the Tucson Toros' first Pacific Coast League championship in 1991. During 2007, his eighth season with the Tourists, Mikulik, who already held the team record for most games managed, became the team's all-time leader in managerial wins.[4]
Mikulik attended Bishop Forest High School in Schulenburg, Texas, with his brothers John and Gene Mikulik, where he lettered in football, baseball, basketball and track and field. He went on to play two years at San Jacinto College, where he would earn All-American honors. In 1984, Mikulik was drafted by the Houston Astros in the ninth round in the winter draft.[5]
Mikulik attended San Jacinto Junior College, where he was a walk-on and received a full scholarship. After an All-American sophomore season, Texas A&M offered him a two-year scholarship, which he declined when he was selected by the Houston Astros in the ninth round of the 1984 amateur draft. Over the next ten years Mikulik played for the Auburn Astros, the Asheville Tourists, the Columbus Astros and the Jackson Generals, all in the Astros' minor league system, supplemented with a stint in the Mexican League. From 1988 to 1992 he spent parts of each season with the AAA Tucson Toros, finally spending the entire season there in 1993.
Mikulik finished his career with a lifetime batting average of .279, 1265 career hits, 109 career home runs, 670 career RBIs, 161 stolen bases, and 742 runs.
In 1995, Mikulik coached the Canton-Akron Indians. He managed the Burlington Indians in 1997. He became manager of his previous team, the Asheville Tourists, in 2000. Mikulik won his 800th game with the Asheville Tourists on May 17, 2011, against Lexington and became the all-time leader in victories and games managed.[6] In 2012, Mikulik lead the Tourists to the South Atlantic League Championship but after a tirade and subsequent ejection in Charleston, South Carolina,[7] Mikulik was fired by the Tourists Major League affiliate, Colorado Rockies.[8]
Mikulik became the outfield coordinator in the Rangers’ organization for the 2013 season and then was asked to manage in the Texas system. First with the Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans in 2014 and then with the Double-A Frisco Roughriders from 2014 through 2019.[9]
Mikulik was hired as hitting coach by the Grand Junction Rockies in 2021, of the MLB-Partner Pioneer Hill League.[10] He spent 2022 as manager of the Rocky Mountain Vibes, also of the Pioneer Hill League.[11]
In 2023, Mikulik joined the Spokane Indians as bench coach, where he continues today.[12]
Mikulik is infamous for several lengthy in-game tirades. In the bottom of the fifth inning in a game against the Lexington Legends on June 25, 2006, Mikulik instigated an argument with an umpire who had called Legends third baseman Koby Clemens safe on a close call at second base. The umpire ejected Mikulik who responded by going on an extended rampage. He dislodged second base and threw it into the outfield, threw bats from the dugout onto the field, then poured water on home plate before leaving for the clubhouse where he toppled water coolers and a chair in front of the umpires' locker room. Afterward, Mikulik was unapologetic, claiming he "could get two mannequins at Sears" to "umpire better than what I saw this whole series" while receiving a seven-day suspension and a $1,000 fine. His antics were shown on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Pardon the Interruption, SportsCenter, and Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Mikulik's behavior was mentioned in Legendary: When Baseball Came to the Bluegrass, a 2011 documentary about the Legends.
On July 27, 2012, in the bottom of the first inning of a game against the Charleston RiverDogs, Mikulik came out of the dugout to dispute a call that a baserunner had eluded a tag. Mikulik was ejected by an umpire after he argued, kicked dirt, and reenacted the play. Mikulik went back to argue with the umpiring crew, removed third base, and handed it to a fan. Mikulik left the game tipping his hat to the crowd as he received mixed applause.[13]
Managing the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on August 17, 2014, Mikulik had a widely-reported meltdown where he responded to getting ejected by removing some of his clothing on the field.[14]
Mikulik has two children, son Dawson and daughter Susan. Mikulik married Candy Conway on October 13, 2014.