BravesBeat.com--Fan Favorites: Mark Lemke (Part 1)

With the end of the postseason, we now prepare ourselves for a few months without baseball. To pass the time, I thought it might be interesting to take a look back at the career of my all-time favorite Atlanta Brave, Mark Lemke.

“Big things come in small packages”. Although I strongly dislike using clichés and adages, there really is no other description that fits. Standing at a mere 5’9” and pushing 170 lbs throughout the majority of his career, Mark Lemke went from a relative unknown in the baseball world to one of the most beloved and well-respected Atlanta Braves of all time.

Mark was drafted by the Atlanta Braves out of Notre Dame High School in the 27th round of the June 1983 amateur draft. Of the 24 players the Braves drafted ahead of him, only three (Marty Clary, Ron Gant, and Jay Buhner) went on to spend notable amounts of time in the Majors. Of the hundreds of players drafted ahead of him overall, few would achieve as much.

Lemke began his professional career in 1983 in Gulf Coast League Bradenton. As is the case with most players out of high school, Lemke developed slowly, taking time to adjust to the quality of professional pitching. In that first season, he batted a respectable .263 in 209 at bats. Despite showing little power with only 6 of his 55 hits for extra bases (all doubles), he did display a keen ability for putting the ball in play (only 19 K’s) and a solid glove.

He began the 1984 season in single-A Anderson, where he struggled with the bat, producing at a .149 clip. His poor performance earned him a trip back down to Bradenton, where he finished the year solidly batting .276 while improving his power numbers (67 hits with 11 doubles and 3 homeruns) without increasing his strikeout totals (just 14 K’s in 243 AB’s). His glove work continued to impress, as he led all Gulf Coast League second-basemen in fielding (.977).

In 1985, Lemke was given another shot at A-ball with Sumter of the South Atlantic League. He failed to build on the offensive potential he flashed in Bradenton, batting only .216 in 231 AB’s with only 6 of his 50 hits going for extra bases. Once again, he proved his worth with his low strikeout totals (only 22 K’s) and sparkling defense at second base, earning him another year with Sumter.

There is typically a point during a minor league career where a player turns the corner. Mark did this during the 1986 season at Sumter, batting .272 with 18 homeruns, 24 doubles, 99 runs, and 66 RBI’s. In addition, he showed incredible plate patience with an 31/87 K/BB ratio, rare numbers for any minor leaguer.

After his break-out year, he was promoted to Durham of the Carolina League for the 1987 season, where he continued to improve, batting .292 with 20 homeruns, 28 doubles, 75 runs, and 68 RBI’s. He also led all Carolina League second-basemen in fielding (.982) and assists (355). His strong performance earned him a selection to the Carolina League All-Star game and a late-season promotion to Greenville of the Southern League where he started 6 games, batting .231 with 4 RBI’s.

So here was Mark Lemke, only four years after being drafted in the 27th round, one step away from achieving the ultimate dream of playing major league baseball. Lemke’s surprising offensive production combined with his tremendous natural defensive capabilities started to turn heads in Atlanta. He had rapidly climbed the Brave’s prospect charts and his path to the major leagues was laid before him.

Mark started the 1988 season in Greenville and did not disappoint. He continued his minor league tear by batting .292 with 16 HR’s and 80 RBI’s. For his performance that year, Mark was the recipient of the Hank Aaron Award as the top offensive player in the Braves’ minor league system. He was also chosen to represent the G-Braves in the Southern League All-Star game. After proving he could produce in the minor leagues, Lemke was almost assured of a shot at the majors.

Minor League Statistics:

YR	TEAM	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	BA
83	BRA	53	209	37	55	6	0	0	19	10	30	19	.263
84	AND	42	121	18	18	2	0	0	5	3	14	14	.149
84	BRA	63	243	41	67	11	0	3	32	2	29	14	.276
85	SUM	90	234	25	50	6	0	0	20	2	34	22	.216
86	SUM	126	448	99	122	24	2	18	66	7	87	31	.272
87	DUR	127	489	75	143	28	3	20	68	10	54	45	.292
87	GRE	6	26	0	6	0	0	0	4	0	0	4	.231
88	GRE	143	567	81	153	29	4	16	80	18	52	92	.270

Lemke got his chance on September 17, 1988, as he sat at his locker underneath Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium for the first time. He made his major league debut that day, appearing in both ends of a double-header against the San Diego Padres. He went 0-7 in the two games, with a walk (scored his first run on a single by Bruce Benedict). His first major league hit (a single) came a few days later off of Mike Aldrete of the Giants. In those final weeks of the season, Mark only went 13-58 (.224 avg) but impressed with his solid glove work and get-down-and-dirty attitude.

The following season, the Braves purchased the contract of Jeff Treadway from the Cincinnati Reds. With Treadway and Jeff Blauser seeing most of the action at second base (this was during the Andres Thomas era at shortstop), Lemke spent the majority of the 1989 season back in the minors. He received another September call-up that year and on September 14, 1989, he hit his first major league homer, a 3-run pinch-hit shot off of the Padres’ Dan Murphy. He finished the remainder of that season much like 1988, going 10-55 (.182 AVG) in limited action.

In 1990, Lemke made the opening day roster. With the end of the Andres Thomas era approaching, Blauser took over the majority of the shortstop duties, while Lemke shared time at 2B with Treadway. Once again, Lemke struggled at the plate, hitting only .226 in 239 at-bats. However, his defensive abilities and hard-nosed attitude kept him in Atlanta for the duration of the season. It was that year that we saw a lot of changes in Atlanta, starting with General Manger Bobby Cox replacing Russ Nixon as manager midway through the season. The organization exhibited a clear out-with-the-old and in-with-the-new attitude reflected by the departures of Dale Murphy, Jody Davis, and Darrell Evans and the emergence of young players like Steve Avery, Ron Gant, and Dave Justice. Although the team finished the year with its 6th straight season with at least 89 losses, the talented crop of players on display gave hope of better days to come.

During that winter, the Braves made some key acquisitions, signing free agents Terry Pendleton, Sid Bream, Juan Berenguer, Deion Sanders, and Rafael Belliard, and trading for Otis Nixon on opening day. These acquisitions combined very effectively with the talent already in place. The team showed immediate signs of improvement, playing near .500 baseball for the first half of the season. During that time, Lemke, Treadway, Belliard, and Blauser shared the middle infield duties. Although Lemke batted a mere .234 that season in 269 at-bats, his defense and attitude quickly gained favor with manager Bobby Cox. By the end of the season, he was the primary second basemen, helping the Braves finish strong for a 94-win season and their first division title in 7 years.

In the NLCS versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, Lemke started all but one game at 2B. Although he hit just .200 for the series, he had one of the biggest hits of the series, a two-out RBI double in the 6th inning of game 2 for a 1-0 victory as Steve Avery and Alejandro Pena combined on a 6-hit shutout to even the series at 1-1. However, it was only after defeating the Pirates in 7 games and moving on to the World Series that the name “Mark Lemke” would become commonplace in homes around the country.

Lemke used the 1991 World Series against the Twins as his personal showcase. Having displayed little of the power potential he showed in the minors thus far in his major league career, Lemke flexed his muscle during this series, going 10-24 (.417 avg) with 3 triples, 1 double, and 4 RBI’s. The 3 triples were hit in a span of 4 at-bats, a World Series record. Not only did he perform well in this series, but he performed well when the game was on the line. Some of the key moments for Lemke in that series:

· Game 3: Went 2-5 with a game winning single to left scoring Justice in the 12th inning of a crucial 5-4 win to keep the series from going 0-3 in favor of the Twins.

· Game 4: Went 3-4 with a one-out triple in the bottom of the ninth of a tied game, scoring on a sac fly to win the game.

· Game 5: Went 2-4 with 2 runs, 2 triples, and 3 RBI’s in a 14-5 romp to help the Braves to a 3-2 advantage in the series.

· Game 6: Went 2-4, leading off the 6th with a single and later scoring the tying run on a fielder’s choice by Ron Gant.

Although the Braves eventually lost the series in a heartbreaking game 7 loss, the Atlanta Braves…and Mark Lemke…were now in the national spotlight. Had the Braves won that series, the unlikeliest of heroes, Mark Lemke, would have a World Series MVP trophy to sit on his mantle at home.

It was this extraordinary postseason performance that helped firmly plant Lemke as the Brave’s everyday second basemen for years to come. More importantly, his heroics instantly gave him a special place in the hearts of Braves’ fans everywhere.

Part Two will cover his career from 1992 to present day…

Major League Stats:

.182

Regular Season (thru 1991)
YR	TEAM	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	K	BA
88	ATL	16	58	8	13	4	0	0	2	0	4	5	.225
89	ATL	14	55	4	10	2	1	2	10	0	5	7
90	ATL	102	239	22	54	13	0	0	21	0	21	22	.226
91	ATL	136	269	36	63	11	2	2	23	1	21	27	.234
Post Season (thru 1991)
91	NLCS (PIT)	7	20	1	4	1	0	0	1	-	4	0	.200
91	WS (MIN)	6	24	4	10	1	3	0	4	-	2	4	.417

If you find this interesting, I’d be happy to take a look at your all-time favorite. Just drop me a request via email to ThePelfreys@comporium.net (post-1985 players would be best, as I’m only 26 years old).