On June 11, 2021, Mike Hessman received a call-up to the major leagues.
Hessman had been called up before.
But this time was different.
The former Toledo Mud Hens legendary slugger and assistant coach was becoming the Detroit Tigers’ assistant hitting coach, and the role has stuck. He is in the midst of his first full season on the Detroit coaching staff.
Hessman, who played professional baseball for 20 years, had five stints in the majors as a player, the last of which coming in 2010 with the New York Mets.
He learned of his first MLB call-up as a coach with a phone call and while surrounded by then-Toledo manager Tom Prince and pitching coach Doug Bochtler last summer.
“For being in the game so long and loving the game and enjoying being out on the field with the guys and not necessarily having that much time as a player in the major leagues, it crosses your mind if you're ever going to get back up to that level,” Hessman said. “Being able to have that call and that conversation with Princey and Bochtler, it was just a sea of emotions.”
The next day, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters Hessman was the logical choice for the role.
“He's earned his way here,” Hinch said. “He's very familiar with our players, and a lot of our players were excited that he got an opportunity to come up here.”
Hessman served as the team’s interim assistant hitting coach for the remainder of last season after the position became vacant when Jose Cruz, Jr., departed for the head coaching position for Rice University’s baseball team.
Hessman was hired as the permanent assistant hitting coach prior to the 2022 campaign.
“He's a good teammate,” Bochtler said. “And I think part of that's learned from when you're a player, but he was a good teammate. He knew how to act. He knew how to treat the other coaches. He always showed up with the same attitude, and it's a willingness to work, as well as his knowledge. It's super important that he is just a great teammate as a coach.”
Hessman already has implemented one approach that has become a hit.
To help keep the highs and lows of season in perspective, Hessman recommends breaking down the season into pieces of 20 plate appearances, creating an adequate sample size for evaluating, while helping hitters to avoid overreacting.
“Whether you’re 0-for-20 or 10-for-20, after those 20 at-bats, you go on to the next 20,” Tigers infielder Spencer Torkelson said recently.
Hessman’s minor-league career took him to Toledo for seven seasons. He set the minor-league record for career home runs before retiring in 2015. He also played all nine positions in a 2009 game.
His history with the Tigers organization made his transition from player to coach a smooth process.
“Being able to stay in this organization that gave me an opportunity to continue my playing career those last few years, and to be able to accomplish some pretty cool things on the minor league side, and then for them to think highly enough to continue on and let me start my coaching career with them has been awesome,” Hessman said. “So nothing but great things to say about the organization, the people involved, and the way that it's moving forward right now.”
Hessman climbed the ranks as a hitting coach with stints then Class-A teams Connecticut (2016) and West Michigan (2017), Double-A Erie (2018), and Triple-A Toledo (2019, 2021).
Hessman’s time as a player, battling the demotions and failures of the game with the successes, helped establish relationships with the players he coached.
“I love Mike,” Mud Hens outfielder Daz Cameron said. “Mike's that guy that comes in and asks you, ‘What do you want to work on, and what's your plan, and what's your go-to?’ Doing that really helps you throughout the season.”
Bochtler saw how much Hessman cared about the players he coached.
“They knew that he cared, and when you have that care factor, you have the ear of the player,” Bochtler said. “So he was definitely in the trenches with them, and that's just the making of a really good coach.”
First Published May 8, 2022, 2:59 p.m.
