ATLANTA, G.A. (WLOS) — The list of Major League Baseball Managers without any professional playing experience is a short one, even as the National League’s 150th anniversary approaches.
Mike Shildt is on that list.
“I consider Mike one of my best friends in the world,” Marc Rosenbalm said.
Rosenbalm, a righty submariner, met Shildt playing American Legion ball around Charlotte
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Eventually, it was time to figure out where they’d play college ball. The two friends, and eventual roommates, went west to play college ball together.
“To be honest with you I had never heard of UNC Asheville (UNCA) before we were recruited there,” Rosenbalm said.
Rosenbalm, and eventually Shildt, were recruited by then UNCA manager, Ken Bagwell.
“I was a throw in in this deal,” Shildt said. “‘Bags’ came and saw ‘Rosey’ and I was going to Wingate, but I was really close with those two guys, so I came up with them on their visit because we were boys, and they were working out and so he was like, ‘Work out’ and I worked out and he was like ‘Hey want to come too?’ I’m like, ‘Sure that’d be great,’ so I came on board.”
The Bulldogs program was just a few years old when Shildt arrived on campus in 1987.
“Being a brand-new program, not having a field to play on, man you got to sell it,” Bagwell said.
Bagwell coached the Bulldogs from 1986 to 1987 but left quite an impression on Shildt.
“I loved ‘Bags’ because he was a players guy, so I definitely take that,” Shildt said. “He was for you. ‘Bags’ was also a worker; if you wanted ground balls, he’d hit you ground balls. If you wanted BP, he threw BP. ‘Bags’ was just a players guy through and through.”
“There was nothing he didn’t know about the game, and you know Mike probably learned a lot from him,” Shildt’s teammate John Smith Jr. said.
For Shildt, his time at UNCA was quite literally his baseball Undergraduate Degree.
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“He would turn to me and be like what would you do in this situation? Would you bunt? Would you hit and run? What would you do? And I’d be like I’d hit a home run, you know, I mean I don’t know,” Rosenbalm said.
Baseball was in his blood; Shildt grew up going to Charlotte Orioles games where his mom worked.
“I just was around the ballpark, and I kept the scoreboard every day and I did that for five or six years and I literally didn’t miss a pitch, or I’d get replaced,” Shildt said.
Eventually, it became clear that playing pro ball was not going to be an option for Shildt.
“I realized pretty soon that I was smarter about the game than I was talented, but the bar was pretty low,” Shildt joked.
His old coach, Bagwell, was a little blunter.
“He was as smooth as silk [on the field,] but he couldn’t hit the ball with a canoe paddle,” Bagwell.
Shildt’s inquisitive mind naturally turned to coaching; first at UNCA and UNC Charlotte before rising through the ranks of pro ball.
He scouted, coached and managed in the St. Louis Cardinals minor leagues for more than a decade.
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“He started out in short season a ball, but then he quickly moved up through the system,” Rosenbalm said. “The guy just won everywhere he went.”
He got his major league shot as a coach in 2017 and was promoted to manager the following year.
“There was just no quit in him, he was going to the big leagues,” Rosenbalm said.
Shildt’s former teammate, Terry Gahagan said of Shildt, “He’s the kind of guy you want in your foxhole and in your dugout. Mike’s not going to let you down.”
That intense loyalty to his players is exactly where Shildt’s former manager said he excels.
“I wish I could take any kind of credit for Shildt, but I can’t,” Bagwell said. “It was just Shildt being Shildt.”
In six seasons as a major league boss, the former Bulldog has never had a losing season.
“I’m pretty loyal by nature,” Shildt said. I’m big into connection, relationships. That’s one of the things I appreciate most about team sports. It’s one of the reasons I continue to do what I’m doing now.”
Rosenbalm and a few family friends traveled to Atlanta during the San Diego Padres series with the Braves to visit with Shildt.
“Mike hasn’t changed,” Gahagan said. “Still talk on the phone, still text, he’s still Mike. He’s dedicated 100% to the San Diego Padres, but he’s also dedicated to his friends and that will never change. That’s just Mike.”
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