As the Danville Otterbots look to make a championship run during the 2024 Appalachian League season, the club announced that Mickey Tettleton will take the helm in his first season as Otterbots manager. The 14-year MLB veteran and two-time All-Star brings his experience on the field and in the dugout to the Otterbots as they seek to win their first Appy League championship since rebranding.
After retiring from his playing career in 1997, Tettleton entered the world of collegiate coaching at Oklahoma Christian University, a member of NCAA Division II in the Lone Star Conference. Tettleton is no stranger to collegiate summer ball, as he spent the 2018-19 seasons with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and spent the 2023 season as the hitting coach of the Appalachian League’s Greeneville Flyboys.
“As a visitor last summer I was very impressed with the beauty of the ballpark and the atmosphere that the fans and the BOTS organization created,” said Tettleton. “I’m looking forward to our players, coaches, support staff and their families to get to have that same experience. I’m also looking forward to getting to know the city of Danville and the folks in the Otterbots organization.”
Before starting his coaching career, Tettleton led the Oklahoma State Cowboys to a 1981 College World Series title prior to being drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the fifth round of the 1981 MLB Amateur Draft. Tettleton spent 14 years in the big leagues, spending time with A’s, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers. He was awarded the Silver Slugger award three times (1989, 1991, 1992) and was selected to the 1989 and 1994 American League All-Star teams. By the end of his career, the decorated catcher boasted a .241 career batting average and a strong display of power (.818 OPS, 245 career home runs, five seasons as MLB top-10 HR hitter). Tettleton was the epitome of consistency at the plate throughout his career but also shined behind the plate, throwing out 29% of runners with a .991 fielding percentage.
While playing under bright ballpark lights, Tettleton was also under the bright lights of Hollywood being credited in three baseball movies: Little Big League (1994), My Oh My! (1996) and Sunday Night Baseball (1990).
Season tickets, corporate partnership opportunities and hospitality outings are currently available for the 2024 season. For more information, call the front office at 434-554-4487.
