Catching Up with Former All-Star Sean Casey

When you are nicknamed “The Mayor,” you must have left your mark on the game, and that’s exactly what first baseman Sean Casey did.

Casey’s big league career spanned 12 years with five teams, including three All-Star appearances and a .302 career average.

One of the friendliest athletes of our time, Casey now spends his days as a studio analyst for MLB Network, where he has his signature segment entitled “The Mayor’s Office”.

While he may not have a special routine before going on air like his patented rituals in the batter’s box, TV has allowed America to get a better glimpse of his larger-than-life personality.

I was able to catch up with Casey after he presented the Gatorade National Player of the Year award on Thursday, to reflect on one of the most underrated careers in baseball history.

Reflecting on His Career with the Reds

After making his Major League debut with the Cleveland Indians in 1997, Casey was traded to the Cincinnati Reds right before the 1998 season, where his career took off.

A prolific doubles hitter, Casey smacked at least 25 in six of his eight years with the Reds en route to representing the club at the All-Star game on three separate occasions.

Known for his routine of cracking his back and adjusting his batting gloves between pitches, Casey and his glowing personality quickly became a hit with the Cincinnati faithful.

According to Casey, the feeling was mutual:

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“I love the city, love all of the history of the franchise, loved the ’99 team. The fans were great, and the franchise treated me with nothing but class. Great organization to play for.”

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The ’99 team he spoke of was the lone season Cincinnati finished above .500 during his tenure. The team earned a one-game playoff against the New York Mets to decide the Wild Card winner, but ultimately fell short.

To this day Casey still blames the Brewers:

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“If only we would have beat those Brewers. They always seemed to play spoiler against us.”

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The Reds were tied with the Houston Astros for the NL Central lead heading into the final series in Milwaukee, and dropped two out of three.

So despite a 96-66 record, they had to play a one game playoff and lost.

While his career took him to three other destinations, there is no question he left his mark with the Reds, which is why he was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2011.

As a Red from 1998-2005, he hit .305 with 118 home runs, 604 RBI and a .371 OBP.

For the record: when Casey goes to Cincinnati's famous Skyline Chili restaurant, he orders a five-way (spaghetti, chili, beans, onions and cheese), and when I brought it up, he sounded like a like a guy ready to crush two plates of it. 

Postseason Heroics

After a brief stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2006, Casey was traded to the Detroit Tigers in what became a World Series run for Detroit.

Typically it’s a long period of time before a hitter adjusts to switching leagues, and Casey wasn’t the exception. He hit .245 with only seven doubles and 30 RBI in 196 at-bats during the regular season.

The switch in leagues was a drastic change, and the adjustment period wasn’t easy:

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“It was a big change. I played in the NL for almost my entire career, now I had to re-learn the pitching staffs of 14 new teams. The adjustment period was not as easy as people think. It was tough.”

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But he adjusted, and everything came together at the perfect time.

He ended up being the most productive player for the Tigers in their first postseason run in 22 years, going 16-for-37 for a .432 average. In the World Series he went 9-for-17 (.529 average), with two home runs and five RBIs.

While his team fell short to the St. Louis Cardinals, Casey solidified himself as a hitter who could excel in both leagues, and could play his best in the postseason.

The ’06 postseason gets lost when talking about Casey’s career, but there is no question he took full advantage of his only real postseason appearance (two at-bats with the Red Sox in ’08 hardly count).

This guy was clutch and it’s a shame he didn’t get more opportunities to prove it.

Tenure With the Red Sox

While the meat of Casey’s career came as a Red, he was a member of “Red Sox Nation” for the 2008 season, and needless to say, it was a very different experience:

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“In Cincinnati there was like 5 or 6 beat writers. In Boston, it felt like there were 80. The passion and energy of the fans was incredible. I felt like a rock star, not a baseball player. It was great.”

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I have a feeling more than a few players who have donned a Sox jersey are nodding their heads in agreement.

The one word he kept using over and over was “passion.”

“The Mayor”

After only a few years as a big leaguer, teammates realized just how outgoing and friendly Casey was.

He made a point of chatting up every opposing player that reached first base, and more often than not the conversation ended with a hearty laugh from both parties.

I asked him what he thought of the nickname, and gave this response with a chuckle:

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“I don’t know, guys were saying that I was always trying to get votes, always trying to be friendly. The name just stuck. There are far worse nicknames you could have (laughs).”

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If there were ever a former player who could be a politician, it would be the outgoing and energetic Casey.

“The Mayor” also stems from his outstanding work in the community, which leads to the next slide.

Achievements off the Field

Casey won the Hutch Award in 1999, and has been a finalist for the Roberto Clemente and Branch Rickey Award—a testament to the charitable work he does in the community.

On Saturday, Casey and his wife Mandi helped introduce the brand new “Miracle League Field” after raising $1 million to provide the opportunity for special needs kids to have their very own baseball league.

Of course Casey didn’t bring it up, but when I asked about it, he sounded extremely passionate about it:

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“It was one of the most special days of my life. Last Saturday was two years in the making. It was such a cool experience. I was happy to be a part of it.”

 

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Gatorade National Player of the Year Award

On Thursday Casey was in Tampa Bay, Florida to present the 27th annual Gatorade National Player of the Year award to Lance McCullers from Jesuit High School in the Tampa area.

The award goes to the high school player that excels in athletics and in the community as well.

The hard-throwing righty aces Casey’s scouting report:

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“He has great stuff. He has hit 100 mph on the radar gun and has the sort of big power arm that will allow him to have plenty of success. He is great to talk to as well. Very grounded.”

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McCullers is projected to go in the first round of next week’s draft. 

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“Friendliest Player in the Game”

"There's no debate, and there never will be a debate. Sean Casey is the nicest guy in professional baseball. Ever."

Those were the words that Hall-of-Fame Reds beat writer Hal McCoy once said about Casey. He ended up winning a poll conducted by Sports Illustrated in 2007 for friendliest player in the game.

He won with 46 percent of the vote.

Jim Thome was second at seven percent.

When asked about McCoy’s kind words, he directed the praise right back towards Hal:

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“I love him like a uncle. He is one of the all-time great’s and I have nothing but respect for him. I’m very honored to hear him say something like that.”

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Casey always has a smile on his face and is incredibly easy to get along with. His distinct laugh can be heard in virtually every conversation you have with him.

He truly is one of the friendliest players—not only in baseball—but sports in general.  

MLB Network

What’s his favorite part about becoming a member of the media?

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“It allows me to stay on top of the game, keeping up with everything that’s going on with today's players. I may not be playing anymore, but MLB Network allows me to stay very involved with the sport. It's fun to do.“

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As network executives realize how outgoing and energetic Casey is, his on-air time has been increasing.

Casey’s reputation speaks for itself and his larger-than-life personality is perfectly suited for a broadcasting career. Expect him to be breaking down MLB for quite some time on as a analyst.

“The Mayor” is going to be in office for a long time.  

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