Mickey Morandini

Mickey Morandini is a legendary sportsman, former professional baseball player (second baseman) and coach. He utilised his generous talent from the pitch to become a first-rate coach, as well as becoming a sports personality.

Born and raised in Leechburg, he soon proved himself to be a skilled athlete and baseball player. At 24, he broke into Major League Baseball. Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, he also played for the Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays. 1998 was the high point of his career as he posted a .296 batting average, 8 home runs and 53 RBI. He has proven to excel even outside of the Major League: a gold medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and silver medals in the 1988 Rome Baseball World Cup and 1987 Havana Intercontinental Cup.

Although he has retired from playing baseball professionally, Morandini has channelled his talent and passion for the sport into coaching. He has spoken out on the importance of hard work and repetition when it comes to sporting success, and aims to instil this ethos in the people he coaches. He coached a high school team, but returned to his old team the Phillies to coach their affiliates initially, and then the Phillies themselves. He supports the team as an ambassador, appearing in their online YouTube series Yard Stick, which aims to teach viewers how to play baseball and master certain tactics.