Mike Roach

Who was Mike Roach?

Michael Stephen "Mike" Roach was a professional baseball catcher who played for the Washington Senators in 1899.

Born in Driftwood, Pennsylvania, Roach was the son of William and Bridget Roach. Roach's brother, John Roach, played one game for the New York Giants.

Roach played in the minor leagues for 14 seasons. He made his professional baseball debut in 1892, and played for the Macon Central City and the Reading Actives that year. After sitting out all of 1893 and 1894, Roach returned in 1895, catching for the Toledo Mud Hens of the Western League. Roach had a .341 batting average in 107 games in 1895. He played with the Bangor Millionaires of the New England League in 1896 and the Atlantic League's Hartford Bluebirds in 1897.

Roach was a member of the Newark Colts of the Atlantic League in 1899. After hitting just .176 in 70 games for Newark, Roach was acquired in August by the Washington Senators of the National League. In 24 games for Washington, Roach hit .218, collecting 17 hits in 78 at bats. He would never again play in Major League Baseball after 1899.

In March of 1900, the Toronto Canucks of the Eastern League purchased Roach from Washington. In 1901 and 1902, Roach played for the Syracuse Stars and Los Angeles of the California League. From 1904 to 1908 he played for three different New York State League teams, the Ilion Typewriters, the Wilkes-Barre Barons, and the Binghamton Bingoes. After 1908, Roach retried from professional baseball.