Mikie Mahtook looks at his feet to find heart.
When he was in high school, he began writing the number 54 on his cleats. That number belonged to his father Michael Mahtook when he was a linebacker on Louisiana State University’s (LSU) football team from 1980 to 1983.
It is a “reminder,” said Mikie Mahtook, 23, a right fielder for the Montgomery Biscuits.
In 1994, Michael Mahtook died at age 32 of heart disease. Mikie Mahtook, who is named after him, was 4 years old.
“When he passed, I was the man of the house,” Mikie Mahtook said. “He left me with a big family. He had a lot of brothers and sisters. I have a lot of cousins. They tell me stories and keep his memory alive within me. I do things to remind them that I am his child. I have some of his mannerisms. I try to live my life the way he would want me to and make him proud of me.”
Father’s inspiration
Playing baseball with a football mentality, Mikie Mahtook used inspiration from his father to propel him into the first round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft after his junior season at LSU. The Tampa Bay Rays picked him 31st overall. He is rated as the Rays’ No. 11 prospect.
At LSU, Mikie Mahtook was first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC and led the SEC with a .383 batting average and 29 stolen bases in 2011. He also was on the SEC Academic Honor Roll. As a freshman, he was an integral part of the Tigers’ winning the 2009 College World Series, his biggest thrill along with being drafted.
His father’s death made him grow up fast.
“I learned that I am a lot more mature,” he said. “The older I got, the more responsibility I put on myself to be that good influence and do things to help my family out. … I have grown to know your family is everything. If you have them, you can do whatever you want.”
Together his mother, Mary Anne Mahtook, his 21-year-old twin sisters Catherine and Christina and he make up what he calls the “Fantastic Four.”
“[My mother] sacrificed a lot to give us the lives that we have had,” Mikie Mahtook said. “I am very grateful for that. As a result, we have a very close relationship with each other.”
Spiritual role model
His mother introduced him to Christ and is his spiritual role model.
“After everything that happened with her, she became real close [to Christ],” he said. “Everybody in my family is a devout Christian.”
As Mikie Mahtook got older, the more he wanted to grow in his Christianity.
“I wouldn’t be the person I am without [Jesus],” he said. “I’ve gone through a lot of heartache. If you don’t have [God] to help you out, it makes it that much harder to get through it.”
He believes God has purposefully placed people in his life to help him grow. He credits his uncles with helping him be “the guy I am today.” His friends’ fathers were there for him and included him.
“It was a combination of different things that made it a lot easier for me,” he said. “I was fortunate.”
A combination of family, church attendance, Bible reading and prayer have helped keep him on target spiritually.
“Every year, the older you get, the more difficult things get, the more opportunities you have to fall in bad places,” Mikie Mahtook said. “My mom, family and sisters have helped me stay on the right path and made me grow.”
Baseball is a conversation starter about faith.
“Once they get to know me, the way my personality is and the type of person I am, hopefully they would know that I am a Christian,” he said. “You tell them what you are about. Hopefully it influences them positively and they will want to follow in my footsteps.”
Former Montgomery pitcher Kyle Lobstein said Mikie Mahtook is someone he wanted to get to know better and be able to discuss matters of faith with.
“He seems like he would be a straight-edge guy,” said Lobstein, now a pitcher with Toledo in the International League.
Montgomery catcher Mark Thomas calls Mikie Mahtook, who has a “little Cajun” in him, “one of the nicest guys I have met from the draft class. He is a humble guy and good teammate.”
Merrill Kelly, a former teammate, watched Mikie Mahtook battle at the plate.
“He grinds it out at bats,” Kelly said. “When he gets his pitch, he doesn’t miss.”
Through the 2013 season, Mikie Mahtook had a batting average of .254 with 30 doubles, eight triples, seven homers and 68 RBI. He had a slugging percentage of .386 and an on base percentage of .322. Among Southern League batting leaders, he was tied for sixth in hits, tied for fourth in doubles, No. 5 in triples, ninth in RBI and tied for 12th in stolen bases.
“He swings the bat pretty well and puts the ball in play,” Lobstein said. “That is all you can ask of him.”
Mikie Mahtook’s strengths are his passion, his dedication and how hard he plays.
“You must never let your guard down,” he said. “I want to make it to the big leagues, be the best player I can possibly be and get better every day. I want to show the Rays that they made a great investment in me (he signed for $1.15 million).”
He believes playing with heart is part of God’s purpose.
“I think He put me here to influence other people positively by the way I play, by the person I am and the stage I am on.”
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