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Mike Devereaux was the Dodgerss best outfield prospect in 1988, having hit over .300 in each of his minor league stops with double-digit home runs and 30+ stolen bases in each season. But in very limited call ups in 1987 and 1988, he hit a combined .175/.216/.216 in 103 plate appearances.
How acquired: Mike Devereaux was part of a great college outfield with Barry Bonds and Oddibe McDowell at Arizona State in 1984. Devereaux was the Dodgers' fifth round draft pick in 1985. He played at rookie level Great Falls in 1985, was promoted to Double-A San Antonio in 1986, split time between San Antonio and Triple-A Albuquerque in 1987 and Albuquerque in 1988.
Prior MLB experience: Devereaux made his MLB debut for the Dodgers on Sept. 2, 1987, and singled in three plate appearances. However the LA Times game story focused on a scuffle between Mike Marshall and Phil Garner. Devereaux played 19 games that September, and hit .222/.263/.278.
1988 age: 25
1988 stats: Devereaux hit .116/.156/.140 (5-for-43) with no home runs and two walks in 45 plate appearances.
Regular season game of the year: Devereaux entered the game on Sept. 28, 1988 as part of a double switch for Orel Hershiser after Hershiser had completed the 10th inning to give him the consecutive scoreless inning record. However, Devereaux's game of the year would occur on Sept. 21 against the Padres in the second game of a doubleheader. Devereaux pinch ran for Mickey Hatcher, and two innings later with runners on first and second Devereaux hit a walk-off single to bring the Dodgers closer to the NL West title.
NLCS & World Series performance: Devereaux was left off the postseason roster for the Dodgers.
Post-1988 playing career: After being rumored as being part of a trade for future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray earlier in the offseason, Devereaux was traded to the Baltimore Orioles on Mar. 12, 1989 for pitcher Mike Morgan.
"It takes a big load off my mind," Devereaux told the Los Angeles Times in spring training 1989. "Now that this is over, I can concentrate on baseball. I'd like to be playing in L.A., but I just want to be playing in the major leagues."
From 1989 to 1994, Devereaux hit .254/.307/.410 with 86 home runs. His best season was in 1992, when he hit .276 with 24 home runs and 107 RBI.
In 1995, he signed as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox and was then traded in late August to the Atlanta Braves for a minor leaguer. After a so-so September, Devereaux had some big hits in the 1995 NLCS to help the Braves sweep the Cincinnati Reds and was named the MVP of that series. Devereaux didn't start in any of the World Series games but was on the field when Marquis Grissom caught the final out in Game 6.
Devereaux would go back to Baltimore in 1996 and hit .229/.305/.350 in 363 PA. Devereaux moved on to Texas in 1997 and then finished his career with a nine-game stint with the Dodgers in 1998.
Where he is now: After being out of baseball for several years (in 2009 it was reported he was running a private baseball academy near Atlanta), Devereaux returned in 2010 to coach for the Baltimore affiliate in the Class-A South Atlantic League. In 2012, he became the hitting coach for the Class-A Asheville Tourists in the Rockies' system.