Scott Bankhead

Michael Scott Bankhead (born July 31, 1963 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played in the major leagues from -. Bankhead also pitched for Team USA in the 1984 Olympic Games. He attended the University of North Carolina.

Professional career

Kansas City Royals

Bankhead was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the first round, 16th pick, of the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft.

He appeared in only 31 games in the minors before being called up by the Royals. He made his Major League debut on May 25, going four innings, giving up two hits and striking out four while giving up no earned runs to get his first win. He finished the '86 season going 8-9 with a 4.61 ERA in 24 games, 17 for starts.

Seattle Mariners

On December 10, he was traded by the Royals with Mike Kingery and Steve Shields to the Seattle Mariners for Rick Luecken and Danny Tartabull. In his first month with the Mariners, Bankhead went 4-1 with a 2.94 ERA, but he developed tendinitis and ended the season with a dismal 9-8 record and 5.42 ERA.

Bankhead established himself as a sharp pitcher in , but it wasn't until , when he went on a hot streak after the All-Star break, that he proved himself a winning pitcher. He finished the '89 season going 14-6 with a 3.34 ERA and was named co-MVP of the team along with Alvin Davis.

In his next two seasons shoulder trouble would limit Bankhead to just 21 appearances. On December 20, he was granted free...
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