UNC Asheville Alum Mike Shildt Continues Remarkable Baseball Journey

Mike Shildt has had an amazing baseball journey.

From humble beginnings as a walk-on utility infielder at UNC Asheville in the fall of 1986 to enjoying a successful managerial career at the major league level for two franchises.

But the next stop for the 1993 UNC Asheville graduate is returning to his roots with the Baltimore Orioles, the team he literally grew up with.

And the roots go back to before Mike was born. Both of Mike's parents, Merle and Lib, were big Oriole fans and grew up in Maryland. They met, began dating in 1962, and Merle asked Lib for her hand in marriage. The proposal occurred at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore during an Orioles game.

Now Mike will help the Orioles as a Senior Instructor in the player development department.

Mike shocked the baseball world in October as he stepped down after two extraordinarily successful seasons as manager of the San Diego Padres. His reasons were simple – burnout and stress.

Under Mike's direction, the Padres won 93 games in 2024 and 90 games in 2025, a first in San Diego history. They finished a close second in the ultra-competitive National League West to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. A Dodger franchise that outspent the Padres by more than 100 million dollars on their payroll. At the same time, San Diego was going through an ownership change that caused the franchise to lose some key players to free agency.

Through it all, Mike made it work as suddenly, the Padres-Dodgers rivalry was the best in baseball. San Diego made the playoffs both years and nearly stunned the Dodgers in the Divisional Series in 2024 before falling in five games.

When Mike retired from the Padres, it was the talk of baseball, even overshadowing the Dodgers for a few days in their playoff run. The big question is what would Mike do next?

"As this past season went on, I really enjoyed working with first baseman Luis Arraez," Mike said from his home in North Carolina recently. "We worked on his footwork and his positioning and he became a very good first baseman.

"I've always enjoyed teaching the game of baseball and you don't do that as much as a manager," added Shildt. "I decided that's where I was most happy, working with players and teaching them the game."

Mike's phone was ringing off the hook and there were many opportunities for him.

"I really wasn't in a hurry looking for an opportunity," he said. "But when the Orioles called with this position, I was intrigued. It was a teaching situation right in my wheelhouse."

And then a phone call from the greatest Oriole of them all helped seal the deal.

"When Cal Ripken called, that really helped speed things up for me to work for the Orioles," Mike stated. "We talked for close to two hours about the organization and where they're (Baltimore) at right now.

"The Orioles have done a fantastic job drafting and they're a healthy organization and have a chance to be very competitive in a very tough division in the American League East," he added.

And Mike and Cal's relationship go a long way back to when Mike was just 12 years old.

"My mom went to work in 1976 for the Charlotte Orioles," Mike remembered. "And when she went to work for the Charlotte Orioles, so did I."

Mike did a little of everything for the Charlotte O's. He ran the scoreboard, hunted down foul balls and shined players' shoes, including Cal Ripken.

"Cal was there in the 1980 season when he was just 19 years old. I shined his shoes every day he was home that year," said Mike. "Working with my mom for the Charlotte Orioles was an incredible experience for me. I got to meet a lot of ballplayers on their way to the "show."

Mike's new duties with the Orioles will be a little different than when he was with the Charlotte O's.

"I've always enjoyed teaching the game of baseball," stated Shildt. "That has brought me as much joy as anything dating back to my time as an assistant coach at UNC Asheville."

Mike's role with the Orioles will start in spring training and then as the season goes on, he will spend a week each month with Baltimore's Triple A team in Norfolk, Double-A team in Chesapeake and High A team in Frederick.

"What we're looking to do at spring training is implement what Craig Albernaz (Baltimore's new manager) wants us to teach so when players get to the big leagues, they know what to expect," said Shildt. "We want to make sure everyone is on the same page with our teaching."

When Mike joined the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2004 as an area scout, he never imagined what he would accomplish as a manager both on the minor league and major league levels.

In eight years as a minor league manager, Mike amassed a record of 471-432 (.522 winning percentage. His teams won three straight championships between 2010-2012, a feat that had not been accomplished in baseball since the early 1960's.

Mike's championship team at Springfield in 2012 was named Baseball America's Team of the Year across all minor league affiliates.

He became the Cardinals interim manager in 2018 and guided the Cardinals to a 41-28 record, just missing the playoffs despite being 11 games out when he took over.

The following season in 2019, Mike led St. Louis to its first Central Division title in four years. They upset the Atlanta Braves in the division series before falling to the eventual World Series champions Washington Nationals in the league championship series. For his efforts, Mike was named National League Manager of the Year.

In the pandemic-season of 2020, Mike somehow got his team to the playoffs despite leading MLB in Covid cases, suffering through a 17-day quarantine when no one from the Cardinals could step on a field during that time and having to play a league-high 11 doubleheaders.

In 2021, Mike led the Cardinals to the playoffs for the third consecutive year. The highlight of the season occurred late in the year when St. Louis set a team-record with a 17-game winning streak. It was the longest winning streak in the National League since the 1935 Chicago Cubs!!!!

In 2024, Mike was named manager of the San Diego Padres. He led San Diego to 93 wins and the playoffs where they nearly upset the heavily favored and eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Mike finished second in Manger of the Year voting.

Last year saw the Padres win 90 games and advance to the playoffs for the second straight season.

Mike's managerial record in the big leagues has left some big marks. Since 1952 among managers with at least 750 games under their belt, he ranks sixth overall in winning percentage (.561). Since 1990, Mike has ranked fourth in that same category.

His teams also managed to win when it mattered most. His teams were 197-128 (.606) in regular-season games from August until the end of the season.

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics

UNC Asheville Alum Mike Shildt Continues Remarkable Baseball Journey

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