Hampton became a starter for Houston in 1995, and kept his ERA under 4.00 for every season he was with the Astros. In 1999, Hampton had his best year, finishing with a 22–4 record, best in the National League, and a 2.90 ERA. He picked up his first of five Silver Slugger Awards and narrowly finished second in National League Cy Young Award voting to Randy Johnson. That season, Hampton batted .311 (23 for 74).
New York Mets
Entering the final year of his contract, Hampton was dealt to the New York Mets.[4] He went 15–10 with a 3.12 ERA and helped the Mets reach the postseason. With two wins and no earned runs in two starts, Hampton was named the MVP of the 2000 NLCS. Hampton received a loss in his only World Series appearance.
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies signed Hampton to an eight-year, $121 million contract on December 9, 2000. It was the largest contract in baseball history at the time, although it would quickly be passed by Alex Rodríguez's ten-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers only two days later.[5] Hampton once claimed that he had chosen to move to Colorado because of "the school system", a statement that is often derisively referenced by sportswriters.[6] The Rockies hoped Hampton, who had been one of the best pitchers in the league over the past few seasons, would be able to succeed in the tough pitching conditions of Coors Field.
Hampton went 14–13 with a 5.41 ERA in 2001, often succumbing to control problems.[citation needed] The next season, 2002, Hampton went 7–15 with his ERA climbing to a league-high 6.15 and batters hitting .313 off of him. Hampton hit ten home runs and had a .300+ batting average over two seasons.
His best all-around offensive season came in 2001 with the Colorado Rockies, when he would hit .291 with seven home runs. The next year he hit three home runs and batted .344. From 1999 to 2003, Hampton would go on to win five consecutive Silver Slugger Awards.
Atlanta Braves
In November 2002, Hampton was traded to the Florida Marlins, then to the Atlanta Braves. Hampton won 14 games and got his ERA back down to 3.84 in 2003. Hampton won the Gold Glove Award for pitchers in 2003, the only player other than Greg Maddux to win the award for that position in the National League from 1990 to 2008. He overcame a slow start in 2004 by winning 10 of his last 11 decisions and helping to propel the Braves to another division championship.
Hampton's 2005 season was limited heavily by injuries. He went 5–3 in twelve starts, but was lost for the rest of the season with an elbow injury on August 19, 2005. Hampton had Tommy John surgery on September 25, 2005, and missed the entire 2006 season rehabbing.
The Braves were hoping for Hampton to be ready to rejoin the rotation in time for the start of the 2007 season. The rehab was on schedule until Hampton tore his oblique muscle on March 7, 2007, which was to sideline him until at least May.[7] Soon after, the Braves signed Mark Redman to be a left-handed starting pitcher for them in case Hampton was not able to return to action soon. After Hampton threw a bullpen session on April 8, the Braves shut Hampton down due to recurring elbow pain and said that he would see Dr. David Altchek, who had performed his Tommy John surgery in 2005.[8] The next day, it was announced after having another left elbow procedure, that Hampton would miss the entire 2007 season.[9]
Hampton began a rehab assignment on November 22, 2007, for Navojoa of the Mexican Winter League. In the first inning, he attempted to make a play on a comebacker and left during warmups before the second inning, feeling discomfort in his hamstring. The rest of his rehab was left in doubt.[10]
However, Hampton reported to "Camp Roger" on time in late January. He threw off the mound for Bobby Cox and Roger McDowell, both of whom were impressed with Hampton's steady progress.[citation needed] Hampton arrived a day before pitchers and catchers were due to report at Lake Buena Vista. He ran sprints, played catch with teammates,continued to pitch off the mound, threw to live batters: Mark Kotsay, Tim Hudson, and Corky Miller.
On April 3, 2008, Hampton was scheduled to make his long-anticipated return to the Braves rotation in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. While warming up, however, Hampton strained his left pectoral muscle, and was placed on the 15-day disabled list.
On July 26, 2008, Hampton made his first major league start since August 2005 against the Philadelphia Phillies. However, he was soon injured again, and finished the season with only 13 appearances. His final 2008 stats included a 3–4 record and a 4.85 ERA.
Return to Astros
Hampton pitching for the Astros in 2009.
On December 3, 2008, Hampton signed a 1-year contract worth $2 million with the Houston Astros.[11] Hampton could have earned another $2 million in performance-based incentives.[12]
Hampton chose to wear uniform #11 in his return to Houston to honor his old friend, longtime Astro catcherBrad Ausmus.[13] His #10 that he wore during his first stint with Houston was being worn by Miguel Tejada. He pitched in the number four spot behind Brian Moehler.[14]
On September 15, 2009, Hampton underwent full rotator cuff surgery to repair a tear and was expected to miss the entire 2010 season.[15]
Arizona Diamondbacks
Despite initially being expected to miss the whole season, on August 21, 2010, Mike Hampton signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.[16] He returned to the major leagues with the Diamondbacks, throwing 4+1⁄3 innings in ten appearances.
After the season, Hampton re-signed with Arizona to a minor league deal for 2011.[17] On March 26, 2011, Hampton announced his retirement from baseball.[18]
In 2013, Hampton was named the pitching coach for the Arkansas Travelers, the AA affiliate for the Angels, joining manager Tim Bogar, who was his teammate for the Astros from 1997 to 1999.[19] Hampton was not retained as coach after the 2013 season.
Seattle Mariners
After 2 years off from coaching, he was hired to be the bullpen coach for the Mariners, the team he played for his rookie year. He joined former Astros teammates Scott Servais (1994–95) and the aforementioned Tim Bogar on the coaching staff.[20] He resigned on July 9, 2017.
Became the first pitcher ever to win the Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award in the same season (2003). The Gold Glove also snapped then-Atlanta teammate Greg Maddux's streak of 13 consecutive Gold Gloves. Hampton was the only National League pitcher other than Maddux to win a Gold Glove during Maddux's career from 1989 and onward.
Hampton holds the record for most Silver Slugger awards for a pitcher, with five.
