Wilson: Campbell was a Calgary ace

Right-hander Mike Campbell, who went 15-2 for the Calgary Cannons in 1987, died on December 15 at the age of 61. Photo: 1989 Calgary Cannons Yearbook

*This article was originally published on Alberta Dugout Stories on December 23, 2025. You can read it here.

December 25, 2025

By Ian Wilson

Alberta Dugout Stories

He was, most likely, the best pitcher to take the mound for the Calgary Cannons.

That’s saying something for a team that was represented by major-league talents like Jim Abbott, Andy Hawkins, Erik Hanson, A.J. Burnett, Ken Forsch, Dennis Powell and Jeff Nelson.

But Mike Campbell wasn’t just a pitcher who honed his craft at triple-A in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) – the right-hander dominated the circuit in the late 1980s.

Born in Seattle, Wash., in 1964, the 6-foot-3 moundsman was a seventh overall selection of his hometown Mariners in the 1985 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft.

After growing up as a fan of the M’s, Campbell set out to help the team’s pitching staff and he didn’t waste any time. He cruised through High-A and double-A to make his first start with the Cannons just one year after being drafted.

Though his triple-A debut was delayed by a back injury, Campbell made his first appearance against former American League Cy Young award winner Pete Vuckovich in August of 1986 at Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver. Campbell took the loss in the 5-0 triumph for the Canadians, but impressed his opponent.

“He’s going to be a heck of a pitcher in the big leagues,” Vuckovich told Calgary Herald reporter Gyle Konotopetz.

“All he has to do is take care of his repertoire. He definitely has the stuff. He’s a fine, young man.”

MOST VALUABLE PITCHER

The stuff was working just fine in 1987, when Campbell produced a truly elite PCL season.

He began that campaign by allowing just two earned runs over 15 2/3 innings in going 2-0 in his first three starts. Things only got better from there.

“This is the best my arm’s felt,” Campbell told the Herald after he picked up his fifth win.

After a 5-0 complete game victory over starting pitcher Tim Belcher and the Tacoma Tigers improved his record to 7-1, the buzz around “Soupy” – his nickname based on the Campbell’s Soup brand – was spreading.

“After watching that performance, my question is, ‘Why is he here?'” pondered Tacoma manager Keith Lieppman.

“He should be in the big leagues. After a game like that, you have to wonder what he’s doing here. Once he got his rhythm, it was turn out the lights.”

Ross Grimsley, the pitching coach of the Cannons, pumped the brakes on that assessment, and advocated for more time in the PCL.

“Physically, Mike has as good a stuff as a lot of guys up there but mentally he’s not ready to pitch there,” Grimsley told Konotopetz.

“He has to learn a bit more about how to pitch. And he can learn a lot here.”

Bob Harrison – a veteran scout with the Mariners who was key in getting Seattle to draft Ken Griffey Jr. – was on hand to see Campbell pick up his 10th win with the Cannons, a 4-3 victory over the Tucson Toros at Foothills Stadium that saw the righty scatter just three hits over 7 2/3 innings.

“He can be a super pitcher in the big leagues some day,” said Harrison of Campbell.

“He has four major-league pitches (fastball, slider, curve and changeup). With him, it’s only a matter of time.”

By the end of June, Campbell was eager to make his MLB debut with the M’s and he was growing irritated about not being called up by the parent club.

“I’m not gonna hide it. It’s frustrating,” said the 23-year-old.

“Everybody said to be patient but they can only wait for so long, if you prove you deserve to be there.

Added Campbell: “I’ve proven I can win and I’m confident right now. I feel it (promotion) will happen, but I’m extremely tired of thinking about it. Sure, I’ll be disappointed if I’m here the whole season. But, I’ve gotten into a very good routine and I’ll just try to win as many games as I can here. Hard work and everything else will pay off.”

Campbell didn’t have to wait long after venting his frustrations. The Mariners promoted him to the big leagues on Canada Day and he made his first MLB start on Independence Day at the Kingdome in Seattle.

While he was relieved to finally get his shot, Campbell’s debut was a rough one. He gave up six earned runs to the Detroit Tigers over 2 1/3 innings and was tagged with the loss in front of 16,884 fans.

Following a second shaky start, Campbell found himself back in Calgary, but he was not discouraged about his stint in the majors.

“I was trying to impress everybody. I got a little too fired up and was not pitching within myself,” he told Herald scribe Daryl Slade.

“It was a great experience. I was happy to get the chance … it was a big confidence builder. I learned what I have got to do to win up there. I’ll come back here, get in the groove again, and I’ll have a different attitude when I go back.”

Campbell picked up right where he left off with the Cannons, and he had a new goal in mind as the summer progressed: a Pacific Coast League championship.

With Edgar Martinez, Mario Diaz, Dave Hengel and Jim Weaver pacing Calgary’s offence, and Campbell in the midst of a career year, things were looking good for the Cannons.

“This team’s so good,” said Campbell in late July.

“If we play like we should, we should win it (PCL championship). It’d be nice wearing a ring this winter.”

By early August, Campbell was locked in.

“This is the best I’ve felt this year,” he said during a road trip through New Mexico.

As far as the Cannons were concerned, perhaps Campbell had been feeling too good. He received a second callup to the Mariners in mid-August. The promotion was great for Campbell, who earned his first MLB win for Seattle, but it was a dagger for Calgary’s postseason aspirations. Without their ace, the Cannons won a divisional playoff series over Tacoma, before falling in the PCL championship to the Albuquerque Dukes.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

In addition to earning his MLB debut in 1987, Campbell led the PCL in wins after going 15-2 with a 2.66 earned run average (ERA). He appeared in 24 games, all but one of them starts and registered four complete games. Campbell also posted a team-high 130 strikeouts in 162 2/3 innings for the Cannons.

As a result of his stellar campaign, Campbell was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of both the Cannons and the PCL.

“Campbell was the only choice,” said Lieppman, who was named the league’s Manager of the Year for his work in Tacoma.

“I like his composure, his stuff. Everything about him was impressive.”

Campbell was also named to the All-AAA All-Star Team by Baseball America.

Calgary Herald newspaper clipping from July of 1989.

So successful was the hill topper’s 1987 season, and a rarity for a pitcher to claim MVP honours, that it was the benchmark for the pitching staff of the Cannons in the years that followed.

“People asked me in spring training if I was going to try to have the type of season Mike Campbell had last year,” said Erik Hanson, a 6-foot-6 right-hander in Calgary who was charting his own path to the majors in 1988.

“There’s no way I could follow that act. Mike had an outstanding year.”

After a taste of MLB life, Campbell was hoping to establish himself as a regular part of the rotation.

“I’d like to visit Calgary again, but not to stay. I don’t have anything to prove in triple-A,” said Campbell in a March of 1988 interview.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t done pitching in the minor leagues.

Campbell split the 1988 and 1989 seasons bouncing back and forth between Calgary and Seattle, unable to secure his hold on a rotation spot with the Mariners.

He did help his hometown team win ball games as a member of the Mariners, going 8-16 during parts of three seasons with the team. But Campbell helped Seattle, indirectly, as well.

In the summer of 1989, the Mariners traded Mark Langston to the Montreal Expos for future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, Brian Holman and Gene Harris. Included from the Mariners was a player to be named later – that player, announced on July 31, was Campbell.

Thus ended Campbell’s time in Calgary, but the overall results were impressive. He logged 332 innings over 51 appearances with the Cannons. His 25-11 record placed him second on the franchise’s all-time wins list and his 232 strikeouts placed him fifth in that category.

Though he never took the bump for the Expos, Campbell did bounce around the bigs with the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs. His final MLB stats showed a 12-19 record, a 5.86 ERA and 135 Ks in 51 games and 233-plus innings.

He spent the 1997 season in Japan with the Yokohama Bay Stars and played his last two years pitching with independent league squads.

But some of his best baseball memories took place in Calgary, especially as a member of the 1987 Cannons.

“When things are going that good, it’s always a lot of fun. The team was winning and had a great attitude. I remember that as the biggest thing. It’s as much fun as I’ve ever had playing ball. The team was scoring a lot of runs for me, so I felt if I had a decent game, we had a chance to win every time,” recalled Campbell.

Sadly, Campbell died at his home in Seattle on Dec. 15 at the age of 61.

“We are saddened by the passing of Seattle native and former Mariners’ pitcher Mike Campbell. Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones,” said the Mariners in a statement that was shared on social media.