“The Hit Dog” is trying to re-emerge as a top dog in the business world.
Mo Vaughn last was in the public eye when the slugger made an ignominious exit from the disastrous Mets teams of the early 2000s.
“I unfortunately didn’t play well in New York,” Vaughn told The Post in a recent interview. “However, I have been fortunate to make my name in New York as a businessman, and that’s just as fulfilling.”
Yes, while keeping a decidedly low profile in the 13 years since he left baseball, the 48-year-old Vaughn has found a niche in business across a variety of platforms. In 2004, Vaughn founded a real estate company that has extensive holdings in the New York City boroughs, and in 2010, launched a trucking company in Cleveland, where he now resides with his wife, daughter and son. In his latest venture, he’s become the face of a big-and-tall clothing company.
“I’ve been building my business acumen since ’04,” Vaughn said. “For me, when I’m deciding what form of business to pursue next, it’s been all about what people need.”
At the peak of his career with the Boston Red Sox, Vaughn hit for average and power — a .315 average and a combined 213 homers from 1993-98 — and he won the AL MVP award in 1995. After two more prolific years with the Anaheim Angels, he missed the entire 2001 season due to injury before being traded to the Mets for Kevin Appier.
Vaughn arrived at Shea Stadium with $56 million left on his contract and even higher expectations to hit the Mets back into title contention after a disappointing Subway Series encore. It didn’t take long, however, for the Mets to realize Vaughn wasn’t the intimidating slugger of old. The New York media ripped him for arriving overweight in 2002, and it showed in the field — he made 18 errors at first base — and at the plate (.259, 26 homers). In 2003, a knee injury cost him all but the first month of the season and he backed off into retirement.
Vaughn later was named in the Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drugs, which included copies of checks from Vaughn to infamous former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski allegedly to purchase HGH.
Vaughn doesn’t remember it being all bad in New York, though. He is hoping fans remember his outsize persona and a couple of monstrous home runs he launched during his time in Flushing.
In 2002, he blasted a game-winning three-run home run off David Wells on June 16 to give the Mets a 3-2 win over the Yankees, and followed that up on June 26 by hitting arguably the longest home run ever at Shea Stadium, a towering shot estimated at 505 feet that careened off the Budweiser sign halfway up the scoreboard.
“Those are my two greatest memories in New York,” Vaughn said. “I appreciated that New York had two major league teams, so it took the pressure off a little bit.”
Now Vaughn is banking on that nostalgia since he has traded out the jersey and cleats for a blazer and loafers. He returned to New York on Oct. 18 to celebrate the launch of his latest project, MVP Collections, a menswear line that caters specifically to big and tall men.
“There was nothing out there for guys my size,” Vaughn said, “so, I thought, ‘Why not create a brand that fulfills those needs?’ While I’ve been able to afford clothes that fit me, a lot of other people out there haven’t had it so easy.”
Vaughn’s press tour through the city included a meeting with The Post in our offices, where at least one animated New Yorker approached him to reminisce about his playing days.
“I’m amazed at how many people recognize him in New York,” said Diane Bennett, Vaughn’s Managing Partner for MVP Collections, “but it’s because he’s such a good guy.”
Modeling gray moto jeans and a white-and-blue-checkered button-down shirt from his collection, Vaughn was noticeably more outspoken about the parts of his wardrobe that were not made by his company. Blazers, shoes, earrings and watches are all products he’d consider adding to the website’s inventory if the demand is there.
“The brand is constantly growing,” he said. “We’re on every form of social media so we can stay in tune with consumers.”
Vaughn joked that his family and friends constantly pester him about getting back into baseball — perhaps joining his good friend Frank Thomas behind the FOX Sports desk — but the three-time All-Star said he’s closed that chapter in his life. He said he feels he can affect more people as an entrepreneur and that feels far more powerful to him.
“I always knew that baseball was not going to be the end-all for me,” Vaughn said. “I felt there needed to be an afterlife and at some point I would have to hang up my spikes. In my mind, there is nothing better than putting together a successful partnership or transaction. … I gave my life to baseball, and it’s time to give someone else a chance and keep evolving as a man.”