Jason Kendall
From Sports Library
| Image:RS P7242002.jpg |
|
|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs — No. 18 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: June 26 1974 (age 34) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| April 1, 1996 for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through June 10, 2007) |
|
| Batting average | .298 |
| RBI | 589 |
| Home runs | 68 |
| Teams | |
|
|
Jason Daniel Kendall (born June 26, 1974 in San Diego, California) is a catcher in Major League Baseball with the Chicago Cubs. He is the son of former catcher Fred Kendall, who played in the majors from 1969–1980.
Kendall attended and played at Torrance (California) High School, where he tied a national high school record by hitting safely in 43 straight games. He was drafted out of high school in the first round of the 1992 amateur draft (23rd overall pick) by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made the major league squad in 1996 and was the Pirates' starting catcher until he was traded to Oakland for Arthur Rhodes and Mark Redman after the 2004 season. In his rookie year, he hit .300, made the National League All-Star Team and was named NL rookie of the year by The Sporting News (he finished third in voting for the MLB Rookie of the Year award). He was also an All-Star in 1998 and 2000.
In 1999, he suffered a season-ending injury when he dislocated his ankle while running to first base in a July 4 game against Milwaukee. The unusual compound dislocation, which was initially misidentified as a fracture, was one of the most grisly injuries in recent baseball history.
In 2002 and 2005, he led the majors in at-bats per strikeout (18.1 in 2002, 15.4 in 2005).[1]
From 2002 through 2004, Kendall led all major league catchers in games and innings behind the plate. He is the Pirates' all-time leader in games caught.
As a batter, he is known as a careful, consistent hitter. Though he lacks power, he is a lifetime .302 hitter who rarely strikes out. Though fast for a catcher, Kendall does not possess overwhelming speed for a major league ballplayer. His lifetime steal percentage of 68.5% is about the league average. Kendall has led off many games in his major league career. The frequency by which he gets hit by pitches (he is the Pirates' all-time leader in the category) is a testament to both his batting focus and his unwillingness to be intimidated by pitchers.Template:Fixpov
During the 2005 season, however, Kendall struggled at the plate. His .321 slugging percentage was the worst (by 20 points) among all major league players who qualified for the batting title. His .271 batting average was the second lowest of his career.
The 2006 season marked Kendall's first ever post-season appearance, as the Athletics clinched the 2006 American League Western Division championship on September 26. He recorded his first playoff hit in the second game of the American League Division Series off of Minnesota's Boof Bonser.
On Monday, July 16, 2007, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Rob Bowen.
Contents |
Trivia
- Kendall had one of the longest homerless streaks broken on May 31, 2006 when he connected off of Kansas City Royals pitcher Joel Peralta. Kendall had gone 961 at bats between homers, dating back to the 2004 season.[2]
- Kendall was born on the same day as fellow major leaguer Derek Jeter.
- On August 15, 2004, Kendall caused a bench-clearing brawl when he tackled Colorado Rockies pitcher Joe Kennedy after being hit by a pitch.[3] Kennedy and Kendall were teammates with the A's in 2007.
- Kendall made a highly unusual play in a game on August 11, 2005. He was on third base in the ninth inning of a tie game when Angels' closer Francisco Rodriguez dropped the return throw from catcher Bengie Molina and Kendall alertly ran home, scoring the winning run. The play was scored as an error on Rodriguez.[4]
- Kendall is married (Chantel) has two children (Kuyper and Karoline) and two stepchildren (Joey and Emma).
See also
References
- ↑ Jason Kendall Statistics. Sports Reference, Inc.. Retrieved on 2007-05-28.
- ↑ McCauley, Janie (May 31, 2006). Kansas City Royals/Oakland Athletics Recap Wednesday May 31, 2006. Associated Press. Retrieved on 2007-05-28.
- ↑ Kennedy suspended five games, Kendall gets four. Major League Baseball News Wire (August 20, 2004). Retrieved on 2007-05-28.
- ↑ Bowles, C.J. (August 11, 2005). Halos' flub hands A's win, first place. MLB.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-28.
External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
| 2007 National League Central Champion Chicago Cubs Starting Lineup: 1. Alfonso Soriano LF | 2. Ryan Theriot SS | 3. Derrek Lee 1B | 4. Aramis Ramirez 3B | 5. Cliff Floyd/Matt Murton RF | 6. Mark DeRosa 2B | 7. Jacque Jones CF | 8. Jason Kendall/Geovany Soto C Starting Pitchers: Carlos Zambrano | Ted Lilly | Rich Hill | Jason Marquis | Sean Marshall | Steve Trachsel |
