Infield: Shortstop Mark Koenig (1925-36) is best known for his role on the Muderers’ Row Yankees, possessing a cannon arm in the field and some modest pop at the plate. He batted .500 in the 1927 World Series. Later played for the Tigers, Cubs and Giants, and in 1932 was at the center of a mild controversy when the Cubs voted him only half a World Series share when he batted .353 in 33 games as a late-season pickup. First baseman Marty Kavanagh (1914-18) had a terrific year for Detroit in 1915 at age 24 and looked like a rising star, but his production fell off and he disappeared quickly. (Odd footnote: There have been three players named Kavanagh in the history of the majors. They are unrelated to each other, and all three made their debuts in 1914.) Second baseman Matt Kata (2003- ) is a light-hitting utility infielder who has bounced around the majors and minors for a few years. Third baseman Mickey Klutts (1976-83) has one of the greatest names in baseball history, and everyone wishes he had been a better player so he could have stuck around longer and given us the pleasure of hearing announcers saying things like “the sure-handed Klutts," or "another fine play by the Yankees' Klutts."
Outfield: Center fielder Mike Kreevich (1931-45) was a sensational defensive outfielder and a good hitter when he was sober, which for much of his career was not often. He was fast, a good bunter and had enough line drive pop to reach double-digits in triples four times. During World War II, given a deferment, he cleaned up his act to have one last good season in 1944, batting .301 and helping the St. Louis Browns to the AL pennant. Mark Kotsay (1997- ) was a pretty solid center fielder, too, but he’ll move to right to accommodate Kreevich. At his peak, Kotsay was good for a .290 average with 30 doubles and a dozen home runs. Left fielder Matt Kemp (2006- ) is in the early stages of what looks to be a very fine career with the Dodgers. He's a power hitter with good speed and a decent glove, and he's just entering the prime of his career.
Outfield: Center fielder Mike Kreevich (1931-45) was a sensational defensive outfielder and a good hitter when he was sober, which for much of his career was not often. He was fast, a good bunter and had enough line drive pop to reach double-digits in triples four times. During World War II, given a deferment, he cleaned up his act to have one last good season in 1944, batting .301 and helping the St. Louis Browns to the AL pennant. Mark Kotsay (1997- ) was a pretty solid center fielder, too, but he’ll move to right to accommodate Kreevich. At his peak, Kotsay was good for a .290 average with 30 doubles and a dozen home runs. Left fielder Matt Kemp (2006- ) is in the early stages of what looks to be a very fine career with the Dodgers. He's a power hitter with good speed and a decent glove, and he's just entering the prime of his career.
Catcher: Malachi Kittredge (1890-1906) was a weak-hitting catcher who nonetheless hung around for almost two decades. In one game in 1893, he allowed a runner to score from third base when he absentmindedly began sweeping off home plate without calling time.
Rotation: Mike Krukow (1976-89) won 124 games in a solid but unspectacular career, highlghted by an improbable 20-9 season for San Francisco at age 34. Other than that year, Krukow was generally within a game or two of .500 and usually could be found somewhere near the league average in ERA. Matt Kilroy (1886-98) won more games than Krukow (141), but then, he came up in a time when wins were a bit easier to come by – he won 121 games before he turned 24. Kilroy had a league-leading 34 losses in 1886 and a league-leading 46 wins in 1887, but he was relegated to part-time work by his mid-20s. He struck out 513 batters in 1887, a record that – barring a major shift in baseball rules and strategies – will most likely last until everyone reading this blog is long dead. Monty Kennedy (1946-53) was a useful lefty swingman for the Giants. Matt Keough (1977-86) went 58-84 but had a lot of weird footnotes to his career. His 2-17 record in 1979 respresented one of the worst winning percentages (.105) in history, and he led the league in losses when he went 11-18 in 1982. In between, he went 16-13 and was named Comeback Player of the Year. He was part of the Oakland pitching staff that Billy Martin ran into the ground in the early 1980s, and he had a failed marriage to a Playboy centerfold. He played for a few years in Japan, and he was attempting a comeback in the majors when he was almost killed by a foul ball that struck him in the head as he sat in the dugout during spring training. Mike Kekich (1965-77) was a run-of-the-mill lefty during the Yankees’ under-the-radar era. He had just one real footnote to his career, but it was a doozy: After the 1972 season, he and teammate Fritz Peterson, caught up in the swinging spirit of the times, decided to trade wives (with their children and dogs as throw-ins). The Yankees, unamused, traded Kekich to Cleveland. If anyone is interested, Peterson and Suzanne Kekich are still married and had four more kids together; Kekich and Marilyn Peterson broke up shortly after the swap. The rumor mill says Hollywood is planning a movie version starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. No foolin’.
Bullpen: Closer Matt Karchner (1995-2000) had a couple of good seasons and a few rough ones, and for a few years he was used as a part-time closer by the White Sox and Cubs. On the whole, he gave up too many hits and too many long balls to be an effective closer, but he did have 27 career saves. Mike Koplove (2001-07) was an effective set-up man for the Diamondbacks for a few years. Marty Kutyna (1959-62) spent his whole career with bad teams – the Kansas City A’s and the Washington Senators. But he does have one unique souvenir from his career: the ball that President Kennedy used to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day 1962. Kutyna has reportedly refused all offers to sell the ball or even loan it out to the Hall of Fame. Lefty Mike Kilkenny (1969-73) had a solid rookie year for Detroit but never pitched that well again. Masao Kida (1999-2005) came to the majors at age 30 after a successful career in Japan as both a starter and a reliever. He never pitched very well in the U.S. Matt Kinney (2000-05) was a largely ineffective reliever for four teams, with one season as an ineffective starter mixed in. Mark Knudson (1985-93) was a knuckleballer who gave up a lot of hits but hung around for several years.
Bench: Outfielder Mike Kingery (1986-96) was a left-handed batter who was never a star but was generally good enough to keep a position warm until a better player emerged to take it over. Outfielder Mike Kelly (1994-99) was a very good athlete, a first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves, and one of the slew of young prospects rising through the team’s farm system alongside Chipper Jones, Javy Lopez and Ryan Klesko. He didn’t develop very well at the big-league level and was traded away before the Braves starting winning their annual division titles. Outfielder and first baseman Marty Keough (1956-66), Matt’s dad, had a long career as a backup, and he stayed in the game as a coach and a scout. Infielder Mick Kelleher (1972-82) was about as weak a hitter as a guy can be and still get 1,000 at-bats in the majors. Backup catcher Mike Kahoe (1895-1909) wasn’t much of a hitter, but he played for quite a while and apparently was one of the first catchers to experiment with cricket shin guards as protective equipment.
Manager: Malachi Kittridge will be player-manager. We’re hoping he will improve on his 1-16 record as manager of the Senators in 1904.
Rotation: Mike Krukow (1976-89) won 124 games in a solid but unspectacular career, highlghted by an improbable 20-9 season for San Francisco at age 34. Other than that year, Krukow was generally within a game or two of .500 and usually could be found somewhere near the league average in ERA. Matt Kilroy (1886-98) won more games than Krukow (141), but then, he came up in a time when wins were a bit easier to come by – he won 121 games before he turned 24. Kilroy had a league-leading 34 losses in 1886 and a league-leading 46 wins in 1887, but he was relegated to part-time work by his mid-20s. He struck out 513 batters in 1887, a record that – barring a major shift in baseball rules and strategies – will most likely last until everyone reading this blog is long dead. Monty Kennedy (1946-53) was a useful lefty swingman for the Giants. Matt Keough (1977-86) went 58-84 but had a lot of weird footnotes to his career. His 2-17 record in 1979 respresented one of the worst winning percentages (.105) in history, and he led the league in losses when he went 11-18 in 1982. In between, he went 16-13 and was named Comeback Player of the Year. He was part of the Oakland pitching staff that Billy Martin ran into the ground in the early 1980s, and he had a failed marriage to a Playboy centerfold. He played for a few years in Japan, and he was attempting a comeback in the majors when he was almost killed by a foul ball that struck him in the head as he sat in the dugout during spring training. Mike Kekich (1965-77) was a run-of-the-mill lefty during the Yankees’ under-the-radar era. He had just one real footnote to his career, but it was a doozy: After the 1972 season, he and teammate Fritz Peterson, caught up in the swinging spirit of the times, decided to trade wives (with their children and dogs as throw-ins). The Yankees, unamused, traded Kekich to Cleveland. If anyone is interested, Peterson and Suzanne Kekich are still married and had four more kids together; Kekich and Marilyn Peterson broke up shortly after the swap. The rumor mill says Hollywood is planning a movie version starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. No foolin’.
Bullpen: Closer Matt Karchner (1995-2000) had a couple of good seasons and a few rough ones, and for a few years he was used as a part-time closer by the White Sox and Cubs. On the whole, he gave up too many hits and too many long balls to be an effective closer, but he did have 27 career saves. Mike Koplove (2001-07) was an effective set-up man for the Diamondbacks for a few years. Marty Kutyna (1959-62) spent his whole career with bad teams – the Kansas City A’s and the Washington Senators. But he does have one unique souvenir from his career: the ball that President Kennedy used to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day 1962. Kutyna has reportedly refused all offers to sell the ball or even loan it out to the Hall of Fame. Lefty Mike Kilkenny (1969-73) had a solid rookie year for Detroit but never pitched that well again. Masao Kida (1999-2005) came to the majors at age 30 after a successful career in Japan as both a starter and a reliever. He never pitched very well in the U.S. Matt Kinney (2000-05) was a largely ineffective reliever for four teams, with one season as an ineffective starter mixed in. Mark Knudson (1985-93) was a knuckleballer who gave up a lot of hits but hung around for several years.
Bench: Outfielder Mike Kingery (1986-96) was a left-handed batter who was never a star but was generally good enough to keep a position warm until a better player emerged to take it over. Outfielder Mike Kelly (1994-99) was a very good athlete, a first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves, and one of the slew of young prospects rising through the team’s farm system alongside Chipper Jones, Javy Lopez and Ryan Klesko. He didn’t develop very well at the big-league level and was traded away before the Braves starting winning their annual division titles. Outfielder and first baseman Marty Keough (1956-66), Matt’s dad, had a long career as a backup, and he stayed in the game as a coach and a scout. Infielder Mick Kelleher (1972-82) was about as weak a hitter as a guy can be and still get 1,000 at-bats in the majors. Backup catcher Mike Kahoe (1895-1909) wasn’t much of a hitter, but he played for quite a while and apparently was one of the first catchers to experiment with cricket shin guards as protective equipment.
Manager: Malachi Kittridge will be player-manager. We’re hoping he will improve on his 1-16 record as manager of the Senators in 1904.
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