Infield: Jeff Kent (1992-2008) is a difficult case to deal with. He’s a second baseman who hit 377 home runs and, for good measure, 560 doubles. Career batting average .290 with a reasonable number of walks. A long enough career to drive in 1,518 runs and score 1,320. He wasn’t a particularly good defensive second baseman, but he wasn’t bad either. Yes, he put up these numbers in the steroid era, and yes, his power did increase at an age when most guys are starting to decline, but he was always one of the most outspoken players against steroid use and in favor of mandatory testing. In short, he had a heck of a career. And yet, the general consensus seems to be “he didn’t feel like a Hall of Famer.” Part of that is that he seems to be, how to say this, a colossal jerk. He had a lot of fights with teammates, and there was a famous incident in which he claimed to have injured his wrist in some innocuous manner but later was found to have hurt himself while popping a wheelie on his motorcycle. So what do we make of him? He was a very good player. Was he one of the top 10 second basemen of all time? Probably not, but if you wanted to argue that he was, you wouldn’t look foolish doing so. We’ll leave it at this: He’s the best second baseman (heck, the best infielder) of all time with the initials J.K. Third baseman Jeff King (1989-99) was a useful ballplayer. Not a star, but a .260 hitter who drew a few walks and was good for 30 doubles and 20 homers in a good year, with decent defense. In the end, he topped 150 home runs and 700 RBI, which is not bad at all, but probably less than what was expected when he was taken with the top pick in the 1986 draft. First baseman Joe Kuhel (1930-47) was a steadily productive player who fashioned a long career out of batting .280 with 70 walks or so each year and a few extra-base hits. Shortstop Jeff Keppinger (2004- ) fills out the Three Jeffs and a Joe infield. Keppinger is a decent enough utility infielder, and shortstop is his primary position. As a starting shortstop he’s, well, adequate.
Outfield: Left fielder John Kruk (1986-95) is, as they say, a colorful character. He was a big lumpy guy who chewed tobacco by the cheekful, smoked cigarettes openly, and he said and did funny things on the field (as anyone can attest who remembers his All-Star Game at-bat against The Big Unit). He was an awfully good hitter, a .300 batter with a very good eye and enough pop to produce some doubles and home runs. He continued his career after being successfully treated for testicular cancer, and he was still a productive hitter in his mid-30s when he realized that he was no longer enjoying the game. So, when he saw that he was in the White Sox starting lineup on July 30, 1995, he told his manager that if he got a hit (to preserve his career .300 average) he was going to retire on the spot. He singled in his first at-bat, was replaced by a pinch-hitter and immediately got dressed and left the clubhouse, literally retiring in mid-inning. Being a colorful goofball, he was immediately courted by ESPN, where he now serves as an analyst who makes clever quips but falls flat on his face when he attempts to saying anything substantive (and who sometimes appears to be sweating from the very exertion of thinking). Center fielder Joe Kelley (1891-1908) was a turn-of-the-century Hall of Famer. He was a career .317 hitter who stole 443 bases, and he was one of the top stars on the legendary Baltimore teams in the late 1890s. Right fielder Jason Kubel (2004- ) is in mid-career with the Minnesota Twins. He went .300-28-103 in 2009 but dropped off in 2010. If he can get back to the 2009 level and stay there for a few years, this is one heck of an outfield.
Catcher: This will be a spirited competition between Johnny Kling (1900-13) and Jason Kendall (1996-2010). They’re both righties, so they can’t platoon. Kling batted .272 during the deadball era and was a good catcher. Kendall batted .290 during the big-hitting 1990s, had good extra-base pop and more walks than strikeouts. They both ran well and could steal 20 bases in a good year. Either one works, but Kling probably gets the starting job on the basis of the bonus points he receives for being the starting catcher for the great Cubs teams of the 'oughts.
Rotation: Jim Kaat (1959-83) pitched forever. He pitched in almost 900 games, most of them starts, and finished with 283 wins, 237 losses and 2,461 strikeouts. He was a smart, durable pitcher who won 16 Gold Gloves (for whatever that’s worth), and when his fastball began to lose its zip he made up for it with a wide variety of slop and a propensity for quickpitching that kept batters on their heels. Jerry Koosman (1967-85) pitched forever, too. Not as “forever” as Kitty Kaat, but pretty damn long just the same. They both lasted well into their 40s. Koosman, a lefty who was Seaver’s second banana with the Mets, won 222 games and might have been slightly better over the course of his career than Kaat. It’s close. Jimmy Key (1984-98) was better than either of them, and while he pitched for a long time, he didn’t last into his 40s like Koos and Kaat. Another lefty, Key won 186 games with a better winning percentage than the other two, and he won World Series titles with the Blue Jays and the Yankees (3-1, 2.66 in four World Series games). Jack Kralick (59-67) was a pretty good lefty, and Jack Kramer (1939-51), the only right-hander in the rotation, won 95 games while pitching for some fairly bad teams.
Bullpen: Jim Kern (1974-86), who starts out as the closer here, was a tall, skinny, goofy-looking guy with one hell of a fastball. Lots of strikeouts, lots of walks, not many hits, and some pretty decent seasons back in the day when closers would work 110-plus innings and win in double-digits. Jim Konstanty (1944-56) will be the primary setup guy, and if Kern falters, he will move into the closer role. Konstanty famously won the NL MVP for the 1950 Phillies, winning 16 games and saving 22. It was the best season of his career, but he had other good ones. Johnny Klippstein (1950-67) saved roughly as many games as Kern and Konstanty, and he was a durable, consistent pitcher, so he’ll get his share of work. Joe Kerrigan (1976-80) was occasionally effective in a career shortened by arm injuries and has had a much longer career as a pitching coach. Jack Knott (1933-46) was a solid swingman who pitched for some bad teams but lasted a long time. Joe (“The Colonel”) Klink (1987-96) and Joe (“The Patriarch”) Kennedy (2001-07) were functional lefties.
Bench: The best player on the bench will most likely be whichever catcher is not starting on any given day, either Kling or Kendall. John Kennedy (1962-74) was a utility infielder who would not be much remembered today if he didn’t have the same name as a certain president. John Knight (1905-13) was a utility infielder who isn’t remembered today for any reason. Backup outfielder Jim King (1955-67) was a consistent double-digit home run guy. Outfielder-first baseman Judson Fabian “Jay” Kirke (1910-18) was a .300 hitter, which wasn’t a huge deal back then, but it wasn’t bad either.
Manager: Johnny Keane managed the Cardinals to the 1964 World Series title and then immediately quit because of a season-long feud with ownership that had boiled over before the Cardinals’ famous run to the pennant (past the flopping Phillies). Keane apparently wrote the letter of resignation in September but showed the good judgment to wait until after he had won the World Series to actually turn it in. The Yankees, who had lost to the Cardinals in the World Series, immediately fired Yogi Berra and hired Keane, which didn’t turn out so well for anyone involve. Keane was fired after a little more than a season, and the Yankees didn’t go back to the World Series for more than a decade. Keane died three years later at age 55, and some of his former players speculated that the immense strain of managing the Yankees as their long dynasty fell apart had hastened his physical demise.
Outfield: Left fielder John Kruk (1986-95) is, as they say, a colorful character. He was a big lumpy guy who chewed tobacco by the cheekful, smoked cigarettes openly, and he said and did funny things on the field (as anyone can attest who remembers his All-Star Game at-bat against The Big Unit). He was an awfully good hitter, a .300 batter with a very good eye and enough pop to produce some doubles and home runs. He continued his career after being successfully treated for testicular cancer, and he was still a productive hitter in his mid-30s when he realized that he was no longer enjoying the game. So, when he saw that he was in the White Sox starting lineup on July 30, 1995, he told his manager that if he got a hit (to preserve his career .300 average) he was going to retire on the spot. He singled in his first at-bat, was replaced by a pinch-hitter and immediately got dressed and left the clubhouse, literally retiring in mid-inning. Being a colorful goofball, he was immediately courted by ESPN, where he now serves as an analyst who makes clever quips but falls flat on his face when he attempts to saying anything substantive (and who sometimes appears to be sweating from the very exertion of thinking). Center fielder Joe Kelley (1891-1908) was a turn-of-the-century Hall of Famer. He was a career .317 hitter who stole 443 bases, and he was one of the top stars on the legendary Baltimore teams in the late 1890s. Right fielder Jason Kubel (2004- ) is in mid-career with the Minnesota Twins. He went .300-28-103 in 2009 but dropped off in 2010. If he can get back to the 2009 level and stay there for a few years, this is one heck of an outfield.
Catcher: This will be a spirited competition between Johnny Kling (1900-13) and Jason Kendall (1996-2010). They’re both righties, so they can’t platoon. Kling batted .272 during the deadball era and was a good catcher. Kendall batted .290 during the big-hitting 1990s, had good extra-base pop and more walks than strikeouts. They both ran well and could steal 20 bases in a good year. Either one works, but Kling probably gets the starting job on the basis of the bonus points he receives for being the starting catcher for the great Cubs teams of the 'oughts.
Rotation: Jim Kaat (1959-83) pitched forever. He pitched in almost 900 games, most of them starts, and finished with 283 wins, 237 losses and 2,461 strikeouts. He was a smart, durable pitcher who won 16 Gold Gloves (for whatever that’s worth), and when his fastball began to lose its zip he made up for it with a wide variety of slop and a propensity for quickpitching that kept batters on their heels. Jerry Koosman (1967-85) pitched forever, too. Not as “forever” as Kitty Kaat, but pretty damn long just the same. They both lasted well into their 40s. Koosman, a lefty who was Seaver’s second banana with the Mets, won 222 games and might have been slightly better over the course of his career than Kaat. It’s close. Jimmy Key (1984-98) was better than either of them, and while he pitched for a long time, he didn’t last into his 40s like Koos and Kaat. Another lefty, Key won 186 games with a better winning percentage than the other two, and he won World Series titles with the Blue Jays and the Yankees (3-1, 2.66 in four World Series games). Jack Kralick (59-67) was a pretty good lefty, and Jack Kramer (1939-51), the only right-hander in the rotation, won 95 games while pitching for some fairly bad teams.
Bullpen: Jim Kern (1974-86), who starts out as the closer here, was a tall, skinny, goofy-looking guy with one hell of a fastball. Lots of strikeouts, lots of walks, not many hits, and some pretty decent seasons back in the day when closers would work 110-plus innings and win in double-digits. Jim Konstanty (1944-56) will be the primary setup guy, and if Kern falters, he will move into the closer role. Konstanty famously won the NL MVP for the 1950 Phillies, winning 16 games and saving 22. It was the best season of his career, but he had other good ones. Johnny Klippstein (1950-67) saved roughly as many games as Kern and Konstanty, and he was a durable, consistent pitcher, so he’ll get his share of work. Joe Kerrigan (1976-80) was occasionally effective in a career shortened by arm injuries and has had a much longer career as a pitching coach. Jack Knott (1933-46) was a solid swingman who pitched for some bad teams but lasted a long time. Joe (“The Colonel”) Klink (1987-96) and Joe (“The Patriarch”) Kennedy (2001-07) were functional lefties.
Bench: The best player on the bench will most likely be whichever catcher is not starting on any given day, either Kling or Kendall. John Kennedy (1962-74) was a utility infielder who would not be much remembered today if he didn’t have the same name as a certain president. John Knight (1905-13) was a utility infielder who isn’t remembered today for any reason. Backup outfielder Jim King (1955-67) was a consistent double-digit home run guy. Outfielder-first baseman Judson Fabian “Jay” Kirke (1910-18) was a .300 hitter, which wasn’t a huge deal back then, but it wasn’t bad either.
Manager: Johnny Keane managed the Cardinals to the 1964 World Series title and then immediately quit because of a season-long feud with ownership that had boiled over before the Cardinals’ famous run to the pennant (past the flopping Phillies). Keane apparently wrote the letter of resignation in September but showed the good judgment to wait until after he had won the World Series to actually turn it in. The Yankees, who had lost to the Cardinals in the World Series, immediately fired Yogi Berra and hired Keane, which didn’t turn out so well for anyone involve. Keane was fired after a little more than a season, and the Yankees didn’t go back to the World Series for more than a decade. Keane died three years later at age 55, and some of his former players speculated that the immense strain of managing the Yankees as their long dynasty fell apart had hastened his physical demise.
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