Infield: Second baseman Chuck Knoblauch (1991-2002) was a pretty great player for a while. He came up with the Twins at age 22 and won the Rookie of the Year Award, and from that starting point he developed into a guy who would hit .300 (actually, well over .300) with lots of walks, doubles and stolen bases. As a result, he scored lots of runs – as many as 140 in a season. But in his late 20s, right as his career should have been taking off, his production took a step backward. He signed a big free agent contract with the Yankees and almost immediately developed a mental block about m aking throws to first base. He didn’t completely fall apart, but he was never as good as he had been in his mid-20s, and he was essentially done in his early 30s. He finished his career with 1,132 runs and 407 stolen bases – very good numbers, but not close to what was expected. First baseman Casey Kotchman (2004- ) is a functional hitter in mid-career. He’s a solid contact hitter, but he has no power or speed. He doesn’t hit the way that teams expect a first baseman to hit, but he can fill a hole adequately and has already played for five teams. Third baseman Corey Koskie (1998-2006) was geneally good for 15-20 home runs per year. He finished his career with 124 of them. In his best season, playing for Minnesota in 2001, he batted .276 with 37 doubles and 26 home runs, good for 103 RBI and 100 runs. Koskie was a fine player, but he ran out of steam in his early 30s. Shortstop Clem Koshorek (1952-53) had a long minor-league career but never did much in the majors. At 5-foot-4 he was one of the shortest players in big-league history.
Outfield: Left fielder Charlie Keller (1939-52) was nicknamed “King Kong,” partly because he apparently had so much hair on his body that he looked like an ape, but mostly because he was incredibly strong. He was, plain and simple, one of the best hitter who ever lived, and If he had not developed serious back trouble in mid-career, he would almost certainly be in the Hall of Fame. He came up with the Yankees and played alongside Joe DiMaggio in one of history’s best outfields. Keller hit for a decent average, drew 100 walks per year, had good power and was fast enough to routinely hit double-digits in triples. He won four pennants and three World Series titles with the Yankees; in those four World Series appearances he batted .306 and drove in 18 runs in 19 games. The back problems finished him as an everyday player in his early 30s, but before the injuries he was a monster. Right fielder Chuck Klein (1928-44) was a very fine hitter who won the Triple Crown in 1933, leading the NL in batting (.368), homers (28) and RBI (120), as well as hits, doubles, on-base and slugging. He put up huge numbers for several years, but they were greatly inflated by his home park – the Phillies’ cozy Baker Bowl. For his career, Klein batted .354 in home games and .286 on the road. Almost two-thirds of his 300 home runs came in his home ballparks, and he drove in 727 runs at home and 477 on the road. Klein led the league in about two dozen statistical categories, won and MVP and finished second in the voting twice, but was nothing more than an ordinary good player when he left the Baker Bowl. He had a strong arm and piled up tons of assists (a record 44 in one season) while playing shallow in the small ballpark. He was a fine player, but he did little of note after age 30 and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame largely because of his park-inflated stats. Center fielder Chick King (1954-59) was a good minor-league outfielder with some speed, but he never got more than a few at-bats in the majors. Flanked in the outfield by two guys with Hall of Fame talent, King will simply be asked to run down some fly balls.
Catcher: Chad Kreuter (1988-2003) had a long career as a backup and platoon catcher for seven teams. In 1993, the Tigers gave him 119 games and 431 plate appearances, and he responded with a .286/.371/.484 line and 15 home runs. He wasn’t really that good, but he was generally a decent enough ballplayer.
Rotation: It’s too soon to speculate what kind of career Clayton Kershaw (2008- ) will have, but he’s certainly off to a good start. He’s still just 23 years old and he’s already won 47 games for the Dodgers, and in 2011 he led the NL in wins (21-5), ERA (2.28) and strikeouts (248). Already he’s the ace of the CK staff, and if he stays healthy he could be something special. Clay Kirby (1969-76) might have had a good career if he hadn’t been picked in the expansion draft by the 1969 Padres. As a rookie he went 7-20 with a 3.80 ERA, and two years later he went 15-13 for a team that lost 100 games. He eventually pitched for the Big Red Machine, but by that time arm troubles were setting in and he wasn’t quite as good a pitcher. He was out of baseball before he turned 30. In his most famous game, during the 1970 season, he was removed for a pinch-hitter after throwing eight innings of no-hit ball against the Mets. Kirby had given up a run in the first (two walks, a steal and an RBI groundout) and trailed 1-0 despite giving up no hits through eight. Manager Preston Gomez sent Cito Gaston up to pinch-hit in the eighth, to no avail, and the San Diego bullpen gave up three hits and two runs in the ninth. Kirby finished his career with a record of 75-104. Chris Knapp (1975-80) was another pitcher who showed promised but burned out. He went 12-7 for the White Sox in 1977 and then, traded to the Angels, followed that with a 14-8 record the following season. His ERA was actually well worse than league average both seasons, but he was winning games. Arm trouble set in soon after, and he was done before he turned 27. Cal Koonce (1962-71) went 10-10 as a 21-year-old rookie with the Cubs and then never won more than seven games again in the rest of his career, partly because he shifted primarily to the bullpen after a few years. He pitched for the Miracle Mets in 1969 but did not appear in the World Series. Charlie Knepper (1899) went 4-22 for the Cleveland Spiders, which was the best record put up by any of the team’s primary pitchers (the others had records like 4-30, 1-18, 2-17 and 1-11).
Bullpen: Closer Craig Kimbrel (2010- ) is just getting started, but he looks electrifying. As a rookie with the Braves in 2011, he led the NL with 46 saves, and in the first 100 games of his big-league career he has a 1.75 ERA and averages 15.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Charlie Kerfeld (1985-90) was a big country goofball who wore t-shirts under his jersey with images of the Flintstones and the Jetsons. He stood 6-foot-6, and he arrived in the majors as at a doughy 280 pounds, though he did slim down a bit after that. He had one good season – at age 22, he went 11-2 with a 2.59 ERA for the division champion Astros and then never pitched as well again. But he was always entertaining. Flushed with excitement during spring training 1987, he announced his plan to buy 3,000 tickets to each game and distribute them to local charities. Told that this magnanimous gesture would cost him an estimated $1.6 million, he apologized and retracted the offer. At the time he was making an annual salary of $110,037.37 (he wore No. 37 and asked the Astros to tack 37 dollars and 37 cents onto the minimum salary). Clyde King (1944-53) won 32 games in his career, mostly for the “Boys of Summer” Dodgers. In 1951 he went 14-7 out of the bullpen despite striking out just 33 hittrs in 121 innings. Chad Kimsey (1929-36) spent most of his career with the Browns. He finished with a 5.07 ERA becaue he was better at finding bats (11 hits per nine innings) than he was at missing them (2.1 strikeouts per nine innings). Cactus Keck (1922-23) was born and raised in St. Louis and died there, too, but he got his nickname while pitching minor-league ball in Texas. He was a sidearm or submarine pitcher who had a couple of effective seasons for the Reds, though he struck out even fewer batters than Chad Kimsey (1.8 strikeouts per nine innings). Curtis King (1997-99) was effective in a short career for the Cardinals – 6-2 with a 3.43 ERA in 68 games. Curt Kaufman (1982-84) pitched a few games for the Yankees and then worked 69 innings for the Angels in 1984. He had trouble with the long ball and didn’t stick around.
Bench: Backup catcher Clyde Kluttz (1942-52) had a great name, and he was basically as good as Chad Kreuter. He loses out on the starting job because Kreuter had a longer career and was a switch-hitter, but Kluttz will get his share of starts here. First baseman Craig Kusick (1973-79) had a good batting eye and a little bit of pop, but it’s hard for a .235 hitter to get much playing time at first base. Infielder Cotton Knaupp (1910-11) played sparingly for the Indians in his early 20s at batted .184. Utility man Charlie Krehmeyer (1884-85) played for three teams in his early 20s but didn’t leave any discernible footprint with his .221 average. First baseman Chuck Kress (1947-54) spent very little time in the majors, spreading 175 games out across, returing to the minors in 1948-49 and again from 1951-53. He was a good hitter in the minors – he hit .280-.290 with mid-range power – but never quite stuck in the majors.
Manager: Clyde King will be player-manager from his perch in the bullpen. He went 90-72 with the Giants as a rookie manager in 1969, but the team fired him after a slow start in 1970. He later managed the Braves and the Yankees, but after that strong first season in San Francisco, his record was 144-157.
Outfield: Left fielder Charlie Keller (1939-52) was nicknamed “King Kong,” partly because he apparently had so much hair on his body that he looked like an ape, but mostly because he was incredibly strong. He was, plain and simple, one of the best hitter who ever lived, and If he had not developed serious back trouble in mid-career, he would almost certainly be in the Hall of Fame. He came up with the Yankees and played alongside Joe DiMaggio in one of history’s best outfields. Keller hit for a decent average, drew 100 walks per year, had good power and was fast enough to routinely hit double-digits in triples. He won four pennants and three World Series titles with the Yankees; in those four World Series appearances he batted .306 and drove in 18 runs in 19 games. The back problems finished him as an everyday player in his early 30s, but before the injuries he was a monster. Right fielder Chuck Klein (1928-44) was a very fine hitter who won the Triple Crown in 1933, leading the NL in batting (.368), homers (28) and RBI (120), as well as hits, doubles, on-base and slugging. He put up huge numbers for several years, but they were greatly inflated by his home park – the Phillies’ cozy Baker Bowl. For his career, Klein batted .354 in home games and .286 on the road. Almost two-thirds of his 300 home runs came in his home ballparks, and he drove in 727 runs at home and 477 on the road. Klein led the league in about two dozen statistical categories, won and MVP and finished second in the voting twice, but was nothing more than an ordinary good player when he left the Baker Bowl. He had a strong arm and piled up tons of assists (a record 44 in one season) while playing shallow in the small ballpark. He was a fine player, but he did little of note after age 30 and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame largely because of his park-inflated stats. Center fielder Chick King (1954-59) was a good minor-league outfielder with some speed, but he never got more than a few at-bats in the majors. Flanked in the outfield by two guys with Hall of Fame talent, King will simply be asked to run down some fly balls.
Catcher: Chad Kreuter (1988-2003) had a long career as a backup and platoon catcher for seven teams. In 1993, the Tigers gave him 119 games and 431 plate appearances, and he responded with a .286/.371/.484 line and 15 home runs. He wasn’t really that good, but he was generally a decent enough ballplayer.
Rotation: It’s too soon to speculate what kind of career Clayton Kershaw (2008- ) will have, but he’s certainly off to a good start. He’s still just 23 years old and he’s already won 47 games for the Dodgers, and in 2011 he led the NL in wins (21-5), ERA (2.28) and strikeouts (248). Already he’s the ace of the CK staff, and if he stays healthy he could be something special. Clay Kirby (1969-76) might have had a good career if he hadn’t been picked in the expansion draft by the 1969 Padres. As a rookie he went 7-20 with a 3.80 ERA, and two years later he went 15-13 for a team that lost 100 games. He eventually pitched for the Big Red Machine, but by that time arm troubles were setting in and he wasn’t quite as good a pitcher. He was out of baseball before he turned 30. In his most famous game, during the 1970 season, he was removed for a pinch-hitter after throwing eight innings of no-hit ball against the Mets. Kirby had given up a run in the first (two walks, a steal and an RBI groundout) and trailed 1-0 despite giving up no hits through eight. Manager Preston Gomez sent Cito Gaston up to pinch-hit in the eighth, to no avail, and the San Diego bullpen gave up three hits and two runs in the ninth. Kirby finished his career with a record of 75-104. Chris Knapp (1975-80) was another pitcher who showed promised but burned out. He went 12-7 for the White Sox in 1977 and then, traded to the Angels, followed that with a 14-8 record the following season. His ERA was actually well worse than league average both seasons, but he was winning games. Arm trouble set in soon after, and he was done before he turned 27. Cal Koonce (1962-71) went 10-10 as a 21-year-old rookie with the Cubs and then never won more than seven games again in the rest of his career, partly because he shifted primarily to the bullpen after a few years. He pitched for the Miracle Mets in 1969 but did not appear in the World Series. Charlie Knepper (1899) went 4-22 for the Cleveland Spiders, which was the best record put up by any of the team’s primary pitchers (the others had records like 4-30, 1-18, 2-17 and 1-11).
Bullpen: Closer Craig Kimbrel (2010- ) is just getting started, but he looks electrifying. As a rookie with the Braves in 2011, he led the NL with 46 saves, and in the first 100 games of his big-league career he has a 1.75 ERA and averages 15.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Charlie Kerfeld (1985-90) was a big country goofball who wore t-shirts under his jersey with images of the Flintstones and the Jetsons. He stood 6-foot-6, and he arrived in the majors as at a doughy 280 pounds, though he did slim down a bit after that. He had one good season – at age 22, he went 11-2 with a 2.59 ERA for the division champion Astros and then never pitched as well again. But he was always entertaining. Flushed with excitement during spring training 1987, he announced his plan to buy 3,000 tickets to each game and distribute them to local charities. Told that this magnanimous gesture would cost him an estimated $1.6 million, he apologized and retracted the offer. At the time he was making an annual salary of $110,037.37 (he wore No. 37 and asked the Astros to tack 37 dollars and 37 cents onto the minimum salary). Clyde King (1944-53) won 32 games in his career, mostly for the “Boys of Summer” Dodgers. In 1951 he went 14-7 out of the bullpen despite striking out just 33 hittrs in 121 innings. Chad Kimsey (1929-36) spent most of his career with the Browns. He finished with a 5.07 ERA becaue he was better at finding bats (11 hits per nine innings) than he was at missing them (2.1 strikeouts per nine innings). Cactus Keck (1922-23) was born and raised in St. Louis and died there, too, but he got his nickname while pitching minor-league ball in Texas. He was a sidearm or submarine pitcher who had a couple of effective seasons for the Reds, though he struck out even fewer batters than Chad Kimsey (1.8 strikeouts per nine innings). Curtis King (1997-99) was effective in a short career for the Cardinals – 6-2 with a 3.43 ERA in 68 games. Curt Kaufman (1982-84) pitched a few games for the Yankees and then worked 69 innings for the Angels in 1984. He had trouble with the long ball and didn’t stick around.
Bench: Backup catcher Clyde Kluttz (1942-52) had a great name, and he was basically as good as Chad Kreuter. He loses out on the starting job because Kreuter had a longer career and was a switch-hitter, but Kluttz will get his share of starts here. First baseman Craig Kusick (1973-79) had a good batting eye and a little bit of pop, but it’s hard for a .235 hitter to get much playing time at first base. Infielder Cotton Knaupp (1910-11) played sparingly for the Indians in his early 20s at batted .184. Utility man Charlie Krehmeyer (1884-85) played for three teams in his early 20s but didn’t leave any discernible footprint with his .221 average. First baseman Chuck Kress (1947-54) spent very little time in the majors, spreading 175 games out across, returing to the minors in 1948-49 and again from 1951-53. He was a good hitter in the minors – he hit .280-.290 with mid-range power – but never quite stuck in the majors.
Manager: Clyde King will be player-manager from his perch in the bullpen. He went 90-72 with the Giants as a rookie manager in 1969, but the team fired him after a slow start in 1970. He later managed the Braves and the Yankees, but after that strong first season in San Francisco, his record was 144-157.
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