| Jason Kendall | |
|---|---|
 Kendall with the Kansas City Royals | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1974-06-26)June 26, 1974 (age 51) San Diego, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 1, 1996, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 30, 2010, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .288 |
| Hits | 2,195 |
| Home runs | 75 |
| Runs batted in | 744 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Jason Daniel Kendall (born June 26, 1974) is an American former professionalbaseballcatcher who played 15 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB), primarily for thePittsburgh Pirates. He also played for theOakland Athletics,Chicago Cubs,Milwaukee Brewers andKansas City Royals. He is the son of former catcherFred Kendall, who played in the majors from1969 to1980.
In a fifteen-year major league career, Kendall played in 2,085games, accumulating 2,195hits in 7,627at bats for a .288 career batting average along with 75 home runs, 744 runs batted in and a .366on-base percentage.[1] He finished his career with a .990 fielding percentage.[1] Kendall holds the major league record for most career stolen bases by a catcher since thedead-ball era with 189.[2] At the time of his retirement in 2012, Kendall ranked second among major league catchers in career hits and doubles behind onlyIván Rodríguez.[3]
Kendall attendedTorrance High School inCalifornia, 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 the1992 Major League Baseball draft (23rd overall pick) by thePittsburgh Pirates.
Kendall made his major league debut in 1996. In his rookie year, hehit .300, made theNational LeagueAll-Star Team, and was named NL rookie of the year byThe Sporting News (he finished third in voting for the MLB Rookie of the Year award). He was also an All-Star in1998 and2000. In 1999, he suffered a season-ending injury when hedislocated his ankle while running to first base in a July 4 game againstMilwaukee after attempting to beat out a bunt.[4]
On May 19, 2000, Kendall became the first player in Pirates history tohit for the cycle atThree Rivers Stadium, driving in five of Pittsburgh's thirteen runs against theSt. Louis Cardinals.[5] On November 18, 2000, Kendall signed a six-year contract extension worth $60 million (equivalent to $109.6 million in 2024). It was the most expensive contract in Pirates history[6] and made him the second-highest-paid catcher at the time, behind onlyMike Piazza.[7]
In 2002 and 2005, he led the majors in at-bats per strikeout (18.1 in 2002, 15.4 in 2005).[8] He also led the major leagues in 2005 in times reached base on an error (15).[9] 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.[10]
After the 2004 season, the Pirates traded Kendall and cash to theOakland Athletics forMark Redman,Arthur Rhodes and cash. During the 2005 season, Kendall struggled at the plate. His .321slugging 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. In the field, he allowed 101 stolen bases, more than any other catcher in major league baseball. However, he did bat leadoff for Oakland, something that is very rare to see out of a baseball catcher.
During a game against the Angels on May 2, 2006, Kendall was involved in abench-clearing incident.John Lackey threw a pitch that started high and inside to Kendall, and then broke back towards the plate. Kendall stepped out of the batter's box and began yelling at Lackey, who told him to stop leaning over the plate with his elbow guard sticking out, trying to be hit by a pitch (as Kendall was known to do throughout his career). Kendall then charged the mound and wrestled with the 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Lackey. The two spun around as catcherJeff Mathis fell behind Kendall who was then punched in the ribs by Lackey, and the two tumbled to the ground. The2006 season marked Kendall's firstpost-season appearance, as the Athletics clinched the 2006American League Western Division championship on September 26. He recorded his first playoff hit in the second game of theAmerican League Division Series offMinnesota'sBoof Bonser.
On July 16,2007, he was traded to theChicago Cubs for fellow catcherRob Bowen and minor league pitcherJerry Blevins.[11] At the time of the trade, Kendall had the lowest on-base percentage (.261) and second lowest slugging percentage (.281) of any starter in major league baseball for 2007. In the field he allowed 111 stolen bases (131 attempts, 20 caught), more than any other catcher in major league baseball.
On November 21, 2007, Kendall agreed to a one-year deal with theMilwaukee Brewers.[12] Kendall threw out roughly 40% of base stealers in 2008. Upon making his 110th start of the 2008 season, Kendall fulfilled the option in his contract, securing himself a spot in the Brewers lineup in 2009.
On May 18, 2009, Kendall recorded his 2,000th career hit, becoming the eighth full-time catcher to reach that milestone.[13] In 2009, he had the lowest slugging percentage of any starter in the major leagues, at .305.[14] During his two years with the Brewers his AVG, OBP, and SLG were .244, .329, and .315.
On December 11, 2009, Kendall signed a two-year contract with theKansas City Royals.[15]
Kendall underwent season-ending surgery on September 3, 2010, on his right shoulder after an MRI exam revealed extensive tearing in his rotator cuff.[16] He missed the entire 2011 season because of this injury. He became a free agent after the 2011 season.
Kendall signed with Kansas City on July 19, 2012, to a minor league contract.[17] He played in two games for the AANorthwest Arkansas Naturals before announcing his retirement on July 24.[18]
Following his retirement, Kendall spent seven years as a special assignment coach in the Royals' organization, during which time he earned aWorld Series ring.[19][20] On May 14, 2022, he was hired by thePittsburgh Pirates to serve in a player development role.[21]
Kendall was known as a fundamentally sound catcher who was very good at blocking pitches and handling pitching staffs, despite a relatively weak throwing arm. At the plate, Kendall was known for his very open batting stance and was a contact hitter who tended to "crowd" the plate. He was known to not usebatting gloves. He was known as fiercely competitive, and was involved in several bench-clearing brawls. Kendall was also hit by pitches frequently as a result of his batting stance; he was hit 254 times, which is fifth all-time.
Besides being a target for being hit by pitches, Kendall was a stolen-base threat. His 189 career stolen bases are second toRoger Bresnahan in all of modern era MLB history for stolen bases by a player primarily playing catcher.[22] Kendall's plate discipline and rare speed at the catcher position also enabled him to be used as a leadoff hitter. Kendall started the game batting leadoff in 438 of his 2,085 games played, including 119 of his 147 games in 2004 and 90 of his 143 games in 2006 (leadoff is defined as starting the game as the first player to bat for his team and having at least two at-bats in the game).
Kendall moved to Kansas City in 2010 where he met his wife, Tricia Kendall, where they are raising their respective children Ethan, Kuyper, Cole, and Karoline.[23]
Kendall has written a book with Lee Judge,Throwback: A Big-League Catcher Tells How the Game Is Really Played, released in May 2014 bySt. Martin's Press.[24]
· Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year 1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Hitting for the cycle May 19, 2000 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
