Kenneth Lofton (born May 31,
1967 in East Chicago,
Indiana
) is a former Major
League Baseball outfielder. He
batted and threw
left-handed. During his
career he played for the
Houston
Astros,
Cleveland Indians,
Atlanta Braves,
Chicago White Sox,
San Francisco Giants,
Pittsburgh Pirates,
Chicago Cubs,
New
York Yankees,
Philadelphia
Phillies,
Los Angeles
Dodgers, and
Texas
Rangers.
From 2001 to 2007 Lofton did not spend more than one season with a
team. It was later parodied in a
DHL commercial
in 2007 saying that he was being traded to several teams and then
eventually Japan.He is the Uncle of
Star
Trek actor,
Cirroc Lofton.
College
In college, he was the backup
point
guard (to
Craig McMillan and
Steve Kerr) on an
Arizona Wildcats team that made it to the
Final Four of the
1988 NCAA Men's
Division I Basketball Tournament, and he set season and career
school records for steals. He was the starting point guard the
following year as Arizona made it to the
Sweet Sixteen. Lofton is one of only two men
to play in a college basketball
Final
Four (1988, the first for the Arizona Wildcats) and a Major
League Baseball World Series.
The other is fellow East Chicago Washington
High School alumnus Tim Stoddard, who
was a member of the N.C.
State team that won the 1974 NCAA
Basketball Championship. Stoddard later pitched for the
Baltimore Orioles in the
1979 World Series.
Lofton decided to try out for the baseball team during his junior
year. Although he did not see much playing time, his speed and
potential were recognized by baseball scouts, and he was chosen by
the
Houston Astros in the 17th round
of
Major League Baseball's
amateur draft. He played minor league baseball during the summer
while completing his basketball eligibility at Arizona.
Minor leagues
Lofton struggled initially in his professional baseball career. He
hit .214 in 48 games for Auburn in the
New York - Penn League, although he
did steal 26 bases in 30 attempts and was solid in the
outfield.
Lofton returned to Auburn in , hitting .263 with 26 steals in 34
games. He then hit .329 with 14 steals in 22 games for Asheville in
the
South Atlantic League. As
his college basketball career came to an end, Lofton was able to
concentrate fully on baseball and he improved rapidly, finishing
second in the league in hitting at .331 while adding 62 steals for
Osceola in the
Florida State
League. He also drew 61 walks, demonstrating patience and
intelligence as a hitter, while improving defensively.
After a great
spring training in ,
he jumped directly to
Tucson Toros of
the
Pacific Coast League,
skipping Double-A. He hit .308 with 30 steals and 52 walks for
Tucson Toros, with 19 doubles and 17
triples. At Tucson (where he was a local fan favorite due to his
University of Arizona basketball career) he led his team to the PCL
championship and made the league's All-Star squad. In September
1991, the Astros promoted Lofton to the majors. In his major league
debut, he had three hits and scored three runs against the
Cincinnati Reds.
Major Leagues
Kenny Lofton(2007)
Stellar debut aside, Lofton struggled during his brief stint in
Houston, batting only .203. With future all-star
Steve Finley already firmly entrenched in
Houston's center field, Lofton was traded to the
Cleveland Indians for top prospect
Eddie Taubensee and right-handed
pitcher
Willie Blair.
During his rookie season, Lofton hit .285, his 66 stolen bases
establishing an all-time record for an American League rookie and
the most by a Major League rookie since
Vince Coleman's 110 in . He finished second in
AL Rookie of the Year balloting. His career blossomed from that
point on, as Lofton proved to be one of the consistently excellent
players (and perhaps the premier leadoff hitter) of the 1990s. He
appeared in six consecutive all-star games and won four straight
Gold Gloves for the
Indians and the
Atlanta Braves.
Through the season, Lofton had tallied a .299 career batting
average with 123
home runs, 110 triples
(2nd among active players), and 1,442 runs (6th among active
players) in 1,967 games.
His 622
stolen bases rank him 15th
all-time. He holds the Cleveland Indians record for stolen bases
with 450 steals.
He played with the Indians until , when at the end of spring
training he was traded to the
Atlanta
Braves along with
Alan Embree for
Marquis Grissom and slugger
David Justice. Lofton rejoined the Indians in
when he signed as a free agent, forcing the Indians to trade
Grissom. He played in Cleveland through 2001. From to 2007, Lofton
played for eight teams, playing in the posteason for the
San Francisco Giants, the
Chicago Cubs, and the
New York Yankees. On
July 27,
2007, Lofton was traded
by the
Texas Rangers, his
Major League record eleventh team played on, back to the Cleveland
Indians in exchange for minor league catcher
Max Ramírez, marking the beginning of his
third stint with the Cleveland Indians.
A surprised Jacobs Field
crowd greeted Lofton with a standing ovation during
his first at bat for this tour of duty with the Indians.
Lofton noted, "I missed being in Cleveland... I enjoy Cleveland.
It's the city that got me going." Lofton became a free agent at the
end of the season.
Post-season play
In 95 postseason games, he has hit .247 with 7 home runs and 34
RBIs.
In the
1995 ALCS against
Seattle, he came around to score from
second on a
passed ball.
In the
2002 NLCS, he hit the NLCS game
winning single for the
San
Francisco Giants, driving in
David Bell from second.
He flew out to right center to end the
2002 World Series.
In game one of the
2007 ALDS against
New York, he went 3-4 with 4 RBIs
and 1 stolen base, tying him with
Ricky
Henderson for Major League Baseball's all-time post-season
stolen bases record (33). In game two, he went 2 for 3 with two
walks and scored the winning run in the 11th inning.
In game three of the
2007 ALCS, he hit a
2-run homer against the
Boston Red
Sox.
In game four of the 2007 ALCS, Lofton earned his 34th career
post-season stolen base, setting a new MLB record for playoff
steals.
In game one of the 2003 NLDS, Turner Field - Atlanta Ga. Chicago
-vs- Atlanta, Kenny Lofton's single made it 4-1 Cubs. Cubs go on to
win 4-2.
Highlights
- 6-time All-Star (1994-99)
- 4-time Gold Glove Award
(1993-96)
- Top 5 MVP, (4th)
in 1994
- 5-time league leader in stolen bases (1992-96)
- Led league in hits
(1994)
- Led league in triples
(1995)
- Led league in at-bats (1996)
- Led league center fielders in assist, (14) in 1992
- Holds the MLB record (tie) for runs scored in the first inning
in a season, (18) in 2000
- Holds the American League record for stolen bases by a rookie,
(66) in 1992
- Holds the MLB record for post-season stolen bases (34)
- Holds the MLB record for most different teams played on in the
playoffs (6)
- Drove in the NLCS winning run in 2002
- Baseball Weekly Top 10 Outfielders of the 90's
See also
References
- ESPN - Lofton keeps on ticking, delivers huge
performance for Indians
- Cleveland Indians acquire OF Kenny Lofton from
Texas Rangers - Cleveland Sports News – The Latest Breaking News,
Game Recaps and Scores from The Plain Dealer
- The Official Site of Major League Baseball: News:
Major League Baseball News
-
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/loftoke01.shtml
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