Ralph Kiner (1975)


Date of Birth: 10/27/1922
Date of Death: 2/6/2014
Birthplace: Santa Rita, New Mexico
College: Pasadena City College / University of Southern California

Ralph Kiner first played organized baseball on a youth team that was sponsored by the New York Yankees. He was originally a shortstop with the team.

After high school, Kiner signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1941. He played in the minor leagues from 1941 through 1943. He served as a navy pilot in 1944 and 1945.

Pittsburgh Pirates

In his first season with the Pirates in 1946, Kiner led the NL in home runs with 23. He batted .247 with 124 hits, 17 doubles, and 81 RBIs in 144 games.

Kiner had an outstanding second year in 1947, leading the NL in home runs (51) and in OPS (1.056). He had career highs in hits (177), RBIs (127), and batting average (.313). He played in 152 games that year. He played well also defensively, leading NL left fielders in putouts with 353.

Kiner continued to lead the NL in home runs from 1948 through 1952. He also led the league in games played in 1948 with 156. He finished that season with 147 hits, 19 doubles, 40 home runs, 123 RBIs, and a .265 batting average. Defensively, he again led NL left fielders in putouts with 360.

Kiner had a strong season in 1949, leading the NL in home runs, RBIs, walks, and OPS. He had career highs in home runs (54), RBIs (127), and OPS (1.090). He finished the season with 170 hits, 19 doubles, 61 strikeouts to 117 walks, and a .310 batting average in 152 games.

Kiner's batting average dropped to .272 in 1950. However, he still had a strong season with 149 hits, 21 doubles, 47 home runs, and 118 RBIs in 150 games. His batting average went back up to .309 in 1951. That year, he led the NL in home runs, walks, on-base percentage, and OPS. He had 164 hits, 31 doubles, 42 home runs, 109 RBIs, and a career high 137 walks to just 57 strikeouts in 151 games. He had a career high on-base percentage of .452 and an OPS of 1.079.

In 1952, Kiner again led the NL in home runs (37) and walks (110). However, his batting average dropped to .244 and he had only 126 hits in 149 games.

Chicago Cubs

In June of 1953, the Pirates traded Kiner to the Chicago Cubs. He led the NL in games played that year. He finished the season with 157 hits, 20 doubles, 35 home runs, 116 RBIs, and a .279 batting average in 41 games with the Pirates and 117 games with the Cubs. He walked 100 times and struck out 88 times.

Kiner batted .285 in 147 games in 1954. He had 159 hits, a career high 36 doubles, 22 home runs, and 73 RBIs.

Cleveland Indians

After two seasons with the Cubs, Kiner finished his major league career with the Cleveland Indians in 1955. He played in 113 games that season and he batted .243 with 78 hits. The Indians released him on October 24, 1955.

Although he was only 32, Kiner retired after the 1955 season due to a back injury.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Sporting News Player of the Year
  • Led NL in home runs (7 times)
  • Led NL in walks (3 times)
  • Led NL in OPS (3 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Kiner in 10 seasons (1946-1955) in the major leagues include:

  • 5 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 177 in 1947
  • 9 seasons with over 20 home runs, with a high of 54 in 1949
  • 6 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 127 in 1947 and 1949
  • 3 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .313 in 1947

Career batting statistics for Kiner include:

  • 1,472 games played
  • 1,451 hits
  • 216 doubles
  • 369 home runs
  • 1,015 RBIs
  • 749 strikeouts to 1,011 walks
  • .279 batting average
  • .398 on-base percentage
  • .946 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Kiner as a left fielder include:

  • 1,307 games played
  • 2,551 putouts
  • 73 errors
  • .973 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a player, Kiner started a very successful and long second career as a baseball announcer, first with the Chicago White Sox in 1961. The following year, he started a 52 year career as a broadcaster for the New York Mets, a position he held until his death on February 6, 2014.

Kiner was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1975 on the thirteenth ballot with 75.4% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Ralph Kiner
ESPN - Ralph Kiner
Baseball Reference - Ralph Kiner

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