WHY I THINK HARVEY KUENN SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN
By- Damien
Harvey Kuenn was one of the best high average hitters of his time, batting a career .303 during the reigns of many dominant pitchers. A ten time all-star, he hit over .300 eight times, won the 1959 AL batting title with a .353 mark (which is closer to .400 than it is to .300), and led the AL in hits four times. Kuenn also offered great versatility in the field, regularly playing shortstop, third base, and all three outfield positions during his fifteen years as a Major Leaguer. Harvey Kuenn started his career with the Tigers in 1952, batting .325 in 19 games. He batted .308 and led the AL with 209 hits in 1953 on his way to his first of ten all-star selections and the Rookie of the Year award. Kuenn was one of the best hitters of the 1950’s. During the decade, he batted a combined .314 and averaged 30 strikeouts per 154 games. Kuenn led the AL in doubles three times and earned MVP votes every year from 1953 through 1960. He batted .308 for Cleveland in 1960 and was traded to the Giants, but fell to a .265 mark in 1961, his age 30 season. Kuenn bounced back and had two very good years for the Giants after that, but he slumped to .264 in 1964. Clearly on his way down, Kuenn split his 1965 season, playing in 77 games between the Giants and the Cubs. In 1966, he played in 89 games, this time between the Cubs and the Phillies, and batted a combined .296. In 1970, Kuenn, while with the Milwaukee Brewers, was activated for two weeks, but never appeared in a game. After his playing days, he managed a 160-118-1 (.576) record for the Brewers, including the 1982 AL pennant. In 1982, Kuenn was named the Associated Press AL Manager of the Year. Harvey Kuenn was a fantastic hitter, a good, versatile fielder, and even a very good manager. His overall contributions to his team, and to baseball as a whole, were very great and worthy of the Hall of Fame, in my opinion.
LIFETIME STATISTICS
Games career: 1,833 season high: 155 in 1953 and 1954 led AL: 155 in 1954
At Bats career: 6,913 season high: 679 in 1953 led AL: 679 in 1953, 656 in 1954
Hits career: 2,092 season high: 209 in 1953 led AL: 209 in 1953, 201 in 1954, 196 in 1956, 198 in 1959
Doubles career: 356 season high: 42 in 1959 led AL: 38 in 1955, 39 in 1958, 42 in 1959
Triples career: 56 season high: 7 in 1953, 1956, and 1959
Home Runs career: 87 season high: 12 in 1956
Runs career: 950 season high: 101 in 1955
Runs Batted In career: 671 season high: 88 in 1956
Stolen Bases career: 68 season high: 9 in 1954 and 1956
Walks career: 594 season high: 55 in 1956 and 1960
Strikeouts career: 404 season high: 38 in 1963
Batting Average career: .303 season high: .353 in 1959 led AL: .353 in 1959
On Base Percentage career: .357 season high: .402 in 1959
Slugging Percentage career: .408 season high: .501 in 1959
Total Bases career: 2,821 season high: 281 in 1959
Sacrifice Hits career: 44 season high: 6 in 1954, 1957, and 1962
Fielding Percentage career: .966 season high: .988 in 1959 led AL SS: .968 in 1956 led AL RF: .990 in 1959
Double Plays career: 468 season high: 91 in 1957
Putouts career: 3,028 season high: 358 in 1958 led AL SS: 308 in 1953, 294 in 1954 led AL CF: 355 in 1958 led AL OF: 358 in 1958
Assists career: 2,345 season high: 496 in 1954 led AL: 496 in 1954 led AL SS: 496 in 1954
DID YOU KNOW?
-went 2-for-5 on his MLB debut
-finished fourth in the AL MVP Award voting in 1956, eighth in both 1954 and 1959, 13th in 1958, 15th in 1953, 18th in 1955, 22nd in 1957, and 24th in 1960
-finished 18th in the NL MVP Award voting in 1962
-hit three home runs off of Billy Pierce, two off of Warren Spahn, and one each off of Bob Feller, Jim Bunning, Bobby Shantz, Whitey Ford, Hoyt Wilhelm, and Sal Maglie
-led the AL with 731 plate appearances and 167 singles in 1953
-led the NL with 13.9 at bats per strikeout, while his 50.5 in 1954 were only second in the AL behind Hall of Famer Nellie Fox
-his 679 at bats in 1953 are the 43rd most of all time
-led AL shortstops in games in 1953 and 1954 with 155 in each season
-also played 34 games at first base, 162 as a pinch hitter, and one as a pinch runner
Without power, walks, or fielding, it takes more than .303 in my opinion to deserve inclusion. A note on his fielding. BR rates him as a terrible fielder, -87 runs, and I tried to independently verify that conclusion, but was not able to find much. However, if he wasn't a bad fielder, why was he moved from short stop while in his prime? I'll keep an open mind on his fielding, but I doubt it overall.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I found a site you might be interested in: https://www.notinhalloffame.com/baseball