WHY I THINK KENNY LOFTON SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK KENNY LOFTON SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Kenny Lofton was one of many stars unfortunate to play during the steroid era. Not only was he facing stiff competition, considering all the juiced pitchers he had to bat against, he also had to compete with guys like Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa for fame and good press. At a time when steroid eaters were constantly in the headlines for their Ruthian home run feats, guys like Lofton, who played the more traditional, speedier version of the game, were often brushed under the rug. Lofton didn’t have remarkable power (he had 130 career home runs), but he still produced a ton of runs, scoring over 100 of them in six different seasons and posting six additional seasons with 90 or more. Lofton was best known for his speed, which helped him lead the AL in stolen bases five years in a row from 1992 through 1996 on his way to a career total of 622. On the defensive side, his speed helped him to incredible range in centerfield, covering more ground than nearly everyone else in the league. 

Kenneth Lofton was born on May 31, 1967. As a youth he played both baseball and basketball, and excelled at both. Lofton received a scholarship to the University of Arizona as a basketball player, but also began to build a reputation as a base thief for the baseball team. Lofton played basketball all throughout college, but turned full time to baseball as a pro. He played three years in the Astros’ farm system, and made his MLB debut on September 14, 1991, collecting a double, two singles, a walk, and three runs scored. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians in the offseason for little return, and immediately made an impact for his new team, batting .285 and leading the AL in stolen bases en route to a second place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting. Proving he was no fluke, he topped the league in steals again in 1993 and upped his batting average to .325. 

Lofton was a key member of the successful Indians teams of the late 1990’s, leading the team to three postseasons and one pennant from 1995 to 1999. Even in the one season he missed, 1997, when he was with the Atlanta Braves, he was instrumental in the Tribe’s success. Just before the start of the 1997 season, Lofton was traded to the Braves for David Justice and Marquis Grissom. While Lofton was busy hitting .333 for the Braves and leading them through the NL playoffs, Justice and Grissom were playing very well for the Indians, and were instrumental in leading them to the World Series. Then, on December 8, Lofton signed as a free agent for the Indians, returning to Cleveland in less than nine months, and helped them to the playoffs three more times. 

Lofton’s 2001 season wasn’t among his best, and he was granted free agency after the season. He began the 2002 season with the White Sox, but was traded to the Giants at the deadline. Lofton played well for the Giants down the stretch, helping them reach the playoffs, and batted .292 with six stolen bases in three rounds of postseason action. He again saw time with multiple teams the following year, and turned in another productive season. As Lofton aged, more teams seemingly gave up on him, but the more he produced at the Big League level, the more interest he got from different clubs around the league. In total, he played for eleven different MLB teams, not counting his three stints as an Indian. After posting an .811 OPS for Philadelphia in 2005, he was offered a deal with the Dodgers, where he enjoyed near everyday playing time. At 39, most observers probably didn’t expect the strong season he would have in 2006, as he batted .301 with 32 stolen bases in 129 games. Lofton’s final season was 2007, which he began with the Texas Rangers, where he batted .303 with 21 steals in the first half before being traded to the Indians at the deadline. He had a rewarding final season, retiring in his most recognizable jersey after playing in his 20th different playoff series. 

When you think about the best players of the 1990’s, Lofton’s name is seldom mentioned, but not for lack of talent. While his .299 / .372 / .423 slash line (.794 OPS) is solid, it amounts to only a 107 OPS+, a testament to the era in which he played. If not for the Bondses and the Cansecos and the A-Rods, who routinely posted seasonal OPS figures around 1.000, thanks purely to their, uh, special help, Lofton’s OPS+ would appear much more respectable, perhaps 120 or higher. He was also a great bunter, a skill widely underappreciated in this day and age. While Lofton was good with the bat, it was not what he was best known for. He was a terror on the bases, swiping 622 bags in his career (15th most of all time, including pre-1898 figures), and had six individual seasons with at least 54. Lofton’s baserunning skill was not demonstrated solely in his eye popping stolen base totals, however, as he took extra bases on a hit about 55% of the time across his career, compared to the league average of 42%. His running helped him to 1,528 runs scored, including as many as 132 in 1996, and an average of 118 runs scored per 162 games across his career. Lofton was also arguably the best defensive centerfielder of his era, leading in assists four times and double plays twice (showing off an above average arm in addition to his range), taking home four Gold Glove awards. Finally, Lofton was a catalyst in many great postseason teams. He was the leadoff man for the 1995 Cleveland Indians, widely considered one of the greatest teams of all time by historians. In total, he led six different teams to eleven postseasons (20 series) during his 17 year MLB career, playing in a total of 95 career playoff games, ninth on the all time list. Only once every three years did Lofton’s team fail to make the postseason. All this adds up to a strong Hall of Fame case. At a quick glance Lofton’s numbers aren’t overwhelming, but on looking just a little bit closer, he comes out a pretty darn good candidate. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 2,103 season high: 154 in 1996 and 1998 

At Bats career: 8,120 season high: 662 in 1996 led AL: 662 in 1996 

Hits career: 2,428 season high: 210 in 1996 led AL: 160 in 1994 

Doubles career: 383 season high: 35 in 1996 

Triples career: 116 season high: 13 in 1995 led AL: 13 in 1995 

Home Runs career: 130 season high: 15 in 2000 

Runs Scored career: 1,528 season high: 132 in 1996 

Runs Batted In career: 781 season high: 73 in 2000 

Stolen Bases career: 622 season high: 75 in 1996 led AL: 66 in 1992, 70 in 1993, 60 in 1994, 54 in 1995, 75 in 1996 

Walks career: 945 season high: 87 in 1998 

Strikeouts career: 1,016 season high: 84 in 1999 

Batting Average career: .299 season high: .349 in 1994 

On Base Percentage career: .372 season high: .412 in 1994 

Slugging Percentage career: .423 season high: .536 in 1994 

Total Bases career: 3,433 season high: 295 in 1996 

Sacrifice Hits career: 72 season high: 7 in 1996 and 2003 

Fielding Percentage career: .984 season high: 1.000 in 2002 

Double Plays career: 35 season high: 4 in 1998, 2004, and 2007 led AL CF: 3 in 1994, 4 in 1998 led AL OF: 4 in 2004 (find a way to explain this without adding the also played section) 

Putouts career: 4,856 season high: 420 in 1992 

Assists career: 142 season high: 19 in 1998 led AL CF: 14 in 1992, 13 in 1994, 11 in 1995, 19 in 1998 led AL OF: 13 in 1994, 19 in 1998 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-finished fourth in the AL MVP Award voting in 1994, 11th in 1996, 15th in 1993, and finished 26th in the NL MVP voting in 1997 

-batted .357 with five stolen bases in six all-star games (1994 - 1999) 

-his 66 stolen bases in 1992 set a new AL rookie record 

-holds Cleveland Indians franchise records for both career stolen bases (452) and stolen bases in a single season (75 in 1996) 

-stole more bases in postseason play than anyone else in MLB history (34) 

-played in the postseason with more teams than any other player 

-led the AL in singles in 1993 (148) and 1994 (107)

-tied an AL record by scoring a run in 18 consecutive games in 2000 

-stole an Indians record five stolen bases in one game on September 3, 2000, and later won the game in the 13th inning with a walk off home run 

-had a 26 game hitting streak from April 29 through May 30, 2003 

-was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 2010 

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/ken-lofton-1.html