American baseball player
Baseball player
Mike Kinkade
|
---|
Utility player
/ Coach
|
Born:
(
1973-05-06
)
May 6, 1973
(age 51)
Livonia, Michigan
, U.S.
|
Batted:
Right
Threw:
Right
|
|
MLB:
September 8, 1998, for the New York Mets
|
NPB:
April 2, 2004, for the Hanshin Tigers
|
|
MLB:
September 28, 2003, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
|
NPB:
August 11, 2004, for the Hanshin Tigers
|
|
Batting average
| .256
|
---|
Home runs
| 13
|
---|
Runs batted in
| 48
|
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|
Batting average
| .233
|
---|
Home runs
| 3
|
---|
Runs batted in
| 7
|
---|
|
---|
|
|
|
Michael Arthur Kinkade
(born May 6, 1973) is an American
college baseball
coach and former
Major League Baseball
player. He played for the
New York Mets
,
Baltimore Orioles
, and
Los Angeles Dodgers
between 1998 and 2003, and was an assistant coach at
California State University, Bakersfield
.
Amateur career
[
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]
After graduating from
Tigard High School
in
Tigard, Oregon
, Kinkade was a star at
Washington State University
, where he played
college baseball
for the
Cougars
from 1992–1995.
[1]
He was a third-team
All-American
in
1994
,
[2]
and became the school's leader in career hits with 304, a mark he still holds.
[3]
After the 1994 season, he played
collegiate summer baseball
with the
Falmouth Commodores
of the
Cape Cod Baseball League
and was named a league all-star.
[4]
[5]
Kinkade had been drafted in by the
Milwaukee Brewers
in the 19th round of the 1994 June draft, with the 515th overall pick, but elected to return to school for his senior year instead of turning pro. The Brewers drafted him again the next year, in the ninth round with the 236th overall pick, and this time he signed the contract.
Professional career
[
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]
Milwaukee Brewers
[
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]
Kinkade was an immediate success in the minor leagues, splitting time between catching and playing in the outfield. He was a
Pioneer League
All-Star
in his first professional season in
1995
, compiling a .353
batting average
with 26
stolen bases
and more
walks
than
strikeouts
. The next season, Kinkade was again an All-Star, this time in the
Midwest League
. He was even more productive in
1997
, when he was named the
Most Valuable Player
of the class AA
Texas League
.
[6]
He batted .385 with a .455
on-base percentage
, a .588
slugging percentage
, and 17 stolen bases, though he also committed 60
errors
in the field.
New York Mets
[
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]
On July 31,
1998
, the Brewers traded Kinkade to the
New York Mets
, in exchange for
left-handed
pitcher
Bill Pulsipher
. Along with fellow pitching prospects
Jason Isringhausen
and
Paul Wilson
, Pulsipher had been promoted by the Mets as a part of "
Generation K
", a trio of
starting pitchers
who were supposed to carry the team's rotation for the next decade. Isringhausen and Wilson sustained arm injuries, while Pulsipher encountered control problems, and none enjoyed any substantial success with the Mets.
After the trade, Kinkade struggled with the Mets' AAA affiliate at
Norfolk
. He made his major league debut on September 8, 1998, in a 16?4 loss to the
Philadelphia Phillies
,
[7]
but struggled to establish himself in the bigs. Kinkade appeared in a total of 31 games with the Mets in 1998 and
1999
, but was sent all the way down to the class AA
Binghamton Mets
for the
2000
season, the same level he had mastered three years before.
Surprisingly, Kinkade's season in Binghamton marked a resurgence in his career. He was named to the
Eastern League
All-Star team, and on July 28, was traded to the
Baltimore Orioles
, giving him a fresh start with a new franchise. The Mets sent Kinkade,
Melvin Mora
,
Lesli Brea
, and prospect Pat Gorman to the Orioles, in order to acquire All-Star shortstop
Mike Bordick
for a playoff run. Bordick helped the Mets reach the
World Series
that year, but the deal proved costly; Bordick returned to the Orioles as a
free agent
that off-season, and Mora developed into a star in his own right.
Olympics
[
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]
Kinkade appeared in three games with the Orioles at the end of the year, then left for
Sydney
to represent the
United States of America
at the
2000 Summer Olympics
. America's baseball team won the
gold medal
, and Kinkade played a key role, getting on base in the seventh inning of a semifinal game against
South Korea
and scoring America's second run in a come-from-behind 3?2 win.
[8]
Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers
[
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]
Kinkade experienced his first real major league success in
2001
, batting .275 with a .345 OBP in 160
at bats
with the Orioles. He signed with the
Los Angeles Dodgers
as a free agent that off-season, then enjoyed tremendous success as a bench player, batting .380 with seven extra-base hits in only 50 at bats. Kinkade was less successful in a return engagement with the
Los Angeles Dodgers
in
2003
, though he did finish fifth in the
National League
with 16
hit-by-pitches
.
Japan and minor leagues
[
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]
He played in
Japan
with the
Hanshin Tigers
in
2004
, then spent
2005
in the
Cleveland Indians
organization with the
Buffalo Bisons
,
2006
in the
Florida Marlins
organization with the
Albuquerque Isotopes
.He spent
2007
in the
Chicago Cubs
organization with the
Iowa Cubs
and as a third baseman for the
Trenton Thunder
, the
New York Yankees
Double-A affiliate. On February 23,
2008
, he signed a minor league contract with the
Seattle Mariners
.
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]