Ken Harvey (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ken Harvey |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)
Harvey with the Kansas City Royals in 2004
|
|||
| First baseman / Designated hitter | |||
| Born: March 1, 1978 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| September 18, 2001, for the Kansas City Royals | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| May 18, 2005, for the Kansas City Royals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .274 | ||
| Home runs | 27 | ||
| Runs batted in | 126 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
Kenneth Eugene Harvey (born March 1, 1978) is a former professional baseball player. He played as a first baseman and designated hitter in Major League Baseball (MLB). A first baseman is a player who fields near first base. A designated hitter is a player who bats instead of the pitcher.
Contents
Ken Harvey's College Baseball Career
Ken Harvey was an amazing college baseball player. In 1999, he played for the University of Nebraska. He was named one of the best college players in the country. This means he earned "first-team All-America honors."
Harvey helped his team win the Big 12 Tournament title. They also made it to the NCAA tournament. He was the best hitter in the nation that year. He had a .478 batting average. This means he got a hit almost half the time he batted. He also hit 23 home runs and brought in 86 runs for his team.
Even though he was known for his hitting, Harvey was also a great fielder. He won the Easton Redline Defensive Player of the Year award in 1999. He made only two errors all season. After his fantastic college career, the Kansas City Royals picked him in the fifth round of the 1999 MLB Draft. The draft is when professional teams choose new players.
Playing in Major League Baseball
Ken Harvey started playing for the Kansas City Royals in 2003. His best season was in 2004. He had a great first half of the year. He was even competing for the best batting average in the American League.
Because he played so well, Harvey was chosen for the All-Star Game in 2004. He was the only player from the Royals picked that year. Sometimes, in games between different leagues, there is no designated hitter. When this happened, the Royals played Harvey in left field. This allowed both Harvey and their other strong hitter, Mike Sweeney, to be in the game.
Later Career and Injuries
After the All-Star break in 2004, Harvey had a tougher time. In 2005, he had to compete for his spot on the team. He was sent to the Omaha team, which is a "Triple-A" team. Triple-A teams are minor league teams, one step below the major leagues.
Harvey played well in Omaha. He hit .375 with three home runs. So, the Royals called him back to the main team. However, he only played in 12 more games. He then had to go on the disabled list because of back problems. Being on the disabled list means a player is injured and cannot play.
Independent League Baseball
After his time with the Royals, Ken Harvey continued to play baseball. In 2006, he signed a contract with the Minnesota Twins. He played in their minor league system.
Later, in 2008, he played for the Kansas City T-Bones. This team was part of the independent Northern League. Independent leagues are professional baseball leagues that are not connected to Major League Baseball teams. In 2009, he played for both the T-Bones and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the independent Atlantic League.
