Kenny Lofton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kenny Lofton
Lofton in 2019
Center fielder
Born: (1967-05-31) May 31, 1967 (age 58) East Chicago, Indiana, U.S.
Batted: Left Threw: Left
debut
September 14, 1991, for the Houston Astros
Last appearance
September 29, 2007, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
Batting average	.299
Hits	2,428
Home runs	130
Runs batted in	781
Stolen bases	622
Teams
Houston Astros (1991) Cleveland Indians (1992–1996) Atlanta Braves (1997) Cleveland Indians (1998–2001) Chicago White Sox (2002) San Francisco Giants (2002) Pittsburgh Pirates (2003) Chicago Cubs (2003) New York Yankees (2004) Philadelphia Phillies (2005) Los Angeles Dodgers (2006) Texas Rangers (2007) Cleveland Indians (2007)
Career highlights and awards
6× All-Star (1994–1999) 4× Gold Glove Award (1993–1996) 5× AL stolen base leader (1992–1996) Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame

Kenneth Lofton (born May 31, 1967) is a former American Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He was a speedy center fielder. Lofton was chosen for the All-Star Game six times (1994–1999). He also won the Gold Glove Award four times (1993–1996). When he retired, he had 622 stolen bases, which was 15th all-time. He played for many teams, including the Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, and New York Yankees.

Before playing baseball, Lofton went to the University of Arizona on a basketball scholarship. His college team, the Wildcats, reached the Final Four in 1988. He joined the school's baseball team in his junior year.

Lofton played in the postseason 11 times. This included playing in the World Series in 1995 with the Indians and in 2002 with the Giants. From 2001 to 2007, he did not stay with one team for more than a year. The Cleveland Indians were the only team he played for longer than one season. He played about nine and a half seasons with the Indians. He helped them win six division titles. In 2010, he was put into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame.

During his baseball career, Lofton led the American League (AL) in stolen bases five times. He led all of MLB three times. In 1994, he led the AL in hits. In 1995, he led MLB in triples. Lofton holds the record for most stolen bases in the postseason with 34. He broke Rickey Henderson's record in 2007.

Early Life and High School Years

Lofton grew up in East Chicago, Indiana. His grandmother, Rosie Person, raised him. His mother had him when she was in high school. Lofton was born very small, weighing only 3 lb (1.4 kg). His mother moved away and they lost touch for a while. Lofton's grandmother had poor eyesight and could not work. She received Social Security after her husband passed away. When Lofton became a major league player, he built a new home for his grandmother.

Lofton went to Washington High School. He played baseball as a pitcher and center fielder. He was also a top basketball player in his state.

Lofton is related to the actor Cirroc Lofton. Cirroc Lofton played Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

College Sports Career

Lofton playing for the Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team around 1987

Lofton received a scholarship to play college basketball at the University of Arizona. He was a backup point guard for the Arizona Wildcats. In 1988, his team reached the Final Four of the 1988 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The next year, he was the starting point guard. The Wildcats made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Lofton is one of only two men to play in a college basketball Final Four and an MLB World Series. He left Arizona as the team's leader in career steals.

Lofton decided to try out for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team in his junior year. He played in only five baseball games. But baseball scouts noticed his speed and potential. The Houston Astros picked Lofton in the 17th round of the 1988 MLB draft. He played minor-league baseball in the summer. He finished his basketball studies at Arizona. The Astros wanted him to play in a special league. But Lofton said no because he promised his grandmother he would get his college degree.

Lofton earned a degree in studio production from the University of Arizona. He played minor-league baseball while studying. He later used this education in his business after baseball. Lofton is also a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Minor League Baseball

A 1988 Auburn Astros team photo

Lofton had a tough start in the Astros' minor league system. In 1988, he hit .214 in 48 games for the Auburn Astros. But he stole 26 bases out of 30 tries. He returned to Auburn in 1989. He hit .263 and stole 26 bases in 34 games. Then he played for the Asheville Tourists. He hit .329 with 14 steals in 22 games.

After his college basketball career ended, Lofton focused on baseball. He quickly got better. He finished second in his league with a .331 batting average. He also stole 62 bases for the Osceola Astros. He improved his defense and played in 123 games.

In 1991, he went straight to the Triple-A Tucson Toros. He led the league with 168 hits. He hit .308 with 30 steals. The Toros won their league championship. Lofton was named to the league's All-Star team. On September 14, 1991, the Astros called Lofton up to the major leagues.

Major League Baseball Career

First MLB Season

Lofton made his MLB debut with the Houston Astros on September 14, 1991. He had a great first game against the Cincinnati Reds. He got 3 hits in 4 tries, including a double, and scored three runs. He hit .203 in 20 games that season. The Astros already had Steve Finley as their center fielder. So, Lofton was traded to the Cleveland Indians. Lofton later said, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

Playing for the Cleveland Indians

Lofton with the Indians in 1996

In his first season with Cleveland in 1992, Lofton hit .285. He stole 66 bases. This broke the record for an AL rookie. It was also the most by any MLB rookie since 1985. His 66 stolen bases also broke a Cleveland team record. Indians coach Dave Nelson helped Lofton improve his base running and bunting. Lofton became one of the best bunters in baseball history. He finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year award voting. After one season, Lofton signed a four-year contract with Cleveland. The next year, he stole 70 bases, breaking his own team record. He led all of MLB in stolen bases. Lofton was chosen for his first All-Star Game in 1994.

Brewers manager Phil Garner saw Lofton's quick improvement. He said Lofton went from a player who could barely hit the ball to a consistent hitter. He also learned to run bases much better. The 1994 season ended early because of an MLB strike. The World Series was canceled. Lofton still led the AL with 60 stolen bases. His 160 hits were the most in the AL. His .349 batting average was his best ever. He finished fourth in the MVP Award voting.

In 1995, Lofton was one of six Cleveland players who hit .300 or higher (.310). He also had 13 triples, the most in MLB. He led the AL in stolen bases for the third year in a row with 54. The Indians played the Seattle Mariners in the 1995 ALCS. In a key moment, Lofton bunted, stole second base, and then scored from second on a passed ball. This helped the Indians win the game. The Indians won the ALCS. They brought the AL pennant to Cleveland for the first time since 1954. Lofton said he was happy for the city of Cleveland. The Indians lost the World Series to the Atlanta Braves. Lofton hit .200 and stole six bases in his first World Series. He later said this was his toughest playoff loss.

In 1996, the Indians had the best record in baseball again. Lofton's 75 stolen bases led all of MLB. He hit .317 and had a career-high 67 runs batted in. The Indians lost in the playoffs to the Baltimore Orioles.

Near the end of spring training in 1997, Lofton was traded to the Atlanta Braves. The Indians traded him because he could become a free agent soon. Lofton had been a very important player for the Indians. He had played in three All-Star games and won four Gold Glove Awards. He also led the AL in stolen bases for five straight seasons.

Time with the Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves traded Marquis Grissom and David Justice to the Indians for Lofton and Alan Embree. Lofton was happy to be back in the National League. By April 1997, the Braves were playing very well. Lofton was hitting .453 and his new teammates liked him. He got 29 hits in 10 games, which was a lot. For the season, Lofton hit .333 and stole 27 bases. He was caught stealing 20 times, which was the most in MLB. Atlanta won their division. The Braves swept the Houston Astros in the playoffs. But they lost to the Florida Marlins in the next round. This was Lofton's only season with the Braves.

Back to Cleveland

Lofton was a very wanted free agent after the 1997 season. He returned to the Cleveland Indians. He signed a three-year, $24 million contract. Lofton was happy to be back. He said, "It's like I was a ghost for a year. But now I'm back." In 1998, Lofton's batting average was .282. But he had a career-high 87 walks. He stole 54 bases, twice as many as the year before. The Indians won their division. They beat the Boston Red Sox in the playoffs. Lofton hit .375 in that series. But the Indians lost to the New York Yankees in the next round.

In 1999, Lofton hit .301 but stole only 25 bases. The Indians won their division again. But they lost to the Boston Red Sox in the playoffs. Lofton hurt his shoulder in Game 5.

On September 3, 2000, Lofton tied an MLB record. He scored runs in 18 games in a row. He also tied a team record with five stolen bases in one game. He won that game with a walk-off home run in the 13th inning. He finished 2000 hitting .278. He stole 30 bases and scored 107 runs. He also hit a career-high 15 home runs. The Indians missed the playoffs that year.

In 2001, the Indians returned to the playoffs. Lofton scored the winning run in a game against the Seattle Mariners. The Indians were down by 12 runs but came back to win. This was one of the biggest comebacks in MLB history. Cleveland lost to the Mariners in the playoffs. Lofton hit a career-low .261 that year. He had been dealing with a rib injury. His second time with Cleveland ended in 2001. He became a free agent.

Chasing a World Series Ring

In 2002, Lofton signed a one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox. He said it was an easy decision because the White Sox were a good team. When the White Sox played the Indians in April, Lofton played very well against his old team. He had 6 hits in 14 tries. White Sox manager Jerry Manuel said Lofton was "simply amazing." Lofton played 93 games for the White Sox. He hit .259 and stole 22 bases. On July 28, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants.

In the Giants' playoff series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Lofton got a key hit. He hit a single that scored the winning run. This helped the Giants win their first pennant since 1989. Giants manager Dusty Baker said Lofton was a "big-game player." The Giants played the Anaheim Angels in the World Series. The Giants were close to winning, but the Angels came back and won Game 6. The Angels then won Game 7. Lofton lost his second World Series.

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Lofton for the 2003 season. He hit .277 and stole 18 bases in 84 games. Then he was traded to the Chicago Cubs. He was reunited with manager Dusty Baker. Lofton helped the Cubs win their division. The Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves in the playoffs. Lofton hit .286 and stole three bases in that series. The Cubs were up 3-1 in the next series against the Florida Marlins. But the Marlins came back and won. Lofton's .323 batting average led the Cubs in that series.

Lofton moved again on December 23, 2003. The New York Yankees signed him to a two-year contract. During a game in Cleveland, Lofton got his 2,000th career hit. Indians fans gave him a standing ovation. He said it was special to get it in Cleveland. The Yankees had the best record in the AL that year. They beat the Minnesota Twins in the playoffs. In the next series against the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees were up 3-0. Lofton said he wanted to win a championship. But the Yankees lost the next four games. They became the first MLB team to lose a series after being up 3-0.

Lofton played 83 games with the Yankees. He felt manager Joe Torre did not use him enough. He hit .275 and stole a career-low seven bases. The Yankees traded Lofton to the Philadelphia Phillies in December 2004. Lofton said it was tough to keep moving teams. He just wanted a chance to play.

With the Phillies, Lofton hit .335 in 110 games. This was the highest batting average on the team. He also stole 22 bases. The Phillies finished close to making the playoffs. Near the end of his career, Lofton was in a DHL Express TV commercial. It made fun of how often he changed teams.

Lofton in 2007

On December 12, 2006, the Texas Rangers signed Lofton. By signing with the Rangers, Lofton tied a record for playing on the most teams for a position player. In 84 games with the Rangers, he hit .303.

On July 27, 2007, the Rangers traded Lofton back to the Indians. This was his third time with the team. Lofton said his main goal was to win a World Series ring. The fans in Cleveland gave him a standing ovation. Lofton said, "I missed being in Cleveland." In Game 1 of the 2007 playoffs against the Yankees, he had 3 hits and 4 RBIs. He also stole a base, tying the MLB record for most postseason stolen bases. In Game 2, he scored the winning run. In Game 3 of the next series, the 40-year-old Lofton hit a two-run home run. He became one of the oldest players to hit a postseason home run. Lofton then set a new MLB record with his 34th career postseason stolen base. The Indians were up 3-1 in the series. But they lost to the Boston Red Sox. Lofton became a free agent after the season. He did not sign with another MLB team.

From 2002 to 2007, Lofton played for eight different teams. He made it to the playoffs with four of them. Joe Torre said that teams wanted Lofton because he could help them win.

Retirement and Hall of Fame

Kenny Lofton's 622 stolen bases rank him 15th all-time in MLB history. He holds the Indians' record for stolen bases with 452. Lofton had a career batting average of .299. He hit 130 home runs and scored 1,528 runs in 2,103 games. He was also named MLB Player of the Week three times. Lofton played in 95 postseason games. In the playoffs, he hit .247 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs. Baseball historian Bill James called Lofton the "fastest player" and "best bunter" of the 1990s.

On January 27, 2010, Lofton was chosen for the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame. He was officially inducted on August 7, 2010.

Lofton was eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013. Some people thought his career numbers were good enough for the Hall of Fame. However, he did not get enough votes to stay on the ballot for future years. In 2015, Pedro Martínez, a great pitcher from Lofton's time, said Lofton was one of the hardest hitters to pitch against. Many baseball fans believe Lofton should be in the Hall of Fame.

Post-Playing Career

Lofton has his own television production company called FilmPool, Inc. In 1997, he was a guest star on The Wayans Bros.. In 2004, he appeared on George Lopez. Lofton helped write a song called "What If" for Ruben Studdard's 2006 album Soulful. In 2008, Lofton played in a celebrity golf tournament. He played golf often when he was a player. In 2011, the Indians hired Lofton to coach baserunning and outfield work. He also worked as a commentator for the Los Angeles Dodgers postgame show. Lofton says he is a perfectionist. He likes to keep things very clean and tidy.

See also

In Spanish: Kenny Lofton para niños