Kevin Mitchell (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kevin Mitchell |
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Mitchell in 2016
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| Left fielder | |||
| Born: January 13, 1962 San Diego, California, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: September 4, 1984, for the New York Mets | |||
| NPB: April 1, 1995, for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| NPB: August 8, 1995, for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks | |||
| MLB: August 3, 1998, for the Oakland Athletics | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .284 | ||
| Home runs | 234 | ||
| Runs batted in | 760 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .300 | ||
| Home runs | 8 | ||
| Runs batted in | 28 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Kevin Darnell Mitchell (born January 13, 1962) is a former professional baseball player from the United States. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) and Nippon Professional Baseball from 1984 to 1998. Mitchell was chosen for the MLB All-Star team twice. In 1989, he won the National League Most Valuable Player Award and the Silver Slugger Award. That year, he also led the league in home runs and runs batted in.
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Early Life and Baseball Start
Kevin Mitchell was born and grew up in San Diego. He was raised by his mother, Alma, and his grandmother, Josie Whitfield. They both encouraged him to play sports.
Mitchell did not play baseball in high school. He joined the New York Mets as a free agent after trying out at Grossmont College. He received a $1,500 bonus and a monthly salary.
Playing Career Highlights
New York Mets
Kevin Mitchell made his first major league appearance on September 4, 1984. This was against the St. Louis Cardinals. He played in seven games that year.
In 1986, Mitchell returned to the Mets. He hit .277 with 12 home runs and 43 RBI in 108 games. He was part of the team that won the 1986 World Series. In Game 6 of the World Series, Mitchell got a hit that helped the Mets score a tying run. The Mets then won that game and the series. This gave Mitchell his only World Series championship ring.
On December 11, 1986, the Mets traded Mitchell to the San Diego Padres. He played for the Padres for half of the 1987 season.
San Francisco Giants
On July 4, 1987, Mitchell was traded to the San Francisco Giants. He quickly became a star player for them. He hit .306 with 15 home runs and 44 RBI in 69 games after the trade. In 1988, Mitchell hit 19 home runs and had 80 RBI.
Most Valuable Player Season
Mitchell had his best season in 1989 when he moved to play in the outfield. He hit .291 and led the league with 47 home runs and 125 RBI in 154 games. His great performance helped the Giants reach the playoffs. He won the National League's Most Valuable Player award. This was the first time a Giants player won this award since Willie McCovey in 1969.
Mitchell was also chosen for his first All-Star team in 1989. He led all of Major League Baseball in several important stats.
In the 1989 postseason, Mitchell played very well. He hit .353 with two home runs and 7 RBI in the NLCS. This helped the Giants get to the 1989 World Series for the first time since 1962. Mitchell got a hit in every game of the World Series. However, the Oakland Athletics won the series in four games.
The Barehanded Catch
Mitchell made a very famous play on April 26, 1989. He was playing left field in St. Louis. A ball was hit by Ozzie Smith. Mitchell ran for the ball and realized he had run past it. But he reached back and caught the ball with his bare hand! This amazing play showed how talented he was.
Remaining Time with Giants
Mitchell was an All-Star again in 1990. He finished that season hitting .290 with 35 home runs and 93 RBI. In 1991, he hit 27 home runs and had 69 RBI.
Later Career Teams
On December 11, 1991, Mitchell was traded to the Seattle Mariners. He started slowly but improved later in the season. Overall, he hit .286 with nine home runs and 67 RBI in 99 games for the Mariners.
In November 1992, Mitchell was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. He played very well for the Reds in 1993 and 1994. In 1993, he hit .341 with 19 home runs. In the 1994 season, which was shorter due to a strike, he hit .323 with 30 home runs.
Because of the baseball strike, Mitchell decided to play in Japan in 1995. He played for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. He was the highest-paid player in Japanese baseball history at that time. He only played for two months in Japan.
In 1996, Mitchell signed with the Boston Red Sox. He hit .304 with two home runs in 27 games. He was then traded back to the Cincinnati Reds. He finished the season strong with the Reds, hitting .325 with six home runs.
Mitchell signed with the Cleveland Indians in December 1996. He played 20 games for them before being released in June 1997.
In 1998, Mitchell signed with the Oakland Athletics. He played in 51 games for them before being released in August. After this, Mitchell played for two more seasons in independent baseball leagues before he officially retired.
Since retiring, Kevin Mitchell lives in San Diego. He plays in the San Diego Adult Baseball League for a team called the San Diego Black Sox.
Career Overview
During his 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, Kevin Mitchell played for eight different teams. He had a career batting average of .284. He hit 234 home runs and had 760 runs batted in. He also scored 630 runs, had 1,173 hits, 224 doubles, and 25 triples.
Kevin Mitchell's cousin, Keith Mitchell, also played in Major League Baseball. He played for four teams between 1991 and 1998.
Images for kids
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Mitchell in 2016
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
