Kris Benson, baseball player, 1999-2010

Kris Benson

Born: 11/7/1974 in Kennesaw, GA, USA

MLB Debut: 1999-04-09 | Final Game: 2010-04-28

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Kristen James Benson

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Biography

Kris Benson, born in 1974, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1999 to 2010. He made his Major League Baseball debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he quickly established himself as a reliable starter. Over his career, Benson compiled a record of 70 wins and 75 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 4.42. He logged a total of 806 strikeouts, showcasing his ability to miss bats and compete at a high level, although he did not record any saves. Benson's playing style was characterized by his solid command and pitch variety, which allowed him to navigate through lineups effectively during an era marked by offensive prowess. He played for several teams throughout his career, including the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, and Baltimore Orioles, leaving a mark as a determined competitor on the mound. His contributions to the game were significant during the transition period of the early 2000s, as teams began to increasingly focus on analytics and player performance metrics. After his retirement, Benson remained a respected figure in baseball, remembered for his work ethic and contributions to his teams.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
70 75 206 200 8 2 0 1243.7 1292 611 152 441 806 4.42 0

Career ERA 4.42 vs. league average 4.43 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1999 PIT NL 11 14 31 31 2 0 0 196.7 184 89 83 139 4.07 4.71 (+14%) 2930.2
2000 PIT NL 10 12 32 32 2 1 0 217.7 206 93 86 184 3.85 4.77 (+19%) 3238.0
2002 PIT NL 9 6 25 25 0 0 0 130.3 152 68 50 79 4.70 4.28 (-10%) -1629.6
2003 PIT NL 5 9 18 18 0 0 0 105.0 127 58 36 68 4.97 4.40 (-13%) -340.7
2004 PIT NL 8 8 20 20 0 0 0 132.3 137 62 44 83 4.22 4.46 (+6%) 2884.1
2004 NYN NL 4 4 11 11 1 1 0 68.0 65 34 17 51 4.50 4.46 (-1%) 792.1
2005 NYN NL 10 8 28 28 0 0 0 174.3 171 80 49 95 4.13 4.29 (+4%) -1539.2
2006 BAL AL 11 12 30 30 3 0 0 183.0 199 98 58 88 4.82 4.53 (-6%) -5070.1
2009 TEX AL 1 1 8 2 0 0 0 22.3 33 21 12 11 8.46 4.32 (-96%) -1849.7
2010 AZ NL 1 1 3 3 0 0 0 14.0 18 8 6 8 5.14 4.08 (-26%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
208 321 23 42 7 0 1 22 0 15 127 0.131 0.175 0.162 0.337 -1637.6

Career AVG .131 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 50.7% below league average.

Career OBP .175 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 47.9% below league average.

Career SLG .162 vs. league average .423 across their career seasons — 61.7% below league average.

Career OPS 0.337 vs. league average 0.758 across their career seasons — 55.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1999 PIT NL 31 65 7 10 3 0 0 7 0 3 24 0.154 .271 (-43%) .344 (-45%) .433 (-54%) .778 (-50%) -587.5
2000 PIT NL 32 65 3 6 2 0 0 1 0 4 29 0.092 .270 (-66%) .344 (-54%) .437 (-72%) .782 (-64%) -760.1
2002 PIT NL 27 40 3 7 1 0 0 1 0 0 11 0.175 — — — — 0.0
2003 PIT NL 18 30 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 11 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2004 PIT NL 20 39 2 7 0 0 0 3 0 1 17 0.179 — — — — 0.0
2004 NYN NL 11 19 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 9 0.053 — — — — 0.0
2005 NYN NL 28 49 4 9 1 0 0 6 0 5 22 0.184 — — — — -290.0
2006 BAL AL 30 9 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 3 0.111 — — — — 0.0
2009 TEX AL 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2010 AZ NL 3 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.200 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 206 200 83 157 10 16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1999 PIT P 31 31 15 27 2 6
2000 PIT P 32 32 8 28 2 0
2002 PIT P 25 25 12 11 2 2
2003 PIT P 18 18 6 10 1 2
2004 PIT P 20 20 12 19 0 2
2004 NYN P 11 11 5 6 1 0
2005 NYN P 28 28 7 29 0 2
2006 BAL P 30 30 15 25 2 2
2009 TEX P 8 2 2 1 0 0
2010 ARI P 3 3 1 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 206

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2009 TEX AL $750,000
2007 BAL AL $7,144,556
2006 BAL AL $8,333,333
2005 NYN NL $5,333,333
2004 PIT NL $6,150,000
2003 PIT NL $4,300,000
2002 PIT NL $2,700,000
2001 PIT NL $3,450,000
2000 PIT NL $300,000
1999 PIT NL $200,000
Total Career Earnings $38,661,222

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Clemson University Clemson SC 1994, 1995, 1996

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1999 Rookie of the Year NL 4th 5.0 160 0