Jason Kendall

Born: 6/26/1974 in San Diego, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1996-04-01 | Final Game: 2010-08-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 181 lbs

Full name: Jason Daniel Kendall

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Biography

Jason Kendall was a prominent American professional baseball player known for his exceptional skills as a catcher and his versatility as a position player. Born in 1974, Kendall's career spanned from 1996 to 2010, during which he played in 2,085 games and became a key figure in Major League Baseball. He was recognized for his adept batting ability, finishing his career with a .288 batting average and accumulating 2,195 hits. His offensive contributions also included 75 home runs and 744 RBIs, demonstrating his capability to drive in runs and maintain consistent production at the plate. Kendall was celebrated for his speed on the basepaths, amassing 189 stolen bases throughout his career, a notable feat for a catcher. His agility and baseball IQ allowed him to excel not only in hitting but also in managing the game from behind the plate. He earned three All-Star selections and was honored as The Sporting News Rookie Player of the Year, establishing himself as one of the standout players of his generation. As a player who navigated the changing landscape of baseball in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Kendall's career remains significant for his blend of offensive prowess and defensive acumen, solidifying his legacy in the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
2085	7627	1030	2195	394	35	75	744	189	721	686	0.288	0.366	0.378	0.744	439.9

Career AVG .288 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — +8.3% above league average.

Career OBP .366 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — +9.2% above league average.

Career SLG .378 vs. league average .423 across their career seasons — 10.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.744 vs. league average 0.758 across their career seasons — near 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
1996	PIT	NL	130	414	54	124	23	5	3	42	5	35	30	0.300	.269 (+11%)	.340 (+9%)	.426 (-6%)	.767 (+1%)	174.5
1997	PIT	NL	144	486	71	143	36	4	8	49	18	49	53	0.294	.266 (+10%)	.336 (+16%)	.419 (+4%)	.756 (+9%)	1192.3
1998	PIT	NL	149	535	95	175	36	3	12	75	26	51	51	0.327	.266 (+23%)	.335 (+23%)	.420 (+13%)	.755 (+17%)	2229.5
1999	PIT	NL	78	280	61	93	20	3	8	41	22	38	32	0.332	.271 (+22%)	.344 (+24%)	.433 (+18%)	.778 (+21%)	1274.2
2000	PIT	NL	152	579	112	185	33	6	14	58	22	79	79	0.320	.270 (+18%)	.344 (+19%)	.437 (+7%)	.782 (+13%)	1946.4
2001	PIT	NL	157	606	84	161	22	2	10	53	13	44	48	0.266	.263 (+1%)	.332 (+1%)	.426 (-16%)	.758 (-9%)	-921.8
2002	PIT	NL	145	545	59	154	25	3	3	44	15	49	29	0.283	.261 (+8%)	.331 (+6%)	.416 (-15%)	.747 (-6%)	-445.4
2003	PIT	NL	150	587	84	191	29	3	6	58	8	49	40	0.325	.264 (+23%)	.332 (+20%)	.422 (-2%)	.754 (+8%)	1350.3
2004	PIT	NL	147	574	86	183	32	0	3	51	11	60	41	0.319	.266 (+20%)	.335 (+19%)	.427 (-9%)	.762 (+3%)	822.3
2005	OAK	AL	150	601	70	163	28	1	0	53	8	50	39	0.271	.264 (+3%)	.330 (+4%)	.418 (-23%)	.749 (-11%)	-1131.0
2006	OAK	AL	143	552	76	163	23	0	1	50	11	53	54	0.295	.269 (+10%)	.336 (+9%)	.431 (-21%)	.768 (-8%)	-618.4
2007	OAK	AL	80	292	24	66	10	0	2	22	3	12	27	0.226	.268 (-16%)	.335 (-22%)	.422 (-34%)	.758 (-29%)	-1604.8
2007	CHC	NL	57	174	21	47	10	1	1	19	0	19	15	0.270	.268 (+1%)	.335 (+8%)	.422 (-16%)	.758 (-5%)	-1604.8
2008	MIL	NL	151	516	46	127	30	2	2	49	8	50	45	0.246	.263 (-7%)	.333 (-2%)	.416 (-22%)	.749 (-13%)	-1271.7
2009	MIL	NL	134	452	48	109	19	2	2	43	7	46	58	0.241	.262 (-8%)	.332 (-1%)	.417 (-27%)	.750 (-15%)	-1240.6
2010	KCR	AL	118	434	39	111	18	0	0	37	12	37	45	0.256	.257 (-1%)	.325 (-2%)	.402 (-26%)	.728 (-16%)	-1232.3

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
12	49	1	11	1	0	0	3	2	9	0.224

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2008	NLDS2	MIL	4	14	0	2	0	1	0	2	0.143
2007	NLDS1	CHN	1	4	0	1	0	1	0	1	0.250
2006	ALCS	OAK	4	17	0	5	0	0	2	2	0.294
2006	ALDS2	OAK	3	14	1	3	1	1	0	4	0.214

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
C	2025	1990	13019	989	144	148
OF	29	27	48	1	5	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1996	PIT	C	129	117	797	71	18	10
1997	PIT	C	142	139	952	103	11	20
1998	PIT	C	144	143	1015	58	9	10
1999	PIT	C	75	74	505	48	7	13
2000	PIT	C	147	145	990	81	10	12
2001	PIT	C	133	127	739	52	12	7
2001	PIT	OF	27	27	47	1	5	0
2002	PIT	C	143	140	797	64	9	13
2003	PIT	C	146	145	841	48	10	3
2004	PIT	C	146	145	998	78	10	13
2005	OAK	C	147	146	986	51	7	6
2006	OAK	C	141	141	924	54	5	9
2007	OAK	C	80	80	485	34	4	4
2007	OAK	OF	2	0	1	0	0	0
2007	CHN	C	52	50	362	24	5	2
2008	MIL	C	149	149	1025	94	6	13
2009	MIL	C	133	131	882	61	8	2
2010	KCA	C	118	118	721	68	13	11

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Catcher	2025
Left Field	20
Right Field	10
Designated Hitter	4

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
1998	Player of the Week	Week of 1998-08-15
1996	TSN Rookie Player of the Year

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
2011	KCA	AL	$3,750,000
2010	KCA	AL	$2,250,000
2009	MIL	NL	$5,000,000
2008	MIL	NL	$4,250,000
2007	OAK	AL	$12,858,194
2006	OAK	AL	$11,492,454
2005	OAK	AL	$10,571,429
2004	PIT	NL	$8,571,429
2003	PIT	NL	$8,571,429
2002	PIT	NL	$6,571,429
2001	PIT	NL	$5,100,000
2000	PIT	NL	$2,250,000
1999	PIT	NL	$1,250,000
1998	PIT	NL	$600,000
1997	PIT	NL	$235,000
1996	PIT	NL	$109,000
Total Career Earnings			$83,430,364