Don Kessinger

Born: 7/17/1942 in Forrest City, AR, USA

MLB Debut: 1964-09-07 | Final Game: 1979-07-31

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Donald Eulon Kessinger

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Biography

Don Kessinger was a prominent American professional baseball player, known for his time as a shortstop during a career that spanned from 1964 until 1979. Born in 1942, Kessinger made his mark in Major League Baseball with a playing style characterized by a strong defensive presence and an ability to contribute offensively. He played in 2,078 games and collected 1,931 hits, culminating in a career batting average of .252. Kessinger also demonstrated speed on the basepaths, finishing his career with 100 stolen bases, and he drove in 527 runs while hitting 14 home runs. A six-time All-Star, Kessinger was particularly recognized for his exceptional fielding skills, which helped solidify his reputation as one of the top shortstops of his era. He played primarily for the Chicago Cubs, where his leadership and performance became integral to the team during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Kessinger's contributions were significant during a time when the game was evolving, as teams began to emphasize the importance of defensive prowess and versatility in the infield. His legacy continues to be remembered by fans and historians alike, as he remains a key figure in the annals of baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
2078	7651	899	1931	254	80	14	527	100	684	759	0.252	0.314	0.312	0.626	-11858.5

Career AVG .252 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .314 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .312 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 16.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.626 vs. league average 0.692 across their career seasons — 9.6% 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
1964	CHC	NL	4	12	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.167	—	—	—	—	0.0
1965	CHC	NL	106	309	19	62	4	3	0	14	1	20	44	0.201	.245 (-18%)	.310 (-19%)	.371 (-37%)	.682 (-29%)	-1601.3
1966	CHC	NL	150	533	50	146	8	2	1	43	13	26	46	0.274	.248 (+10%)	.309 (-1%)	.376 (-20%)	.685 (-11%)	-1129.8
1967	CHC	NL	145	580	61	134	10	7	0	42	6	33	80	0.231	.242 (-5%)	.306 (-10%)	.357 (-24%)	.663 (-17%)	-1904.1
1968	CHC	NL	160	655	63	157	14	7	1	32	9	38	86	0.240	.236 (+1%)	.298 (-5%)	.340 (-16%)	.638 (-11%)	-1305.5
1969	CHC	NL	158	664	109	181	38	6	4	53	11	61	70	0.273	.248 (+10%)	.320 (+4%)	.369 (-1%)	.689 (+1%)	126.1
1970	CHC	NL	154	631	100	168	21	14	1	39	12	66	59	0.266	.253 (+5%)	.325 (+3%)	.385 (-10%)	.711 (-4%)	-405.5
1971	CHC	NL	155	617	77	159	18	6	2	38	15	52	54	0.258	.249 (+3%)	.316 (avg)	.365 (-13%)	.682 (-7%)	-759.2
1972	CHC	NL	149	577	77	158	20	6	1	39	8	67	44	0.274	.243 (+12%)	.310 (+13%)	.353 (-5%)	.664 (+3%)	569.5
1973	CHC	NL	160	577	52	151	22	3	0	43	6	57	44	0.262	.256 (+2%)	.325 (+1%)	.378 (-18%)	.703 (-9%)	-974.7
1974	CHC	NL	153	599	83	155	20	7	1	42	7	62	54	0.259	.256 (+1%)	.324 (+2%)	.369 (-13%)	.693 (-6%)	-553.7
1975	CHC	NL	154	601	77	146	26	10	0	46	4	68	47	0.243	.257 (-6%)	.327 (-3%)	.374 (-15%)	.701 (-9%)	-1143.7
1976	STL	NL	145	502	55	120	22	6	1	40	3	61	51	0.239	.255 (-6%)	.320 (avg)	.360 (-13%)	.681 (-7%)	-582.0
1977	STL	NL	59	134	14	32	4	0	0	7	0	14	26	0.239	.264 (-10%)	.329 (-6%)	.401 (-33%)	.730 (-21%)	-461.8
1977	CHW	AL	39	119	12	28	3	2	0	11	2	13	7	0.235	.264 (-11%)	.329 (-6%)	.401 (-27%)	.730 (-18%)	-461.8
1978	CHW	AL	131	431	35	110	18	1	1	31	2	36	34	0.255	.257 (-1%)	.323 (-4%)	.378 (-19%)	.702 (-12%)	-897.3
1979	CHW	AL	56	110	14	22	6	0	1	7	1	10	12	0.200	.265 (-25%)	.329 (-20%)	.397 (-29%)	.727 (-25%)	-491.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	1	0	2	0	0	0
2B	78	64	126	195	11	42
3B	28	19	13	46	5	3
SS	1955	1872	3151	6212	334	1170

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1964	CHN	SS	4	1	3	7	0	1
1965	CHN	SS	105	104	176	338	28	69
1966	CHN	SS	148	144	202	474	35	68
1967	CHN	SS	143	136	215	457	19	77
1968	CHN	SS	159	158	263	573	33	97
1969	CHN	SS	157	157	266	542	20	101
1970	CHN	SS	154	152	257	501	22	86
1971	CHN	SS	154	151	263	512	27	97
1972	CHN	SS	146	145	259	504	28	90
1973	CHN	SS	158	156	274	526	30	109
1974	CHN	SS	150	147	259	476	32	87
1975	CHN	3B	13	12	5	28	2	3
1975	CHN	SS	140	132	205	436	22	100
1976	SLN	2B	31	29	53	85	6	21
1976	SLN	3B	2	0	1	0	0	0
1976	SLN	SS	113	105	212	350	18	84
1977	SLN	2B	24	16	32	63	5	9
1977	SLN	3B	4	1	0	2	1	0
1977	SLN	SS	26	13	37	54	2	15
1977	CHA	2B	13	11	27	27	0	10
1977	CHA	3B	9	6	7	16	2	0
1977	CHA	SS	21	18	32	38	3	12
1978	CHA	2B	9	7	12	14	0	2
1978	CHA	SS	123	117	171	321	13	60
1979	CHA	1B	1	0	2	0	0	0
1979	CHA	2B	1	1	2	6	0	0
1979	CHA	SS	54	36	57	103	2	17