Bob Kearney

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Bob Kearney
Runs batted in
133
Teams

Robert Henry Kearney (born October 3, 1956), is an American former professional baseball player.[1] He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, and Seattle Mariners from 1979 to 1987.[1]

Major League career

Kearney was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the fourteenth round of the

All-Star team.[5]

Kearney began the

Topps All-Star Rookie Team and was also named the Baseball Digest All-Star Rookie Catcher Of The Year.[9][10]

Kearney was traded to the Seattle Mariners before the 1984 season, replacing Rick Sweet as their starting catcher.[3][11] Despite his strong throwing arm, he developed a reputation for poor pitch-calling skills.[12] During the 1984 season, Mariners pitchers Salomé Barojas and Mike Moore both demanded to have Orlando Mercado as their catcher.[13] This lack of pitch-calling skills along with his light-hitting caused the Mariners to trade for veteran catcher Steve Yeager before the 1986 season.[12] Yeager was expected to catch the majority of the Mariners' games however, he had a disappointing season and Kearney would eventually lead the team's catchers by appearing in 81 games.[14] In 1987, he was displaced by Scott Bradley as the Mariners' starting catcher and was released in July of that year after posting a .170 batting average in 51 games.[1][3]

Career statistics

In an eight-year career, Kearney played in 479

runs batted in.[1] He ended his career with a .987 fielding percentage.[1] Kearney led American League catchers in 1984 with 823 putouts, and in 1985, he led the league in fielding percentage with a .995 average, committing only three errors in 108 games.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Bob Kearney at Baseball Reference". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  2. ^ "1977 Major League Baseball Draft". thebaseballcube.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  3. ^ a b c "Bob Kearney Trades and Transactions". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  4. ^ "Minor league hits a peak". Rome News-Tribune. 19 July 1981. p. 3. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  5. ^ "Tribe places Henderson on All-Stars". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. 11 September 1981. p. 36. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  6. ^ "A's Pitching Woes Continue". Herald-Journal. Associated Press. 4 June 1982. p. 3. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  7. ^ "Transactions". Observer-Reporter. 7 September 1982. p. 6. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  8. ^ "1983 Oakland Athletics season". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  9. ^ "Rookie team named". The Spokesman-Review. 19 November 1983. p. 19. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  10. ^ "Rookie Catchers Of The Year". The Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  11. ^ "1984 Seattle Mariners season". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  12. ^ a b "No Middle Ground". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 13 February 1986. p. 20. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  13. ^ "It was a great year for baseball oddities". The Day. 30 December 1984. p. 9. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  14. ^ "1986 Seattle Mariners season". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  15. ^ "1984 American League Fielding Leaders". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  16. ^ "1985 American League Fielding Leaders". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 16 April 2011.

External links

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