A Catcher That Can Hit, Be Hit, and Run

Jason Kendall was a catcher with a super power: Baseballs appeared drawn to him like a magnet. Kendall was hit by 254 pitches over a 15 year career, ranking him 5th on the all-time career leaderboard. If these trips to first base had been singles instead, his career batting average would have been 23 points higher and would rank ahead of Derek Jeter and Don Mattingly.

Kendall wasn’t a power hitter but made contact instead. He accumulated over 2,000 hits and made the most of every instance of getting on base. Frequently leading off the order, he stole bases at an amazing clip for a catcher. His 189 career steals are among the highest ever as a backstop. The record books list Roger Bresnahan as the catcher with the most career steals, though it should be noted that Kendall has the highest total while actually in the game at that position. Bresnahan recorded many of his steals as a deadball era outfielder and pitcher.