Blue Bios: Adam Kennedy

Adam Thomas Kennedy   3

Born: January 10, 1976  Riverside, California

Bats: Left Throws: Right   6’1″ 195 lbs.

Career statistics (through 2011 Season)

Batting average

.272

Home runs

78

Runs batted in

555

Hits

1,444

Doubles

280

36-year old Adam Kennedy is a 13-year MLB veteran. A Southern California native, Kennedy attended J. W. North High School in Riverside where he played baseball and basketball. He then went on to college at Cal State Northridge, and had a very successful career as their shortstop. Adam set records in hits, RBI, and batting average as a Matador, and in his sophomore and junior years he led the nation in hits-the first time a player to do this in consecutive years.

The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Kennedy in the first round and 12th overall in the 1997 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut with the red birds on August 21, 1999 against the NY Mets going 0-4. He played in 33 games with the Cardinals and hit .255 for the season.

Kennedy was traded the next year to the Angels with Kent Bottenfield in exchange for Jim Edmonds. As an Angel, Kennedy had some memorable moments. On April 18, 2000 Kennedy had eight RBI in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. This tied a team record. Two seasons later in 2002, Kennedy hit three homeruns in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Minnesota Twins. There were only six other players to ever complete this feat in a postseason game: Babe Ruth, Bob Robertson, Reggie Jackson, George Brett, Adrian Beltre, and of course the newest Angel himself Albert Pujols. The Angels went on to win the 2002 NLCS, and Kennedy was named the MVP. Kennedy and the Angels would go on to defeat the Giants in the World Series in a 7-game series.

After his heyday with the Angels, Kennedy declined offensively. He played with the Angels for 7 seasons and 992 games finishing his time in Anaheim with a .280 batting average, 51 homeruns, and 353 RBI.

Kennedy then returned to his original team, the St. Louis Cardinals, for a second stint in 2007. He signed a 3-year $10 million contract with St. Louis in the offseason. After playing 87 games of the 2007 season, Kennedy was disabled with a torn medial meniscus in his right knee, and this forced him to end his season early. He only hit .219 before he went down with the injury. The next season Kennedy played in 115 games with the Cards, and he hit .280. Kennedy had been asking to be traded for some time, because he desired to be a starter. In February of 2009, the Cardinals released him.

A week later, Kennedy signed a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. He played in 23 games with their AAA team, the Durham Bulls where he hit .280.

On May 8, 2009 Kennedy was traded to the Oakland Athletics for Joe Dillon. He played in 129 games with the A’s mostly at second and third base. He hit 11 homeruns and batted .289.

On February of 2010, Kennedy signed with the Washington Nationals. He played in 135 games with Washington, and hit only .249. He also spent a little time at first base (51 games).

Kennedy’s career continued, and in 2011 he signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners. Shortly after the Mariners acquired the infielder, Kennedy ran into trouble with the law. In January, 2011 Kennedy was arrested for DUI  in Newport Beach, California. He was later charged with one count of driving under the influence of alcohol and one count of driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 percent or more. Both charges were misdemeanors.

Kennedy apologized to the Mariners and the fans.

"“I want to let you know this is not the typical character of me,” he told The Seattle Times. “It’s something I’m really ashamed of, and not proud to bring to the Seattle Mariners, especially not having put on the uniform yet. It’s my first legal trouble — something I’m definitely not looking to ever do again.”"

He made the Seattle team out of Spring Training, and played in 114 games with Seattle while he hit .234/.277/.355 with 7 homeruns and 38 RBI. He played first, second, and third base as a utility infielder.

On December 1, 2011 Kennedy signed a 1-year $800,00 deal with the Dodgers. He can also earn another $150,000 in incentives based on plate appearances.

It’s been 10 years since Kennedy’s career pinnacle and heyday in Anaheim. He’s been bouncing around on different teams over this past decade, and even spent time in the minors. Yet, he has said playing for the Dodgers is a dream come true for the SoCal native who now lives in Corona Del Mar.

"“I wasn’t a die-hard Dodger fan, but, definitely, that was the team that every kid wanted [to play] for in Southern California when I was growing up,” Kennedy said. “The Angels weren’t quite as popular then [as] they are now. It was definitely a dream to be a Dodger.”"

Kennedy realizes that he was signed as a left-handed hitting bench player this season for the Dodgers, and he will most likely have a permanent spot on that said bench. Unlike his past known displeasure at not getting a starting spot back 5 years ago with the Cardinals, he has accepted this bench and fill-in role and looks forward to it.

Kennedy has two sons- Quinn and Jonathan.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @LasordasLair and yours truly @organicallyrude