Shortstop, Detroit
Tigers
Age: 22
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’2” Weight: 187
Prior to 1953:
A native of,
Wisconsin, Kuenn (pronounced keen) was a star athlete at Milwaukee Lutheran
High School who lettered in basketball and football as well as baseball where
he batted .425 over his varsity career. Turning down bonus offers from major
league teams, he moved on to the Univ. of Wisconsin where he played shortstop
and continued to develop as a hitter. After completing his junior year in 1952
he signed with the Tigers for $55,000, despite concerns about a knee injury
suffered while playing football. Assigned to Davenport of the Class B
Illinois-Indiana-Iowa (or Three I) League, he played in 63 games and batted
.340, earning a September call-up to the Tigers where Kuenn hit .325 in 19
games. A line-drive hitter who was tall and rangy he was named the starting
shortstop for 1953.
1953 Season Summary
Appeared in 155
games
SS – 155
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate Appearances
– 731 [1]
At Bats – 679 [1]
Runs – 94 [6,
tied with Ray Boone]
Hits – 209 [1]
Doubles – 33 [4,
tied with Billy Goodman]
Triples – 7 [10,
tied with Eddie Yost, Jim Busby & Gil McDougald]
Home Runs – 2
RBI – 48
Bases on Balls
– 50
Int. BB – 2
Strikeouts – 31
Stolen Bases – 6
[14, tied with Billy Martin]
Caught Stealing
– 5 [15, tied with five others]
Average - .308 [6]
OBP - .356
Slugging Pct. -
.386
Total Bases – 262
[6]
GDP – 10
Hit by Pitches
– 1
Sac Hits – 1
Sac Flies – N/A
League-leading plate
appearances were +18 ahead of runner-up Eddie Yost
League-leading at
bats were +55 ahead of runner-up Nellie Fox
League-leading
hits were +4 ahead of runner-up Mickey Vernon
Midseason
snapshot: H – 111, HR – 2, RBI – 23, AVG - .310, OBP - .363
---
Most hits, game
– 3 on 21 occasions
Longest hitting
streak – 15 games
Most HR, game –
1 (in 4 AB) at Chicago White Sox 5/10, (in 4 AB) at Phila. A’s 6/24
HR at home – 0
HR on road – 2
Multi-HR games
– 0
Most RBIs, game
– 4 at Washington 6/26
Pinch-hitting –
No appearances
Fielding
Chances – 770
Put Outs – 308
Assists – 441
Errors – 21
DP - 78
Pct. - .973
Awards & Honors:
AL Rookie of
the Year: BBWAA
All-Star
15th
in AL MVP voting (23 points, 7% share)
AL ROY Voting:
Harvey Kuenn,
Det.: 23 of 24 votes, 96% share
Tom Umphlett,
BosRS.: 1 vote, 4% share
---
Tigers went 60-94
to finish sixth in the AL, 40.5 games behind the pennant-winning New York
Yankees while leading the league in hits (1479) and doubles (259).
Aftermath of ‘53:
Kuenn followed
up on his outstanding rookie season by batting .306 in 1954 and again leading
the AL in hits (201) while compiling 28 doubles, 6 triples, 5 home runs, and 48
RBIs and scoring 81 runs. He also led all AL shortstops with 818 chances, 294
put outs, and 496 assists and finished eighth in league MVP voting. In 1955
Kuenn led the league with 38 doubles while hitting .306 with 8 home runs and 62
RBIs. Among AL shortstops he placed second in put outs (253) and, more unfortunately,
errors (29). Kuenn was once again the AL leader in hits in 1956 with 196 that
included 32 doubles, 7 triples, and a career-high 12 home runs to go along with
a .332 batting average and 88 RBIs. He was again among league statistical
leaders at shortstop and placed fourth in MVP balloting. He was typically seen
on the field with a bulge in his cheek from a chew of tobacco. Injuries caused
Kuenn to slump both at the plate and in the field in 1957 as his production
dropped to .277 with 30 doubles, 6 triples, 9 home runs, and 44 RBIs, although
he was still an All-Star for the fifth consecutive season. Shifted to center
field in 1958, where he adapted well, his batting average rebounded to .319 and
he topped the league with 39 doubles while also compiling 8 home runs and 54
RBIs. Kuenn was the AL batting champion in 1959, hitting .353 with a
circuit-leading 198 hits and 42 doubles while also accumulating 7 triples, 9
home runs, and 71 RBIs. A leader in the Player’s Association who was a tough
contract negotiator, Kuenn sought a major pay increase in the offseason. Just
prior to the 1960 season he was dealt to the Cleveland Indians in a notorious
trade for outfielder Rocky Colavito, the reigning home run champion. Taking
Colavito’s spot in right field, Kuenn batted .308 with 9 home runs and 54 RBIs
during an injury-riddled season. He was traded again in the offseason, this
time to the San Franciso Giants for LHP Johnny Antonelli and outfielder Willie
Kirkland. Playing in the outfield and at third base in 1961 his average dropped
to .265 with 5 home runs and 46 RBIs. The versatile Kuenn primarily played in
left field in 1962 and contributed a .304 average, 10 home runs, and 68 RBIs to
the pennant-winning Giants. In his only postseason appearance and playing with
a broken finger, he hit just .083 in 12 at bats in the World Series loss to the
Yankees. Utilized more in a utility role in 1963 he appeared in 120 games and
hit .290 with 6 home runs and 31 RBIs. Playing in 111 games in 1964, with 88 of
them in the outfield, Kuenn batted .262. A month into the 1965 season he was
traded to the Chicago Cubs where his average dropped to .217 over the course of
54 games. Dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies early during the 1966 season Kuenn
appeared in 86 games as a utility player and batted .296 in his final major
league campaign. He retired in the spring of 1967 to take an on-air position
with a Milwaukee television station. Overall for his major league career he
batted .303 with 2092 hits that included 356 doubles, 56 triples, and 87 home
runs. He further scored 950 runs and compiled 671 RBIs. His numbers with the
Tigers were a .314 batting average with 1372 hits, 619 runs scored, 244
doubles, 43 triples, 53 home runs, and 423 RBIs. Kuenn was an All-Star during
eight consecutive seasons, including all seven with Detroit. He finished in the
Top 20 in league MVP voting seven times. Following his playing career, Kuenn
spent a couple of years working for a television station and then became
hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers. He also encountered health problems,
one of which resulted in the amputation of his right leg below the knee. He
became manager of the Brewers during the 1982 season, guiding the hard-hitting
squad known as “Harvey’s Wallbangers” to the AL pennant. He was relieved after
the 1983 season and he remained as a minor-league hitting instructor and coach with
the Brewers until his death in 1988 at age 57.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of
the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America
(1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from
its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major
league.
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