Kenny Lofton
Fastest CF for a decade or two who wore way too many hats
This week’s episode was with former sportswriter and HOF Voter, Jim Ingraham. Subscribe and listen to this week’s podcast on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
Our 5-point rundown of Kenny Lofton:
Plaque
One of the most physically-gifted players to ever play centerfield. Won four gold gloves and led centerfielders in outfield assists four times. Absolute menace on the base paths who stole 622 bases throughout his career. Led the AL in stolen bases five straight years. Recorded 2,428 hits, 383 doubles, and 116 triples. Hit .299 for his career and crossed the home plate 1528 times. Leadoff hitter for 11 playoff teams and holds the record for most steals in playoff history.
Stats to Care About
68.4 WAR (79th Among Position Players)
1,528 Runs (64th MLB History)
383 Doubles
116 Triples
130 Home Runs
781 RBIs
622 Stolen Bases (15th MLB History)
138 Assists out of Centerfield (16th MLB History)
.299/.372/.523 with 107 OPS+
Best Box
September 9, 2000. Cleveland Indians vs. Baltimore Orioles. Cleveland wins 12-11.
Kenny Lofton: 7 AB, 4 Runs, 4 hits, 1 Home Runs, 1 RBIs, 5 Stolen Bases
5 Bullets
Kenny Lofton came onto the HOF ballot at the absolute worst time. Remember, you can only vote for 10 players each ballot. If you think 11 players were HOFers, well that is just too damn bad. When his name joined the ballot in 2013, the following names were there beside him:
Barry Bonds
Roger Clemens
Curt Schilling
Craig Biggio (now in HOF)
Mike Piazza (now in HOF)
Sammy Sosa
Jeff Bagwell (now in HOF)
Tim Raines (now in HOF)
Jack Morris (now in HOF)
Edgar Martinez (now in HOF)
Alan Trammell (now in HOF)
Lee Smith (now in HOF)
Mark McGwire
Fred McGriff (now in HOF)
Don Mattingly
Dale Murphy
Rafael Palmeiro
Larry Walker (now in HOF)
We are going to use another bullet point to explain the above because this is ridiculous. When Lofton’s name joined the ballot, he was going against 10 players that have ended up in the HOF since, along with two of the greatest players of all-time (Bonds and Clemens), a guy who would be in the HOF already if he wasn’t such an asshole (Schilling), two players who saved baseball in 1998 (Sosa and McGwire), and Rafael Palmeiro, who is a member of the 3,000 hit club, as well as the 500 home run club. Lofton received just 3.2% of the vote that year, but to be honest, I am surprised he ever got that much support.
Comparing the ballot in 2013 to the 2023 ballot is a lot like comparing the social media options in 2013 compared to the social media options in 2023.
I love the movie “Major League.” For the longest time, I was convinced that Wesley Snipes character Willie Mays Hayes was based on Kenny Lofton. I mean, the character was an African-American centerfielder who played for the Cleveland Indians and was fast as hell. To me, it wasn’t even an assumption. It was just a fact. I was shocked to recently realize that I am an idiot, as the film came out in 1989 while Lofton did not make his MLB debut until 1991.
When people think of Lofton, they think of stolen bases and him patrolling centerfield in Cleveland. And that works. However, he is an extremely underrated hitter. He hit over .300 8 different seasons and maxed out at .349 in 1994. A .299 career batting average for a leadoff hitter can’t be overlooked.
Rushmore
Fastest Players From The Last 50 Years Rushmore:
Rickey Henderson, Tim Raines, Kenny Lofton, Vince Coleman