Howie Kendrick has come a long way since his freshman year at St. Johns River (Fla.) Community College, when his coach cut him from the baseball team.
Fast forward to 2006, where the 23-year-old second baseman with the Ty Cobb-like career batting average made his big-league debut for the Los Angeles Angels. Promoted on April 26, he struggled to a .115 average in 10 games.
He was sent back to Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, where he simply scorched PCL pitching.
Kendrick worked on being more patient at the plate and built quite a stat pack at Salt Lake: a .369 average, 13 homers and 62 RBI with a .631 slugging percentage in 69 games. He also stole 11 bases.
After playing in the Futures All-Star Game in Pittsburgh in July, he was recalled to the Angels just two days after his 23rd birthday. Through July, he was batting .333 (21-for-63) with 1 homer and 11 RBI in 19 games.
The Jacksonville native may be the heir apparent to incumbent second baseman Adam Kennedy, a free agent after this season. For the time being Angels manager Mike Scioscia is content to get Kendrick’s hot bat in the lineup. He has played first, second and third for Los Angeles.
The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Kendrick was selected by the Angels in the 10th round (29th OA) of the 2002 draft. Proving that great things come in small packages, the Angels got a lot of bang for their buck from Kendrick: He signed immediately for a paltry $100,000, hardly a fraction of a Scott Boras player's annual lunch tab.
He got off to a slow start, going 4-for-40 in rookie ball, but it has been nothing but smooth swinging ever since.
His batting averages at his five minor-league stops show the strong progress of a future career major leaguer: Arizona Angels (.318), Provo (.368), Cedar Rapids (.367), Rancho Cucamonga (.384), Arkansas (.342) and finally Salt Lake (.369). His career minor-league average is a spectacular .361.
“He’s as good a prospect as there is when it comes to hitting a fastball, at any level,’’ one American League scouts says. “He’s already shown he can hit big-league fastballs.’’
Kendrick does not get cheated at the plate. He makes contact so easily that walks and strikeouts are rare sightings. In 1,475 career minor-league at-bats, Kendrick has walked just 76 times and struck out 190 times.
Another impressive trait is that his strikeouts have remained low while his power numbers have steadily increased: 0 in 2002 (he played 42 games at the rookie level), three in 2003, 10 in 2004 (despite missing two months with a groin injury), 19 last season and then 13 this year in only 69 games for Salt Lake.
He already has been a FAB50 player, ranking 32 in 2005 and debuting at 43 in 2004.. Kendrick has been named an All-Star in the Midwest League and California League, plus his selection to this year’s Futures Game. Kendrick is considered by many baseball scouts to be the best pure-hitting prospect, a confident free swinger who rarely gets cheated at the plate.
Kendrick is blessed with quick wrists, an aggressive attitude at the plate and the kind of baseball instincts that can’t be learned from a textbook. He is a gap hitter with a compact swing who waits on pitches. He is considered average but improving defensively, and has great speed.
Career Takes Curves Unexpectedly
He says it was the curveball that gave him fits his first time around the majors earlier this season. When he returned to the minors, he saw more breaking balls.
“They were doing what they did to me in the majors,’’ he says. “It forced me to work harder.’’
In anticipation of recalling Kendrick, the Angels had him play two days a week at third base while with Salt Lake. Two days after his recall in July, Kendrick made his first start for the Angels. He doubled twice and singled in the go-ahead run in a 7-5 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
In late July, Kendrick went through a stretch in which he started at third base on a Sunday, first on a Tuesday and second on a Wednesday. He had never played first at any level prior.
"Necessity is the mother of invention," Scioscia told reporters. "We see him as a guy who can give our offense a boost, so we're going to get as creative as we can while giving us enough defensive continuity to win games.
With Kennedy’s future in Los Angeles in doubt and Kendrick’s emergence, the common thinking is that Kendrick will take over for the Angels at second base as early as next year. However, fellow rookie Casey Kotman, the onetime “third baseman of the future is flopping at third base and” Dallas McPherson (MLN FAB50 2004 No. 5) struggling at Triple-A, third base is now an option if the Angels decided to re-sign Kennedy.
Either way, it’s certain that Scioscia will find a place in his lineup for Kendrick’s bat.
Kendrick is known for his perpetual smile. He faces pressure with a “What, me worry?” attitude and appears to have the natural skill and eagerness to improve to make a major impact in the major leagues.
- Jim MANDELARO
