Tuesday, May 26, 2009

1989 Topps Major League Debut #105: Kenny Rogers



Kenny Rogers

PHOTO: Not much to say about this photo, except that there appears to be a snow-covered log cabin behind Rogers on the left.

STAT: From 1989 to 2008, Rogers was 7th in baseball in wins, ahead of Curt Schilling, John Smoltz, and Jamie Moyer.

ANAGRAM: Kenny Rogers, P, Rangers = Angry sponger Ken errs...

CAREER: 6/10

Boy, it's tough to score Rogers. He's currently a free agent and his career is probably over, but he did a lot of good things. He is often maligned for his poor post-season performances with both the Yankees and Mets, especially given how well he pitched for the Tigers (including the playoffs) later in his career.

The fact of the matter is that this guy was a very good pitcher. He won 219 games with a .584 W-L% although he did benefit tremendously from playing for excellent offensive teams. (His neutralized pitching record is actually under .500, a remarkable drop.) Still, until his last season in 2008, ne never had a losing record in any full season with more than 22 starts.

3 comments:

  1. I agree that the Gambler was a very good pitcher. I don't know which moment he will be remembered most for. His perfect game (I caught the last two innings on the radio driving home from work that night), shoving the camera man during his last stint in Texas, or the "dirty" ball in the 2006 World Series.

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  2. Not a terribly likeable guy, but a better pitcher than a lot of people give him credit for.

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  3. I always thought Rogers looked a little like George Clooney, but here he looks more like this guy.

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