Kenny Lofton
Kenneth Lofton is an American former Major League Baseball center fielder. Lofton was a six-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove Award winner, and is currently ranked 15th among all-time stolen-base leaders with 622. During his career, he played for the Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Texas Rangers.
Lofton attended the University of Arizona on a basketball scholarship. The Wildcats made it to the Final Four in 1988. He did not join the school's baseball team until his junior year.
Lofton made 11 postseason appearances, including World Series appearances in 1995 and 2002 with the Indians and Giants, respectively. From 2001 to 2007, Lofton did not spend more than one consecutive season with a team. For his career, the Indians were the only team he played with for longer than one season and the only franchise he played for more than once. Lofton played seasons with the Indians, helping the organization win six division titles. In 2010, he was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame.
During his professional baseball career, Lofton's single-season stolen-base count led the American League on five occasions and all of MLB three times. In 1994, he led the AL in hits, and in 1995, he led the majors in triples. Lofton holds the all-time postseason stolen-base record with 34, having broken Rickey Henderson's record in 2007. Of his base running, Frank White said, "Lofton has out-thought a lot of major-league players" and later, "a smart, complete baseball player."
Early life
Lofton was raised by his widowed grandmother, Rosie Person, in East Chicago, Indiana. His mother, Annie, had Lofton while she was in high school; he weighed just at birth. His mother moved to Alabama after she graduated and lost contact with Lofton during his childhood. Of his father, Lofton said, "We, as a family, don't even talk about it." Person had glaucoma, and because of her failing eyesight, was unemployed. She refused to go on welfare, but did collect Social Security as a result of her husband's death in 1960. When Lofton made the majors, he built a new home in East Chicago for his grandmother and other family members.Lofton attended Washington High School in East Chicago and played on the school's baseball team as a pitcher and center fielder. He was an all-state basketball player.
Lofton is distantly related to the actor Cirroc Lofton, who played Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
College basketball and baseball
Lofton accepted a scholarship from the University of Arizona to play college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. For the Wildcats, Lofton was the backup point guard on a team that made it to the Final Four of the 1988 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. He was the starting point guard the following year when the Wildcats made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Lofton is one of only two men to play in a college basketball Final Four and an MLB World Series. He left as the Wildcats' leader in career steals. "In strength and agility drills, he just killed it. He's a guy who could have played pro football or basketball or baseball," said former Wildcats teammate Bruce Fraser.Lofton decided to try out for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team during his junior year. He played in just five baseball games and recorded only one official at-bat while at Arizona, but his speed and potential were recognized by baseball scouts, including the Houston Astros' Clark Crist. The Astros later selected Lofton in the 17th round of the 1988 MLB draft. He played minor-league baseball during the summer while completing his basketball eligibility at Arizona. The Astros organization asked Lofton to play minor-league baseball in the Florida Instructional League, but Lofton declined, citing a promise he had made to his grandmother to obtain his degree.
Lofton earned a degree in studio production at the University of Arizona while playing minor-league baseball for the Houston Astros. He credits his post-MLB success, as owner of FilmPool, Inc., to that education. Lofton is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
Minor league career
Lofton struggled early in his professional baseball career in the Astros' farm system. He hit.214 in 48 games as an outfielder for the Auburn Astros of the New York–Penn League, but recorded 26 stolen bases in 30 attempts. Lofton returned to Auburn in 1989 and hit.263 with 26 steals in 34 games. He then hit.329 with 14 steals in 22 games for the Asheville Tourists in the South Atlantic League. As his college basketball career came to an end, Lofton was able to concentrate on baseball, and he improved rapidly, finishing second in the league in hitting at.331 while adding 62 steals for the Osceola Astros in the Florida State League. He also drew 61 walks and improved defensively and played in 123 games with Osceola.After spring training in 1991, he went directly to the Triple-A Tucson Toros of the Pacific Coast League. His 168 hits led the league. He hit.308 with 30 steals and 52 walks for Tucson with 19 doubles and a team-high 17 triples. The Toros won the PCL championship and Lofton made the league's All-Star team. On September 14, 1991, the Astros promoted Lofton to the majors.
Major league career
MLB season debut
In his major league debut with the Houston Astros on September 14, 1991, he went 3-for-4 with a double and scored three runs against the Cincinnati Reds. He hit.203 in 20 games for the remainder of the Astros' regular season. With Steve Finley already entrenched as Houston's centerfielder, Lofton was traded during the off season to the Cleveland Indians with Dave Rohde for catcher Eddie Taubensee and right-handed pitcher Willie Blair. "I know they gave up on me and now I'm glad they did. One man's trash is another man's treasure", Lofton said of the Astros' trading him.Cleveland Indians
During his first season with Cleveland, in 1992, Lofton hit.285. His 66 stolen bases broke the all-time record for an AL rookie and was the most by an MLB rookie since Vince Coleman stole 110 in 1985. His season's stolen-base count, which led the AL, also broke a franchise record. Indians first-base coach Dave Nelson helped Lofton refine his baserunning technique and helped him learn how to be successful with bunting. Over his career, Lofton became one of the best bunters in baseball history. Lofton finished second in AL Rookie of the Year balloting. After one season with Cleveland, Lofton agreed to a four-year, $6.3 million contract. The following season, Lofton broke his own Cleveland single-season stolen-base record, recording 70. Lofton was selected to his first career All-Star Game during the 1994 season.His development and impact in the league led Brewers manager Phil Garner to say, "I remember how raw he was, and I've never seen anybody develop into that type of player that fast." Garner, who saw Lofton play in the minors, added, "He went from a guy who could hardly get the ball past the infield to a guy who could hit the ball consistently. He always had good speed, but got lousy jumps and didn't run the bases well. He has turned into a dominant player." The regular season was stopped abruptly with the MLB strike, which also led to the cancellation of the World Series. For the season, Lofton again led the AL with 60 stolen bases. His 160 hits on the season were highest in the AL and his.349 batting average was a career-best. He finished fourth in Most Valuable Player Award voting. When the strike began in August, the Indians were in second place by one game in the AL Central to the Chicago White Sox. Indians general manager John Hart said of Lofton, "What a representative for our team and our city. He has the opportunity to be a George Brett-type player here, someone who is synonymous with a franchise." Lofton joined fellow Indians Carlos Baerga, Albert Belle, and Jim Thome to form "the backbone of some Indians teams that were as dominant as any."
In 1995, Lofton was one of six Cleveland starters who batted.300 or higher. He also had an MLB-best 13 triples. His 54 stolen bases led the AL for the third consecutive season. The Indians faced the Seattle Mariners in the 1995 ALCS. In the eighth inning of game six, Lofton had an infield bunt, stole second base, and scored from second on a passed ball between pitcher Randy Johnson and catcher Dan Wilson. The Indians won the game 4-0. It was described by The New York Times as "the run that demoralized the Mariners." Fifteen years after Lofton's crossing of home plate, the Plain Dealer recalled: "Of all the electrifying moments on the Kenny Lofton highlight reel, none captures the essence of the player any better than his 180-foot dash to glory on October 17, 1995." As a result of winning the game, the Indians had won the ALCS and in so doing, Lofton and the Indians had brought the AL pennant to Cleveland for the first time since the 1954 season. "I'm glad for the city of Cleveland to be able to experience this, because they haven't experienced this for a long time. The city of Cleveland has grown a lot, and it's improving, and we tried to do this for the city", Lofton said. The Indians lost the World Series to the Braves in six games despite finishing the regular season with a major league-best 100-44 record in the strike-shortened year. Lofton finished with a.200 batting average and six stolen bases in his first World Series appearance. In 2010, a few years into his retirement, Lofton stated he felt it was the toughest postseason loss of his 11 career playoff appearances, namely because he felt the umpires had favorable strike zones for Braves pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux.
The following season in 1996, the Indians again had the best record in baseball and Lofton's stolen-base total led MLB for the second time in four years. He hit.317 and had a career-high 67 RBIs. The Indians lost in the 1996 ALDS to the Baltimore Orioles in four games.
Near the end of spring training in 1997, Lofton was traded to the Atlanta Braves. On trading Lofton, Hart said, "We had to make this trade based on the fact that Lofton could be a free agent at the end of this season. We went through it with Albert Belle last year, and Albert left and we had nothing in return. We were not prepared to do that again." Lofton, described as "an emotional and offensive catalyst" with the Indians, appeared in three consecutive All-Star games and won four straight Gold Glove Awards with the Indians. He led the AL in stolen bases for five straight seasons and set the single-season Indians' franchise stolen base record.