Michael Brooks Kieschnick (born June 6, 1972) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering sys ...

and

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

. The only player to win the Dick Howser Trophy twice, he is a

College Baseball Hall of Fame The National College Baseball Hall of Fame is an institution operated by the College Baseball Foundation serving as the central point for the study of the history of college baseball in the United States. In partnership with the Southwest Collect ...

inductee. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) during six seasons between 1996 and 2004, primarily with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

and the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

. He batted

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...

but threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

. During the initial part of his major league career, he was exclusively a position player; for his final two seasons in the big leagues, he was used primarily as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

who also occasionally served as an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

and

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, America ...

. Kieschnick played college baseball at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

for the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...

from 1990 until 1993, when he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs. After two seasons with Chicago, he was selected by the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

in the 1997 expansion draft. However, he spent his entire tenure with the organization in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in N ...

. Although he was originally projected to be a hitter, he eventually revived his career by returning to pitching, which he had excelled at during his years with the Texas Longhorns. He was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2003 and played his final major league game for them on October 3, 2004.

Early life and education

Kieschnick was born in

Robstown, Texas Robstown is a city in Nueces County, Texas, United States, and a western suburb of Corpus Christi. It was founded about 1906, and was named for Robert Driscoll. The population was 11,487 as of the 2010 census. The Texas State Legislature offi ...

on June 6, 1972. He graduated from high school at

Mary Carroll High School Mary Carroll High School, often referred to as Carroll, is one of six high schools that are part of the Corpus Christi Independent School District. History Opened in 1957, Mary Carroll High School is currently the second largest and third oldest ...

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "''Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio ...

. He then attended college at the

, where he played three seasons of baseball. During his time with the

, Kieschnick won the Dick Howser Trophy (bestowed annually to the national

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

player of the year) in 1992. He won the award again in 1993, thus becoming the only player to win the honor twice. In his three years with the Longhorns, Kieschnick batted .360 and slugged 43

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 215

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the b ...

, in addition to having a 34–8

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

and a 3.05 ERA. Because of his rare ability of competency in both hitting and pitching, Kieschnick was recognized as one of the most versatile players in

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

Even though Kieschnick did not play a defensive position, he was selected in the first round as the tenth overall pick of the 1993 amateur draft by the

. He received a $650,000 signing bonus and was instantly viewed as the organization's best prospect in terms of hitting for power. Kieschnick honed his skills in the minor leagues and was ranked as the Cubs' top prospect by ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

'' during his three seasons in the Cubs farm system. Even though he had pitched well at the college level, the team viewed Kieschnick's offense as being more valuable. Accordingly, he was used exclusively as a position player by the Cubs at both the minor and major league levels. Kieschnick made his major league debut for the Cubs on April 3, 1996.

Chicago Cubs (1996–1997)

Kieschnick never lived up to his potential and was unable to produce the form he showed in the minor leagues. After appearing in only 25 games during the season, he was demoted back to the minors in the final week of

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

of . He was described as being "stunned and dejected" when he was informed of the decision to replace him with

Brant Brown Brant Michael Brown (born June 22, 1971) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and current hitting coach for the Miami Marlins. Brown played in Major League Baseball from 1996 through 2000 for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirat ...

. Nevertheless, Kieschnick was recalled on April 11 and eventually won the

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

position. He played 39 games and finished the season with a disappointing .200 batting average, 2

doubles Men's doubles, Women's doubles or Mixed doubles are sports having two players per side, including; * Beach volleyball * Doubles badminton * Doubles curling * Footvolley * Doubles pickleball * Doubles squash * Doubles table tennis * Doubles te ...

, 4 home runs and 12 RBIs, while striking out 21 times. After the season ended, Kieschnick was selected as the 64th pick of the 1997 expansion draft by the

and was regarded as "just another underachieving Cub."

The wilderness years (1998–2002)

Kieschnick was never given the opportunity to play a major league game for the Devil Rays. He was instead consigned to the

and shuffled between the Gulf Coast League Devil Rays,

St. Petersburg Devil Rays ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

and

Edmonton Trappers The Edmonton Trappers were a minor league baseball team in Edmonton, Alberta. They were a part of the Triple-A level in the Pacific Coast League, ending with the 2004 season. Their home games were played at Telus Field in downtown Edmonton. T ...

during his two-year stint with the organization. In , he was loaned out to the

Anaheim Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

for the majority of the year. At the end of the season, Kieschnick became a free agent for the first time in his career and subsequently signed with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. In the season, Kieschnick spent most of his time in the minors: his major-league stint that year was limited to just fourteen games and he was unable to garner any hits in his 13

plate appearance In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runn ...

s that year. He proceeded to sign with the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

as a free agent at the season's end. He again split his time between the minors and the majors. In the 45 major league games he played in , he batted .238, had 10 hits in 42

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

, amassed 3 home runs and 9 RBIs and struck out 13 times. Kieschnick signed with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

for the 2002 season, but was released prior to the end of spring training. Picked up by the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

a month later and signed to a minor league deal, Kieschnick then radically changed his career approach. Up to this point, Kieschnick had pitched in exactly two minor league games in his career—both token relief appearances in blowout games, one in 1999 and one in 2001. Nevertheless, in the 2002 season Kieschnick switched his primary focus to pitching, hoping to better his chances of making a major league roster as a pitcher who was also a versatile utility player. He ended up spending the entire season in the minor leagues with the triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

, appearing in 25 games as a relief pitcher, 1 as an outfielder and over 40 as either a pinch-hitter or DH. He finished the season batting .275 with 13 home huns in just 189 at bats; as a pitcher, he was 0-1 with a 2.59 ERA in just over 31 innings pitched.

Milwaukee Brewers (2003–2004)

Signing with the

organization in time for the 2003 campaign, Kieschnick returned to the majors in the role of pitcher/utility outfielder/DH. During the 2003 season, Kieschnick became the first player in the MLB to hit

s as a pitcher, designated hitter, and pinch hitter in the same season. Throughout and , the

took advantage of Kieschnick's versatility, using him as a pinch hitter,

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by t ...

, and

in addition to his primary role in the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

. Kieschnick played three complete games as a left fielder in September 2003; these would be his only on-field appearances as a defensive player for Milwaukee (outside of his role as pitcher) during 2003-04. During his second season with Milwaukee (2004), Kieschnick opened the season as a pitcher/pinch-hitter, but due to an injury was used exclusively as a pinch hitter for a two-month period from July 3-September 3, spending part of that time on the disabled list. Kieschnick did not appear as an outfielder or as a designated hitter during 2004. Though Kieschnick's pitching effectiveness improved over his 2003 season, his hitting tailed off, as he hit only 1 home run all year (compared to 7 in 2003). In a total of 306 career

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s, Kieschnick's

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

was .248. In his two seasons of pitching at the major league level, his ERA was 4.59.

Return to the minors and retirement (2005–2006)

Kieschnick was released by Milwaukee near the end of spring training, 2005. He subsequently spent the 2005 season in the Houston Astros minor league system, hitting .327 but also compiling a pitching record of 2-4 with an ERA of 5.12. On February 15, , Kieschnick announced his retirement from baseball.

Post-playing days

In 2002, in an online poll conducted in

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, Kieschnick was voted the best baseball player in the history of the University of Texas. He became one of ten inaugural members of the

in 2006. On March 29, 2009, Kieschnick had his number 23 retired by the University of Texas.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kieschnick, Brooks 1972 births Living people All-American college baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Texas Charlotte Knights players Chicago Cubs players Cincinnati Reds players National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Corpus Christi Hooks players Daytona Cubs players Durham Bulls players Edmonton Trappers players Gulf Coast Cubs players Gulf Coast Devil Rays players Indianapolis Indians players Iowa Cubs players Louisville RiverBats players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Orlando Cubs players People from Robstown, Texas Round Rock Express players Sportspeople from Corpus Christi, Texas St. Petersburg Devil Rays players Texas Longhorns baseball players Anchorage Bucs players