Austin Kearns and what should've been

[cincrazy]

Why didn't Kearns have a better career? The guy was a very, very good minor league player. He had a fantastic arm in right, a good eye, decent power. His first year with the Reds he lit the league on fire. Was it just a matter of pitchers making adjustments, or is there something more to it? Was he never the same after the collision with Ray King? Frankly, I've always thought that collision ruined his career. But if that collision never happens, does his career follow the same arc? I'd be interested to hear some opinions on this, especially those more familiar with his minor league numbers and his scouting report. I was fairly young when Kearns was brought up, but I do recall speculation that he would be a star. SHOULD he have been a star?

[westofyou]

Baseball is a very very very hard game that looks very easy

Austin has had a career that millions wish they had had, why it hasn't been better is probably as varied as why it's been this good

[Joseph]

I was surprised when I saw the other day he hit 71 home run with the Reds. He's had a solid career and while injuries likely robbed him of some of what he might have been, the paychecks and longevity of career have more than made up for that disappointment.

[The Operator]

Having Ray King sit on your shoulder certainly can't help things.

I don't know if he would have been the star he was predicted to be, but I think he would have had a better career had the injury never happened. He was absolutely a different hitter and never the same after that.

[Vottomatic]

Well, some won't like what I have to say, because it's rumor.

I heard back when Kearns and Dunn came up they were big buddies. And that Kearns was lazy, uncoachable, and didn't work on his game. Also heard that is why he got traded with Lopez to the Nats. Partially because the Reds felt his work ethic was bad, and that he was rubbing off negatively on Dunn.

"Ears" as he was known then to some Reds fans was one of my favorite players briefly. He had one season when he always seem to come up with the big hit.

There are the Joey Votto's and there are the Austin Kearns's. Kearns had tons of talent. I can only believe that what I heard was true considering how mediocre his career turned out.

[mbgrayson]

With Kearns, I think it was largely injuries: See THIS LINK.

I keep hearing this BS about Kearns and Dunn being "lazy", and I'm sick of it. There may be truth to it or not, but none of that seems to come from any of the other organizations that these guys played for. It's all just bare rumor. I'd like to see actual coaches or staff that can back up that they wouldn't listen or work as hard as they should have. I haven't seen the direct evidence, and unless I do, I'm not buying.

Lot's of top prospects just don't pan out. Kearns had injuries, and Dunn became a 'three true outcomes' player, with 400+ HRs. That is what I see. Our expectations, fed by Jim Bowden's hyping of his draft picks, were just too high.

[RedEye]

I don't think either Dunn or Kearns is a disappointment in reality. They are disappointments in relation to what we hoped they'd be.

[Wonderful Monds]

With Kearns, I think it was largely injuries: See THIS LINK.

I keep hearing this BS about Kearns and Dunn being "lazy", and I'm sick of it. There may be truth to it or not, but none of that seems to come from any of the other organizations that these guys played for. It's all just bare rumor. I'd like to see actual coaches or staff that can back up that they wouldn't listen or work as hard as they should have. I haven't seen the direct evidence, and unless I do, I'm not buying.

Lot's of top prospects just don't pan out. Kearns had injuries, and Dunn became a 'three true outcomes' player, with 400+ HRs. That is what I see. Our expectations, fed by Jim Bowden's hyping of his draft picks, were just too high.

I'll speculate that stuff is floated by our old minor league development staff, who were garbage as you might remember, and likely couldn't figure out how to get Dunn and Kearns to develop to their full potential.

[Wonderful Monds]

I don't think either Dunn or Kearns is a disappointment in reality. They are disappointments in relation to what we hoped they'd be.

I think Kearns definitely was. He basically ended up as a journeyman.

[webbbj]

being a journey man is nothing to look down upon. many never make it that far. definitely a rewarding career

[westofyou]

I think Kearns definitely was. He basically ended up as a journeyman.

He'll get the full pension, the average rookie will log 6.85 years of service time. He's already passed that.


In the 1920's Kearns would have ended up a starter in the AA or IL or PCL

[MikeS21]

I'm inclined to think injuries were the real culprit. Starting with the Ray King collision, Kearns never was the same. His approach at the plate was different. Before the collision, he was aggressive, yet selective. He took walks. After the injury, he came back wanting to prove something and he was over-eager and swung at bad pitches.

Part of the issue, obviously, was the extreme poor coaching that plagued this organization during most of the decade. Better coaching would have addressed the pressure Kearns felt to come back at the same level he went down. At the least, they could have helped him regain some of his pitch recognition.

[westofyou]

I'm inclined to think injuries were the real culprit. Starting with the Ray King collision, Kearns never was the same. His approach at the plate was different. Before the collision, he was aggressive, yet selective. He took walks. After the injury, he came back wanting to prove something and he was over-eager and swung at bad pitches.

Part of the issue, obviously, was the extreme poor coaching that plagued this organization during most of the decade. Better coaching would have addressed the pressure Kearns felt to come back at the same level he went down. At the least, they could have helped him regain some of his pitch recognition.

Coaching really doesn't do much in MLB, coaching is a minor league tool, and yes the reds were stinking up the house when those guys came up. I blame marge (no money sense in where to invest in baseball) and Bowden, who was more bluster than anything else.

[NeilHamburger]

Maybe I'm wrong but I'll go to my grave cursing that game where Kearns hurt his shoulder against Atlanta. I still remember the double into the gap he had hit earlier in the game to clear the loaded bases.

He ended up needing rotator cuff surgery from it, and quite frankly sometimes players are never the same after shoulder issues. (See Rolen, Scott) Kearns also ended up with a broken forearm the next year which caused him to alter his swing, which in turn caused him to tear a ligament in his thumb.

Kearns wasn't just a flash in the pan. He had everything. Power, patience, short swing, ability to hit for average, good arm, and surprising baserunning ability.

He was destined to be one of the stars of the league before that damn night, and it still kind of makes me mad to think about it.

In 2002 he hit: .315/.407/.500
In 2003 in 43 games prior to his injury he was hitting .308 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI's. (I don't have the other stats for those 43 games)

Dude was an absolute beast. And then it just immediatly stopped after the injury. It wasn't scouting. It wasn't the league catching up to him, as the change was immediate. Whatever he tore in his shoulder changed the course of his career.

[Sea Ray]

being a journey man is nothing to look down upon. many never make it that far. definitely a rewarding career

The scouting report on him as a player at the the AAA level of the minor leagues was for him to be an All Star at the major league level. For him to end up as a journeyman is underachieving indeed.

I would argue that his best year in the bigs was his rookie year. If you peak at age 22 then you are an underachiever in my book and a major disappointment