Ken Caminiti
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Gene Caminiti was an American
third baseman
in Major League Baseball
and the 1996 National League
Most Valuable Player. He was born in Hanford, California
, and attended San Jose State University
. He died of a drug overdose
on October 10, 2004.
in San Jose, California and played football, basketball and baseball. In football, he was invited to many all-star games after his senior football season.
in . He also played third base for the Indios de Mayagüez
along with Wally Joyner
in the Puerto Rico Winter League. He earned a call-up to the Double-A Columbus Astros in 1987.
on July 16, 1987. In , Caminiti returned to the minor leagues, playing with the Triple-A Tucson Toros
of the Pacific Coast League
, before he was called up to stay late in the season.
After 6 full seasons in Houston, Caminiti was traded to the San Diego Padres
after the season in a 12-player trade. In San Diego he reached career highs at the plate by hitting .302 with 26 home runs and 94 RBI in 1995, which rose to .326/40/130 in . His 1996 performance earned him the National League Most Valuable Player Award.
Caminiti returned to Houston as a free agent
in , where he played for two more seasons. He was slowed by injuries during his second tenure in Houston, and after struggling the first half of with the Texas Rangers
, he was released and finished his career
with the Atlanta Braves
, who moved him across the infield in an effort to fulfill their desire for a power-hitting first baseman
.
s while playing for the Padres in , , and , and he was unanimously selected as the National League
's MVP
in 1996. In , 1996, and 1997, he appeared in the All Star Game
.
instructor for his former team.
Caminiti entered into a partnership with actor Jason Gedrick
and hockey player Mario Lemieux
to open a cigar bar called Ashes Cigar Club on Wall Street.
throughout his career. He admitted in to having a problem with alcohol
and checked himself into a rehabilitation
center in . In a Sports Illustrated
cover story in , a year after his retirement, he admitted that he had used steroids
during his 1996 MVP season, and for several seasons afterwards. His admitted steroid abuse was discussed in the 2007 Mitchell Report
on steroid abuse in baseball.
Caminiti also had a long struggle with cocaine
, having been arrested in March 2001 for possession and sentenced to probation
.
After he had tested positive for cocaine while on probation for cocaine possession, a Houston judge ordered Caminiti to visit a Texas Department of Criminal Justice
-operated treatment program in February 2003. In May the program was eliminated, so he was forced to leave. Caminiti completed most of the program.
On October 5, 2004 – just five days prior to his death – he admitted in a Houston
court that he had violated his probation. He tested positive for cocaine in September 2004. It was his fourth such violation and he was sentenced to 180 days in prison but given credit for time already served and released.
on October 10, 2004. Preliminary news reports indicated he died of a heart attack, but the autopsy results stated that "acute intoxication due to the combined effects of cocaine and opiates" caused his death, with coronary artery disease and cardiac hypertrophy (an enlarged heart
) as contributing factors. Rob Silva, an acquaintance of Caminiti who spent part of the day with him on October 10, told Newsday
that Caminiti was edgy and depressed on the day he died, but also said he did not witness Caminiti using drugs on that day.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
and the 1996 National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
Most Valuable Player. He was born in Hanford, California
Hanford, California
Hanford is an important commercial and cultural center in the south central San Joaquin Valley and is the county seat of Kings County, California. It is the principal city of the Hanford-Corcoran, California Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Kings County, including the cities...
, and attended San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
. He died of a drug overdose
Drug overdose
The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced...
on October 10, 2004.
High school years
Caminiti attended Leigh High SchoolLeigh High School
Leigh High School is a secondary school located in San Jose, California. Opening in September 1962, it was the fifth school to be established within the Campbell Union High School District. The school has twice been awarded the California Distinguished School award, in 1999 and 2003. , the...
in San Jose, California and played football, basketball and baseball. In football, he was invited to many all-star games after his senior football season.
Minor leagues
Caminiti played professional baseball for 15 seasons, beginning with the Osceola Astros of the Single-A Florida State LeagueFlorida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
in . He also played third base for the Indios de Mayagüez
Indios de Mayagüez
The Indios de Mayagüez are a baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League . Normally based in Mayagüez, the Indios have won 16 national championships and two Caribbean World Series...
along with Wally Joyner
Wally Joyner
Wallace Keith "Wally" Joyner is a former first baseman and hitting coach in Major League Baseball. He played for four major league teams during a 16-year career, most notably for the California Angels, for whom he was an All-Star...
in the Puerto Rico Winter League. He earned a call-up to the Double-A Columbus Astros in 1987.
Major leagues
He made his major league debut at age 24 with the Houston AstrosHouston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
on July 16, 1987. In , Caminiti returned to the minor leagues, playing with the Triple-A Tucson Toros
Tucson Toros
The Tucson Toros are a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. They are owned by Tucson Baseball, LLC with Jay Zucker as chairman of the board. Sean Smock is the team's general manager....
of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
, before he was called up to stay late in the season.
After 6 full seasons in Houston, Caminiti was traded to the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
after the season in a 12-player trade. In San Diego he reached career highs at the plate by hitting .302 with 26 home runs and 94 RBI in 1995, which rose to .326/40/130 in . His 1996 performance earned him the National League Most Valuable Player Award.
Caminiti returned to Houston as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in , where he played for two more seasons. He was slowed by injuries during his second tenure in Houston, and after struggling the first half of with the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, he was released and finished his career
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
with the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, who moved him across the infield in an effort to fulfill their desire for a power-hitting first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
.
Awards
Caminiti won 3 Gold Glove AwardGold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
s while playing for the Padres in , , and , and he was unanimously selected as the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
's MVP
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
in 1996. In , 1996, and 1997, he appeared in the All Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
.
Post-baseball career
Following his playing career in baseball, Caminiti was hired by the Padres to be a spring trainingSpring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is 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 existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
instructor for his former team.
Caminiti entered into a partnership with actor Jason Gedrick
Jason Gedrick
Jason Gedrick is an American actor best known for his work on the television series Murder One and Boomtown and the motion picture Iron Eagle....
and hockey player Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux, OC, CQ is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2006...
to open a cigar bar called Ashes Cigar Club on Wall Street.
Substance abuse
Caminiti struggled with substance abuseSubstance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
throughout his career. He admitted in to having a problem with alcohol
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
and checked himself into a rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
center in . In a Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
cover story in , a year after his retirement, he admitted that he had used steroids
Anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...
during his 1996 MVP season, and for several seasons afterwards. His admitted steroid abuse was discussed in the 2007 Mitchell Report
Mitchell Report (baseball)
The Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball, informally known as the "Mitchell Report", is the result of former Democratic United States Senator from Maine...
on steroid abuse in baseball.
Caminiti also had a long struggle with cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, having been arrested in March 2001 for possession and sentenced to probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
.
After he had tested positive for cocaine while on probation for cocaine possession, a Houston judge ordered Caminiti to visit a Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
-operated treatment program in February 2003. In May the program was eliminated, so he was forced to leave. Caminiti completed most of the program.
On October 5, 2004 – just five days prior to his death – he admitted in a Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
court that he had violated his probation. He tested positive for cocaine in September 2004. It was his fourth such violation and he was sentenced to 180 days in prison but given credit for time already served and released.
Death
Caminiti died at Lincoln Hospital in The BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
on October 10, 2004. Preliminary news reports indicated he died of a heart attack, but the autopsy results stated that "acute intoxication due to the combined effects of cocaine and opiates" caused his death, with coronary artery disease and cardiac hypertrophy (an enlarged heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
) as contributing factors. Rob Silva, an acquaintance of Caminiti who spent part of the day with him on October 10, told Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
that Caminiti was edgy and depressed on the day he died, but also said he did not witness Caminiti using drugs on that day.
See also
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of doping cases in sport