Kevin Seitzer
Encyclopedia
Kevin Lee Seitzer is a former 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...

 with the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...

, Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

, Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

, and Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

.

Career

After starring at Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University is a state university located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a comprehensive university with a...

, Seitzer was drafted by the Royals in the 11th round of the 1983 draft. Seitzer made his big-league debut as a September call-up in 1986
1986 in sports
1986 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup –** Men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg** Women's overall season champion: Maria Walliser, Switzerland-American football:...

 with the Royals. He made it to the majors to stay in 1987
1987 in sports
1987 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Pirmin Zurbriggen, Switzerland** Women's overall season champion: Maria Walliser, Switzerland-American football:...

, where he started the season as the Royals' regular 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...

. He traded positions with Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett
George Brett (baseball)
George Howard Brett , nicknamed "Mullet", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman, designated hitter, and first baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in major league history, and 15th...

 later in the season, in hopes of reducing Brett's chances of injury. Seitzer hit .323
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 with 15 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s and 207 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....

 (tying the MLB record) in his rookie 1987 season and, though overshadowed by fellow rookie teammate Bo Jackson
Bo Jackson
Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson is a former American baseball and football player. He was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports, and also won the Heisman Trophy in 1985....

, he was selected to the American League All-Star
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...

 team.

Seitzer also became one of only (currently) three Royals to collect six hits in a nine-inning game, which he did on August 2 of that year in a 13-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 at Royals Stadium
Kauffman Stadium
Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium is a Major League Baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri, and home to the Kansas City Royals of the American League. Together with Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, it is a part of the Truman Sports Complex...

; two of those hits were home runs. He joined Bob Oliver
Bob Oliver
Robert Lee Oliver is a former first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Kansas City Royals , California Angels , Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees...

 in 1969 (the franchise's inaugural season) in accomplishing this feat; Joe Randa
Joe Randa
Joseph Gregory Salvatore Randa is a former Major League Baseball player. He was primarily a third baseman during his career. His nickname is "The Joker" due to his resemblance to the comic book character in Batman and his ever-present smile, especially during his plate appearances...

 would join them in 2004. Seitzer finished the 1987 season as the runner-up for the American League Rookie of the Year award, behind the Oakland A's Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...

. He holds Royal rookie records in games (161), hits (207), singles (151) and walks (80) and is tied with Carlos Beltran in extra-base hits (56) and total bases (301)...led the league in hits, singles and plate appearances (725)...Ranks eighth on the Royals all-time list with 369 walks while his .380 career on-base pct. as a Royals is second all-time...is one of six players in Royals history to top the 200 hits mark in a season (207 in 1987)...Appeared in the postseason twice with the Indians in 1996 and 1997, appearing the in 1997 World Series for the Tribe against Florida.

After subsequent seasons of .304, .281, .275, and .265, the Royals released Seitzer during spring training
Spring 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...

 in 1992
1992 in sports
1992 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup* Men's overall season champion: Paul Accola, Switzerland* Women's overall season champion: Petra Kronberger, Austria-American football:...

. He signed with Milwaukee, who installed him as their regular third baseman. In 1993 Seitzer became a free agent, signed with Oakland and after a slow start was released at the All Star break that season. He then resigned with Milwaukee, solidified himself as an every day player, and again made the All-Star team in 1995
1995 in sports
1995 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Alberto Tomba, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Vreni Schneider, Switzerland-American football:...

. He enjoyed what many feel was his best season in 1996 with the Brewers and Cleveland Indians. Seitzer batted .326 with 13 home runs and 78 RBI in '96 while posting a career-high .416 on-base percentage.

In two postseason appearances with Cleveland, mostly coming off the bench, he hit .192 with a double, one run scored and four runs batted in. He retired following the 1997
1997 in sports
1997 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Luc Alphand, France** Women's overall season champion: Pernilla Wiberg, Sweden-American football:...

 season with a career batting average of .295.

During the final years of his career, Seitzer wore an attachment to his batting helmet called a C-flap which was an extra piece of plastic attached to the ear flap that covered the left side of his jaw. He was forced to wear this protection after being hit in the face twice by a pitch; once in 1994 and again in 1995. The helmet evidently did not obscure his batting eye, as he wore it for the rest of his career.

Seitzer currently owns and operates a baseball and softball training facility in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

 called Mac N Seitz Baseball and Softball http://www.macnseitz.com/ with former Royals teammate Mike Macfarlane
Mike Macfarlane
Michael Andrew Macfarlane is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Kansas City Royals , Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics...

. They have been in business since 1996 and now have 47000 square feet (4,366.4 m²) of indoor training space.

On October 27, 2006, Seitzer was named hitting coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...

. Seitzer was replaced by Rick Schu
Rick Schu
Richard Spenser Schu is a former Major League Baseball player and hitting coach.Schu grew up in Fair Oaks, California and was signed as an amateur free agent out of Del Campo High School by the Philadelphia Phillies.Schu debuted with the Philadelphia Phillies in September 1984 and was recalled to...

 on July 11, 2007 as the Diamondbacks' hitting coach. He has served as the Kansas City Royals hitting coach since 2009.

High School and College Highlights

  • In 1992, Seitzer was inducted into the Eastern Illinois University
    Eastern Illinois University
    Eastern Illinois University is a state university located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a comprehensive university with a...

     Athletics Hall of Fame.
  • Seitzer was a member of Lincoln Community High School's fourth place finish (Lincoln, IL) in the 1980 Class AA Illinois High School Association
    Illinois High School Association
    The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...

    basketball tournament. He scored 46 points in four games in the tournament.
  • in 1981 Seitzer played for Galesburg, IL in the Central Illinois Collegiate League.
  • In 1982 Seitzer played for Chatham in the Cape Cod League and won the championship that summer.

Personal life

Kevin and his wife, Beth, reside in Leawood, Kan...they have four sons; Tyler, Brandon, Nick and Cam...they have one grandson Weston.

His son Nick is a pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization, and his son Cameron is an infielder in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
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