For those who don't remember, Brooks Kieschnick last appeared in a major league game 11 years ago, for the Brewers. He was a bust of a first-round pick, and while he never became an everyday player, he did serve one purpose: an average pitcher who could actually hit. See, Kieschnick was drafted as a hitter, someone who was thought to have some of the best power in that 1993 draft. But he mostly flamed out at that, hitting just .220/.297/.405 in 28 games from 1996-2001 in the major with three teams.
It wasn't until he went to Milwaukee, where he was given a chance to pitch -- something he was very good at in college at Texas. In his two years with Milwaukee, he posted these lines:
Hitting: .286/.340/.496 over 147 games and 144 PA -- good for an OPS+ of 115. Basically he was a terrific pinch hitter in 2003 who started 10 games in the field and a below average hitting in 2004 (OPS+ of 78).
Pitching: 4.59 ERA (95 ERA+) over 74 games and 96 innings, a 67:26 K:BB ratio, and a 1.417 WHIP.
Was he great at either? No. Was he competent? I'd say he was competent enough. You're going to have guys who put up an OPS+ of 78 and an ERA+ of 95 on your roster most years, so why not just.... combine them? In todays numbers, that's like having Mike Napoli and Steven Wright be one guy. Is that a good thing? I mean, you're saving a roster spot right there.
In 2005, he ended up with the Astros, who never let him get back to the bigs, but at AAA that year he hit .304/.407/.543 in 59 games and 54 PA -- but a 5.72 ERA in 45 games pitching. He was not good at pitching that year, but he ripped the cover off the ball (at age 33, mind you).
Anyway, I've always wondered why there aren't more guys like him -- guys who can pitch decently enough, not enough to be a starter, but someone who can come and give you middle relief innings -- but can then actually hit a lick. I understand that it's two very different skills to be good at, but think of it this way: we've seen a good number of pitchers who CAN hit over the last 20 years: Mike Hampton, Carlos Zambrano, Dontrelle Willis, Zach Greinke, Micah Owings, Jason Marquis (never mind Rick Ankiel) -- all of these guys could actually hit the ball decently. Isn't it possible their careers could have been extended a bit longer by pinch hitting for a season and not playing the field like BK did in 2004? And what about hitters who can actually throw a pitch or two? We don't see this nearly as often, but there are definitely a few guys out there who have talent on the mound, guys who pitched a lot in college but moved to hitting exclusively at the professional level (ahem, Casey Kelly).
Just spitballing here.
It wasn't until he went to Milwaukee, where he was given a chance to pitch -- something he was very good at in college at Texas. In his two years with Milwaukee, he posted these lines:
Hitting: .286/.340/.496 over 147 games and 144 PA -- good for an OPS+ of 115. Basically he was a terrific pinch hitter in 2003 who started 10 games in the field and a below average hitting in 2004 (OPS+ of 78).
Pitching: 4.59 ERA (95 ERA+) over 74 games and 96 innings, a 67:26 K:BB ratio, and a 1.417 WHIP.
Was he great at either? No. Was he competent? I'd say he was competent enough. You're going to have guys who put up an OPS+ of 78 and an ERA+ of 95 on your roster most years, so why not just.... combine them? In todays numbers, that's like having Mike Napoli and Steven Wright be one guy. Is that a good thing? I mean, you're saving a roster spot right there.
In 2005, he ended up with the Astros, who never let him get back to the bigs, but at AAA that year he hit .304/.407/.543 in 59 games and 54 PA -- but a 5.72 ERA in 45 games pitching. He was not good at pitching that year, but he ripped the cover off the ball (at age 33, mind you).
Anyway, I've always wondered why there aren't more guys like him -- guys who can pitch decently enough, not enough to be a starter, but someone who can come and give you middle relief innings -- but can then actually hit a lick. I understand that it's two very different skills to be good at, but think of it this way: we've seen a good number of pitchers who CAN hit over the last 20 years: Mike Hampton, Carlos Zambrano, Dontrelle Willis, Zach Greinke, Micah Owings, Jason Marquis (never mind Rick Ankiel) -- all of these guys could actually hit the ball decently. Isn't it possible their careers could have been extended a bit longer by pinch hitting for a season and not playing the field like BK did in 2004? And what about hitters who can actually throw a pitch or two? We don't see this nearly as often, but there are definitely a few guys out there who have talent on the mound, guys who pitched a lot in college but moved to hitting exclusively at the professional level (ahem, Casey Kelly).
Just spitballing here.
