1964
Born August 3, 1964
San Pedro, CA, USA
Kevin Elster Marquee
b. August 3, 1964 · New York Mets 1986–1992, New York Yankees 1994–1995, Philadelphia Phillies 1995, Texas Rangers 1996, 1998, Pittsburgh Pirates 1997, Los Angeles Dodgers 2000
Shoulder injuries limited him to a handful of games across 1993 and 1994, and Texas signed him on a minor-league contract for 1996 not expecting much. He hit 24 home runs with 99 runs batted in that year, by far his best offensive season, and won the Comeback Player of the Year award.
Thirteen seasons gave him 648 hits, 136 doubles, 88 home runs, 332 runs batted in and a .228 average, with 895 games at shortstop for six clubs. He had been the Mets' regular shortstop for the 1986 World Series champion as a September call-up and through the rest of the 1980s.
He finished with the Dodgers in 2000 at thirty-five. He is not on a Hall of Fame ballot.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year | 1 | 1996 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | NYM | 19 | 30 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | .167 |
| 1987 | NYM | 5 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .400 |
| 1988 | NYM | 149 | 406 | 41 | 87 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 37 | 35 | 47 | 2 | .214 |
| 1989 | NYM | 151 | 458 | 52 | 106 | 25 | 2 | 10 | 55 | 34 | 77 | 4 | .231 |
| 1990 | NYM | 92 | 314 | 36 | 65 | 20 | 1 | 9 | 45 | 30 | 54 | 2 | .207 |
| 1991 | NYM | 115 | 348 | 33 | 84 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 36 | 40 | 53 | 2 | .241 |
| 1992 | NYM | 6 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .222 |
| 1994 | NYY | 7 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | .000 |
| 1995 | NYY/PHI | 36 | 70 | 11 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 0 | .186 |
| 1996 | TEX | 157 | 515 | 79 | 130 | 32 | 2 | 24 | 99 | 52 | 138 | 4 | .252 |
| 1997 | PIT | 39 | 138 | 14 | 31 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 25 | 21 | 39 | 0 | .225 |
| 1998 | TEX | 84 | 297 | 33 | 69 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 37 | 33 | 66 | 0 | .232 |
| 2000 | LAD | 80 | 220 | 29 | 50 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 32 | 38 | 52 | 0 | .227 |
| Career | — | 940 | 2844 | 332 | 648 | 136 | 12 | 88 | 376 | 295 | 562 | 14 | .228 |
On this day & linked events
1986
Major-league debut: Kevin Elster
Kevin Elster made a major-league debut on September 2, 1986.
2000
Kevin Elster's Three-Home-Run Game, 2000
Kevin Elster hit three home runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants on April 11, 2000.
2000
Final major-league game: Kevin Elster
Kevin Elster played a final major-league game on October 1, 2000.