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Ian Kennedy
From BR Bullpen
Ian Patrick Kennedy
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
- School University of Southern California
- High School La Quinta High School (Westminster, CA)
- Debut September 1, 2007
- Born December 19, 1984 in Huntington Beach, CA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Pitcher Ian Kennedy was selected by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 2006 amateur draft and debuted in the majors a year later.
Kennedy was 8-0 with 3 saves and a 0.43 ERA as a high school senior, striking out 76, walking 7 and allowing 19 hits in 49 innings. With Ian Stewart, he helped La Quinta finish third in the nation. Baseball America named him a second-team All-American, joining pitchers like Chad Billingsley and John Danks. Following his Sr. year the St. Louis Cardinals drafted him in the 14th round of the 2003 Amateur Draft, but Kennedy instead opted to attend the University of Southern California. Ian had a 7-2, 2.91 record with 120 strikeouts in 93 innings as a freshman. He was second in the Pacific-10 Conference in ERA, trailing only Kevin Gunderson. He made the All-Conference team but lost the Freshman of the Year Pac-10 honors to Tim Lincecum. Baseball America chose him as a first-team freshman All-American, joining Lincecum and Wade LeBlanc at the top of the staff. He joined Team USA's college group that summer, going 3-1 with a 3.81 ERA and 40 strikeouts (most on the staff) in 26 innings. In the 2004 World University Championship, Kennedy went 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA and 17 K in 11 innings for the champs. He led the team in wins in that tournament.
As a sophomore, Kennedy went 12-3 with a 2.54 ERA and fanned 158 batters in 117 innings, allowing 85 hits and 38 walks. He was chosen as a first-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America. He tied Dallas Buck for the Pac-10 lead in wins and led in strikeouts while finishing third in ERA. He was named the Conference Pitcher of the Year. He tied for 7th in NCAA Division I in wins and fanned the most batters in that division, four ahead of close runner-up Luke Hochevar. Back with Team USA for another go-around, Kennedy went 4-1 with a 2.89 ERA. He tied for the team lead in wins and allowed only 11 hits in 28 innings that summer.
Kennedy slipped to 5-7, 3.90 in a disappointing junior year. Scouted by Bill Mele and Jeff Patterson, the New York Yankees still took him with the 21st overall selection of the 2006 amateur draft and signed him for a $2.25 million bonus, more than 13 of the 20 players chosen before him got.
He made his pro debut that year, making one start for the Staten Island Yankees. Kennedy was 0-2 with a 4.45 ERA for the West Oahu CaneFires that winter but was third in Hawaii Winter Baseball with 45 strikeouts, trailing Rick Vanden Hurk and Joba Chamberlain.
Kennedy zipped through the Yankee system in 2007. He made stops with the Tampa Yankees (6-1, 1.29, 72 K in 63 IP, .183 opponent batting average), Trenton Thunder (5-1, 2.59, 57 K in 48 2/3 IP, just a .163 average) and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (1-1, 2.08, 34 K in 34 2/3 IP, .205 opponent average) for a 12-3, 1.91 composite minor league record with 163 strikeouts in 146 1/3 innings and a .208 opponent average.
Kennedy was a September call-up, one of many Yankee prospect pitchers to debut that year, following Chamberlain, Philip Hughes, Tyler Clippard and Chase Wright. He retired his first opponent in the major leagues, Akinori Iwamura, to start a 1-2-3 inning. An Alex Rodriguez error set up two unearned runs in the second on a double by Josh Wilson. B.J. Upton added a 6th-inning homer but Kennedy finished up with the win in a 9-6 victory, being charged with 3 runs (1 earned) in 7 innings, with 6 strikeouts and five hits allowed. Kennedy would finish the 2007 season with 3 starts in the majors and 1-0 record with a 1.89 ERA in 19 innings.
Kennedy would spend the 2008 season bouncing between the majors and minors. In 10 games with the big league Yankees Kennedy failed to get a decision while pitching to a 8.17 ERA. He managed to keep his minor league ERA down to 2.22 while playing for the GCL Yankees, Tampa Yankees and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Kennedy would miss much of the 2009 season with an aneurysm in his right arm. He was able to appear in a handful of games in the minors and pitched one inning at the major league level. He spent the fall in the Arizona Fall League where he put up a 4.25 ERA and walked only 5 batters while striking out 28. On December 8, 2009 Kennedy was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three team deal that netted the Yankees Curtis Granderson from the Detroit Tigers. The Diamondbacks also acquired Edwin Jackson from Detroit and sent pitchers Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth to the Tigers. The Yankees also sent Austin Jackson and Phil Coke to the Tigers.
In a new league and division a healthy Kennedy had a strong 2010 season. Kennedy made 32 starts with a 3.82 ERA, 168 strikeouts and went 9-10. 2011 was a breakout year for Kennedy. Kennedy won 21 games with a 2.88 ERA and 198 strikeouts. Kennedy would finish 4th in the NL Cy Young voting that year. In the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Kennedy a 4.26 ERA with going 0-1 taking the Game One loss. Kennedy got the start in Game Five and left after six innings with the score tied, but the Brewers would prevail in the later innings to advance to the National League Championship Series.
Sources: 2004-2007 Baseball Almanacs, Hawaii Winter Baseball site, MILB.com
[edit] Notable Achievements
- NL Wins Leader (2011)
- NL Winning Percentage Leader (2011)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 2 (2011 & 2012)
- 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (2011)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (2011 & 2012)
