Jason Kendall Throwback

Ever Wonder What’s Being Said at Home Plate? How a Team Silently Communicates? What Goes on in the Clubhouse Behind Closed Doors? America’s pastime has always left fans and amateur players alike yearning for the answers to questions about how pros play the game. Jason Kendall is an All-Star catcher who has seen just about everything during his years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Kansas City Royals. He’s a player’s player, a guy with true grit--a throwback to another time with a unique view on the game that so many love. Reminiscent of such classics as BALL FOUR and MEN AT WORK, Jason Kendall and sportswriter Lee Judge team up to bring you the fan, player, coach, or curious statistician an insider’s view of the game from a player’s perspective. This is a book about pre-game rituals, what to look for when a pitcher warms up between innings, the signs a catcher uses to communicate with the pitcher, and so much more. Some of baseball wisdom you will find inside: * What to look for during batting practice. * The right way to hit a batter. * Who’s a tough guy and who’s just posing. * How to spot a dirty slide. * Why you don’t look at the umpire while you’re arguing. Based on Kendall’s 15 years of professional MLB experience, THROWBACK is an informative, hilarious, and illuminating look into the world of professional baseball—and in a way that no one has ever seen before. ABOUT JASON KENDALL Having played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals, JASON KENDALL can boast three All-Star games. Kendall was known as a fundamentally sound catcher who was very good at blocking pitches and handling a pitching staff, despite a relatively weak throwing arm. At the plate, Kendall was known for his very opened stance and was a contact hitter who tended to "crowd" the plate. He was known to not use batting gloves. He was known as fiercely competitive, and was involved in several bench-clearing brawls. Kendall was also hit by pitches frequently as a result of his batting stance; he was hit 254 times, good for fifth all time. In addition to being a target for being hit by pitches, Kendall was also a stolen-base threat. His 189 stolen bases are second all-time in MLB history in the modern era (1901 and later) to Roger Bresnahan for stolen bases by a player primarily playing catcher for his career. Kendall's plate discipline and rare speed at the catcher position also enabled him to be used as a leadoff batter. Kendall started the game batting leadoff in 438 of his 2,085 games played, including 119 of his 147 games in 2004 and 90 of his 143 games in 2006 No other major-league catcher in the modern era of baseball has ever batted the majority of his team's games in the leadoff spot in any season.