Howard Joseph Kendrick III (born July 12, 1983) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

and current special assistant to the General Manager for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. The

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

selected Kendrick in the tenth round of the

2002 Major League Baseball draft The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5. It is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book '' Moneyball''. First round selections Supplemental first round compensation selections * ...

. He made his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) debut in 2006. He has played in MLB for the Angels from 2006 to 2014,

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

from 2015 to 2016, the Phillies in 2017 and the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

from 2017 to 2020, winning a World Series Championship with them in 2019. In 2011, he appeared in the

MLB All-Star Game The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

. While primarily a second baseman throughout his career, he has also played first base and

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

Early life

Kendrick and his two sisters, Christina and Michelle, were raised by their grandmother in

Callahan, Florida Callahan is a town in Nassau County, Florida, United States, adjacent to Duval County. The population was 1,123 at the 2010 census. It is one location of the Northeast Florida Fair. The Battle of Alligator Bridge took place around Callahan on J ...

while their mother, Belinda, served in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. When Kendrick was 12 years old, he began living with his mother. Kendrick eventually found that he and his mother "didn't get along very well" and moved in with another family. Kendrick attended

West Nassau High School West Nassau High School is a rural public high school for grade 9-12 located in the town of Callahan, Florida. It is one of three 9-12 high schools in the Nassau County School District. Nassau County is rated as an "A" School District under the F ...

in Callahan. He was an undersized high schooler at and and did not have the benefit of being able to play travel ball. He played before recruiters from several colleges but received no interest until he enrolled at St. Johns River Community College in

Palatka, Florida Palatka () is a city in northeastern Florida and it is the county seat of Putnam County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,558 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Putnam County. Palatka is the principal city of the Palatka Mi ...

, where he was named Conference Player of the Year. It was by chance that Angels scout

Tom Kotchman John Thomas Kotchman (born August 14, 1954) is an American professional baseball scout, coach and minor league manager. Since the 2014 season, he has been manager of the rookie-level affiliate of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball, c ...

discovered him there in 2002. "My goodness, the kid hit the ball," he recalled. "I couldn't believe there weren't other scouts there. And other JCs cut this guy? What were they thinking?"

Professional career

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The

selected Kendrick in the tenth round of the

. ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

'' named him the best prospect in the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

in 2005, calling him "the clear standout" in a league that also featured

Kendrys Morales Kendrys Morales Rodríguez (born June 20, 1983) is a Cuban-Dominican former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota ...

Erick Aybar Erick Johan Aybar (born January 14, 1984) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres. ...

, and

Andre Ethier Andre Everett Ethier (; born April 10, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006 to 2017 and is second all-time in post-season appearances as a Do ...

. He was named the 12th top prospect by ''

'' in 2006. Howard Kendrick 2009

Kendrick made his MLB debut on April 26, 2006, as the starting second baseman for the Angels against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. He was hitless in four at-bats in the game. His first hit was a line drive single to center off

Barry Zito Barry William Zito (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. His pitching repertoire consisted of a curveball ...

of the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

in his next start, on May 1. Kendrick hit his first

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

against Shawn Camp of the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home venu ...

on July 26. He hit .285 with 4 homers and 30 RBIs in 72 games during that season. Kendrick had a one-on-one collision with

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educationa ...

during his rookie season in the stands on the

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

side of

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...

. On a foul ball that was hit towards where Affleck was sitting, Kendrick beat Affleck to the ball, recording the out. Fans sitting nearby booed Affleck for not taking the ball away from Kendrick. The event landed Kendrick's picture in ''People'' magazine. In an edition of the syndicated ''

Access Hollywood ''Access Hollywood'', formerly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created ...

'', Kendrick presented Affleck an autographed baseball for his birthday. After the incumbent starter,

Adam Kennedy Adam Thomas Kennedy (born January 10, 1976) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Washington Nationals ...

, signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

during the 2006-2007 offseason, Kendrick became the Angels starting second baseman for 2007. He batted .322 in 88 games and again batted over .300 in 2008. Kendrick struggled in the first half of the 2009 season, batting only .239 with 4 homers, and was optioned to the minors. After returning from the minors, Kendrick hit extremely well, batting .358 in the second half with a .558 slugging percentage. Howard Kendrick on September 16, 2011

Kendrick extended his positional versatility in the 2011 season, seeing time at

and

in addition to his usual place at second base. In 2011, Kendrick was selected to serve as an

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

reserve in the 2011 All-Star Game. He joined teammates

Jered Weaver Jered David Weaver (born October 4, 1982) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels and San Diego Padres. Weaver was drafted in the first round (12th overall ...

, and

Jordan Walden Jordan Craig Walden (born November 16, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, and St. Louis Cardinals. Early life Walden was born ...

as the Angels' representatives in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

. Through the All-Star break on July 10, Kendrick was hitting .302/.360/.462 with 8 home runs, 9 stolen bases, and 29 RBIs in 301 at-bats. On January 7, 2012, Kendrick agreed to a new four-year contract worth $33.5 million, making him the Angels' second baseman through the 2015 season. Kendrick had a strong 2012 season, batting .287 with 8 home runs and 67 RBIs. On July 30, 2013, Kendrick got his 1,000th career hit in a game versus the Texas Rangers. Kendrick would improve on his 2012 campaign with an even stronger 2013, batting .297 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs. In 2014, he hit .292 with 7 homers and 75 RBIs.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On December 10, 2014, the Angels traded Kendrick to the

in exchange for

Andrew Heaney Andrew Mark Heaney (born June 5, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in the MLB for the Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees and L ...

. Kendrick suffered a strained hamstring in a game on August 9 and did not return from the disabled list until September 18, though the injury would continue to bother him for the rest of the season. As a result, he played in only 117 games for the Dodgers (his lowest total since 2009) and hit .295 with 9 homers and 54 RBI. He received a qualifying offer for one year of $15.8 million, but declined it. On February 4, 2016, Kendrick re-signed with the Dodgers on a two-year, $20 million contract. Kendrick and his agent blamed the fact that he declined the qualifying offer and thus would require any team claiming him to give up a draft pick with the lack of interest in him from other teams during his free agency. With

Chase Utley Chase Cameron Utley (born December 17, 1978), nicknamed "The Man" and "Silver Fox", is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 16 seasons, primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies. He ...

getting most of the work at second base, Kendrick played primarily in

but also saw time at

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball 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 the scoring system us ...

and

in addition to second. He appeared in 146 games and hit .255/.326/.366 with eight homers and 40 RBI. For the season, he had the highest

ground ball In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...

percentage (61.0%), and the lowest fly ball percentage (19.6%), of all major league hitters.

Philadelphia Phillies

Kendrick was traded to the

for

Darin Ruf Darin Cortland Ruf (born July 28, 1986) is an American professional baseball first baseman, outfielder, and designated hitter for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). Ruf was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and played at Westside High Sch ...

and

Darnell Sweeney Darnell Thomas Sweeney (born February 1, 1991) is an American professional baseball utility player who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies. Early life and am ...

on November 11, 2016. On April 18, 2017, Kendrick was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a strained right abdomen.

Washington Nationals

On July 28, 2017, the Phillies traded Kendrick and cash considerations to the

for McKenzie Mills and international signing bonus money. On August 13, Kendrick hit his first

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

, a walk-off in the bottom of the 11th, against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

. He batted .293 that season, finishing with 7 HR and 25 RBI. He primarily played left field. He re-signed with the Nationals after the season for two years and $7 million plus incentives. On May 19, 2018, Kendrick ruptured his Achilles, ending his season early. He finished the season batting .303 with 4 HR and 12 RBIs. Kendrick participated in 121 regular season games in 2019, finishing with a batting average of .344 in 330 at bats, alongside 62 RBIs and 17 home runs, second-most of any season in his career. He primarily played first base. On October 9, 2019, in Game 5 of the

National League Division Series In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring e ...

, Kendrick hit a

in the 10th inning off

pitcher Joe Kelly to give the Nationals a 7-3 lead that held up as the final score, advancing the Nationals to the

National League Championship Series The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two National ...

. It was just the second extra-innings grand slam in

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

postseason history, the other being hit by

Nelson Cruz Nelson Ramón Cruz Martínez Jr. (born July 1, 1980) is a Dominican-American professional baseball designated hitter and right fielder who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas ...

in the 2011 American League Championship Series. Kendrick became just the 21st player to hit four or more doubles in a

League Championship Series The League Championship Series (LCS) is the semifinal round of postseason play in Major League Baseball which has been conducted since 1969. In 1981, and since 1995, the two annual series have matched up the winners of the Division Series, and ...

. In the National League Championship Series, Kendrick went 5 for 15 with 4 doubles and 4 RBIs in the Nationals' four-game sweep of the

, earning him the National League Championship Series MVP award. In

Game 7 A game seven is the final game of a best of seven series. This game can occur in the postseasons for Major League Baseball (MLB) (League Championship Series and World Series), the National Basketball Association (NBA) (all rounds of the NBA pl ...

of the

2019 World Series The 2019 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2019 season. The 115th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League champion Houston Astros and the National League ...

, Kendrick hit a go-ahead home run off Will Harris that struck the screen on the right field foul pole. His efforts paid off as the Nationals won 6-2, giving them their first championship in franchise history. Kendrick won the 2019

Heart and Hustle Award The Heart & Hustle Award is given out annually by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) to a current player who not only excels on the field, but also "best embodies the values, spirits and traditions of baseball." Nomina ...

. Kendrick became a free agent after the 2019 season, but on December 9, 2019, Nationals general manager

Mike Rizzo Michael Rizzo, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer from New York City, active since the early 1990s. He is well known for working with various artists such as Jennifer Green and Sun, all of whom scored hits on both '' Billboard's Ho ...

said he had signed a one-year deal worth 6.25 million to stay with the Nationals. Kendrick hit .275/.320/.385 with 2 homers and 11 RBI in 25 games in the

pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...

-shortened

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

, and he became a free agent upon the conclusion of the season. On December 21, 2020, Kendrick announced his retirement from professional baseball via his

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

page.

Post-playing career

On November 16, 2021, Kendrick was hired by the

to be a special assistant to General Manager

Sam Fuld Samuel Babson Fuld (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and the current general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. He played eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Tampa B ...

Personal life

Kendrick and his wife Jody married on January 6, 2007. They have two sons and reside in

Paradise Valley, Arizona Paradise Valley is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb of Phoenix, the state's largest city. It is Arizona's wealthiest municipality. The town is known for its luxury golf courses, shopping, expensive real estate, and ...

. Kendrick is a vintage watch collector. Kendrick is an avid photographer known for shooting exclusively with Leica cameras.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kendrick, Howard 1983 births Living people African-American baseball players American League All-Stars Baseball players from Florida Sportspeople from Sarasota, Florida People from Hilliard, Florida Major League Baseball second basemen Los Angeles Angels players Los Angeles Dodgers players Philadelphia Phillies players Washington Nationals players St. Johns River State Vikings baseball players Arizona League Angels players Provo Angels players Cedar Rapids Kernels players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Arkansas Travelers players Salt Lake Bees players Surprise Scorpions players National League Championship Series MVPs 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people