Ken Singleton

Kenneth Wayne Singleton (born June 10, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports commentator. He played as an outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, and Baltimore Orioles.

For the American economist, see Kenneth Singleton.

Ken Singleton
Ken Singleton in 2012
Right fielder / Designated hitter
Born: (1947-06-10) June 10, 1947
New York City, New York
Batted: Switch Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 24, 1970, for the New York Mets
Last MLB appearance
September 25, 1984, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
Batting average.282
Hits2,029
Home runs246
Runs batted in1,065
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Baseball career
Singleton as a Baltimore Oriole

Born in Manhattan, New York City, and raised in nearby Mount Vernon, Singleton played both baseball and basketball in high school. He also played baseball in the Bronx Federation League at Macombs Dam Park, across the street from Yankee Stadium. Singleton was drafted out of Hofstra University by the New York Mets as the third overall pick in the 1st round of the 1967 Major League Baseball draft.[1] He made his major league debut with the Mets on June 24, 1970 at the age of 23.[2] In April 1972, he was part of a package traded to the Montreal Expos for Rusty Staub.

Singleton's best year of the three in Montreal was 1973, when he led the league in on-base percentage (one of nine top-ten finishes in that category over the course of his career) and collected 23 home runs, 103 RBIs and a .302 batting average (his first .300 season).

Singleton was acquired along with Mike Torrez by the Orioles from the Expos for Dave McNally, Rich Coggins and minor-league right-handed pitcher Bill Kirkpatrick at the Winter Meetings on December 4, 1974.[3] During his ten years in Baltimore, Singleton played the best baseball of his career as the Orioles won two pennants, in 1979 and 1983, and won the 1983 World Series. In 1977, he posted a career-high .328 batting average, third highest in the American League.[2] In 1979 he had career-highs with 35 home runs and 111 RBIs.[2] He was described by his manager with the Orioles Earl Weaver as "the kind of hitter who can start a rally by getting on base or end one by driving in the winning run." Being a slow runner was the only deficiency he had as a ballplayer.[4] Singleton played in his final major league game on September 25, 1984, at the age of 37.[2]

Career statistics

In a 15-year major league career, Singleton played in 2,082 games, accumulating 2,029 hits in 7,189 at bats for a .282 career batting average along with 246 home runs, 1,065 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of .388.[2] He had a career .980 fielding percentage.[2] Singleton ranks among the Orioles all-time leaders in numerous offensive statistics.[5] In his 10 years as a Oriole, he hit .290 or better in 5 of those years. An All-Star in 1977, 1979 and 1981, he won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1982. His highest finish in the Most Valuable Player Award balloting was in 1979, when he finished second to Don Baylor.[6] He was third in 1977, behind Al Cowens and the winner, Rod Carew.[7]

Broadcasting career
Singleton in 2006 as a television broadcaster for YES

After retiring as a baseball player, Singleton began his broadcasting career as a sportscaster for WJZ-TV in Baltimore in the mid-1980s and TSN in Canada, first as a color commentator on telecasts for the Toronto Blue Jays (1985 and 1986) and then as a television color commentator and as a radio play-by-play and color commentator for the Montreal Expos (1987–1996).

Currently, Singleton is a commentator for the New York Yankees on the YES Network and PIX 11, serving as both a color commentator and play-by-play announcer, along with partner and play-by-play announcer Michael Kay. He also worked as an announcer for Yankee games on the MSG Network, before the inception of YES and joined the Yankees broadcasting team in 1997.

Singleton calling New York Yankees games on YES, along with (L to R) Michael Kay, Paul O'Neill, and Ryan Ruocco.

His trademark calls include "This one is gone" for a home run and "Look out!" for a hard hit foul ball into the crowd or dugout, or when a pitch comes close to/hits a batter. He will also occasionally call a pitch a "chuck and duck" for a ball hit right back toward the pitcher. He also calls a pitch down the heart of the plate a "cookie".

On March 12, 2018, Singleton initially announced that he would be retiring from the broadcasting booth after the 2018 season.[8] However, on August 9, 2018, he announced that he had decided to postpone his retirement until after the 2019 season instead.[9] During the Yankees-Rays broadcast on YES on September 25, 2019, Singleton announced he would be returning to the Yankees booth for the 2020 season.[10][11]

Personal life

Singleton is a cousin of former NBA player and current Philadelphia 76ers head coach Glenn "Doc" Rivers,[12][13] and the father of former minor league outfielder Justin Singleton.

Singleton grew up in a house in Mount Vernon, New York, once owned by the family of former Brooklyn Dodger Ralph Branca.[14] According to broadcast references, Singleton still resides in the Baltimore area.

Singleton sits on the Board of Directors for the Cool Kids Campaign, a non-profit organization based in Towson, Maryland.[15] One of Singleton's roles on the Board of Directors is to host the Celebrity Golf Tournament each June.[16]

In the 1986 edition of the Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, James' wife Susan McCarthy picked Ken Singleton as one of the best-looking players in the 1970s. In a subsequent edition, James wrote that, upon reading the entry, Singleton sent her a thank-you card.[17]

See also

References
  1. "1967 Major League Baseball Draft". thebaseballcube.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  2. "Ken Singleton statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  3. "Orioles Trade McNally To Montreal Expos; Five-Player Deal Completed," The Associated Press (AP), Thursday, December 5, 1974. Retrieved March 20, 2016
  4. Keith, Larry. "Beat feet but eyes right," Sports Illustrated, July 25, 1977. Retrieved December 18, 2020
  5. "Baltimore Orioles All-Time Hitting Leaders". mlb.com. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  6. "1979 American League Most Valuable Player Award balloting". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  7. "1977 American League Most Valuable Player Award balloting". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 24, 2011.
  8. "Ken Singleton is leaving the Yankees booth". New York Post. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  9. "Ken Singleton postpones retirement, returning to Yankees' TV booth in 2019". NJ.com. August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  10. @YESNetwork (September 25, 2019). "HE'S COMING BACK!!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 18, 2019 – via Twitter.
  11. "Beloved Yankees Announcer Ken Singleton Announces He's Returning for 2020 Season". 12UP.com. September 26, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  12. Doc Rivers Coaching Info Archived March 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine at NBA.com
  13. InsideHoops.com – Doc Rivers
  14. "Beat Feet But Eyes Right". CNN. July 25, 1977. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013.
  15. http://www.coolkidscampaign.org/who-we-are/board-of-directors/
  16. http://www.coolkidscampaign.org/golf/
  17. James, Bill (May 11, 2010). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Simon & Schuster. p. 799. ISBN 9781439106938.
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