Ken Singleton

Position: Rightfielder
Bats: Both • Throws: Right
6-4, 210lb (193cm, 95kg)
Born: June 10, 1947 in New York, NY
Draft: Drafted by the New York Mets in the 1st round (3rd) of the 1967 MLB January Draft-Regular Phase.
High School: Mount Vernon HS (Mount Vernon, NY)
School: Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY)
Debut: June 24, 1970 (10,625th in MLB history)
vs. CHC 4 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: September 25, 1984
vs. NYY 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: Kenneth Wayne Singleton
Twitter: @29alltime

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1970

Dave Concepcion
Jose Cruz
Don Baylor
Larry Bowa
Ken Singleton
Bobby Grich
Cesar Cedeno
Bert Blyleven
Charlie Hough

All-Time Teammate Team

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Notable Events and Chronology

June 10, 1947

Ken Singleton is born June 10, 1947

July 21, 1970

Clay Kirby removed for a pinch hitter with a no hitter

July 24, 1970

Agee steals victory for the Mets

April 5, 1972

Rusty Staub acquired by New York Mets

December 4, 1974

Montreal Expos send OF Ken Singleton and P Mike Torrez to the Orioles for P Dave McNally, OF Rich Coggins, and minor league pitcher Bill Kirkpatrick

August 10, 1976

Jim Palmer one-hits the Twins, as the O’s win, 2 – 0. Mike Cubbage’s single in the 2nd is the only hit.

August 9, 1981

1981 the largest crowd in All-Star Game history watches the National League defeat the American League

Biography

Quotes About Ken Singleton
“If you talk about consistency, coming to the ballpark day in and day out and getting the job done, then you have to rank Ken right up there with the best of them. As a consistent hitter, I’d have to put him in the class with Brooks [Robinson] and Frank [Robinson] as the best I’ve ever had play for me.” — manager Earl Weaver

“When we got Kenny, we knew he was a good hitter, but I wasn’t sure where we’d put him in the lineup. As it turned out, we needed a leadoff hitter, so we used him there and he was excellent. Now, we need him in the middle of the batting order, and we’ve had to look to him to give us a little more power – and he’s done that, too. He’s very patient at the plate, a very disciplined hitter, and it looks like he just keeps getting better.” — manager Earl Weaver

Singleton was a consistent power hitter who topped 20 HR in five seasons, with a high of 35 in Baltimore’s 1979 AL championship year. He was in double figures in homers in all but three of his 15 seasons and hit .300 four times.

The native New Yorker started his career with the Mets, but was not given a chance to play regularly and was traded to the Expos in April 1972 with Mike Jorgenson and Tim Foli in exchange for Rusty Staub. In his first season with Montreal, Singleton had troublesome rashes that were finally traced to an allergic reaction to the Expos’ wool uniforms; the club had to order double-knit uniforms, especially for him. He had perhaps his best year, considering the circumstances, in 1973. Playing on a losing team with only one other significant power hitter, Singleton hit 23 HR with 103 RBI (fifth in the NL), 100 runs, 123 walks (one behind the league leader), and a .302 BA. After dropping off in 1974, he was traded to the Orioles with Mike Torrez for Dave McNally and two throw-ins.

With the Orioles, Singleton became a star. When he hit .328 in 1977 (third in the AL), it set the club record, as did his .438 on-base percentage (second in the AL). He also holds Oriole season marks with 118 walks in 1975 and 35 switch-hit HR in 1979. In major league history, only Singleton, Mantle, and Howard Johnson have switch-hit 35 or more HR in a season. Singleton also ranks high in most Baltimore career offensive categories, including fourth in hits, HR, RBI, and total bases. Twice with Baltimore he had 100 RBI and three times he topped 100 walks. His production dropped off after 1982, when he had muscle deterioration in his right forearm. Until then, he had had a strong throwing arm (he led the NL in assists with 20 in 1973), but that and his decreasing speed, never good even when he was young, forced him into a DH role. That confined his 1983 WS action to two pinch-hit appearances, but in one of them, in Game Four, he walked with the bases loaded to force in the tying run in the Orioles’ 5-4 victory. He had an excellent postseason in 1979, hitting .375 with two RBI and four runs in the four-game LCS and .357 with two RBI in the Orioles’ WS loss.

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