Ron Kittle

Positions: Designated Hitter, Leftfielder and First Baseman
Bats: Right • Throws: Right
6-4, 200lb (193cm, 90kg)
Born: January 5, 1958 in Gary, IN
Debut: September 2, 1982 (14,662nd in major league history)
vs. TEX 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: August 13, 1991
vs. DET 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Agents: Bob Gilhooley, Jim Bronner
Full Name: Ronald Dale Kittle
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1982

Tony Gwynn
Wade Boggs
Julio Franco
Willie McGee
Tony Phillips
Don Mattingly
Frank Viola
Doug Jones
Kevin Bass

All-Time Teammate Team

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Notable Events and Chronology

November 22, 1983

Ron Kittle of the Chicago White Sox, who hit 35 home runs with 100 RBI, wins the American League Rookie of the Year Award, beating out Cleveland infielder Julio Franco and Baltimore pitcher Mike Boddicker.

December 31, 1983

Major League Season Recap 1983

July 30, 1986

1986 – C Ron Hassey is traded for the third time in eight months, this time going to Chicago in a deal that brings OF-DH Ron Kittle, SS Wayne Tolleson and C Joel Skinner to New York.

April 26, 1990

Nolan Ryan 12th one hitter ties Feller

July 21, 1990

In his first major league start, Ben McDonald, the Orioles’ top pick in last year’s June draft, blanks Chicago on four hits, 2-0. The 22 year-old right-hander from Louisiana State, the first American League pitcher to make his debut with a shutout in 15 years, retires the final 16 White Sox batters he faces, after allowing Ron Kittle’s fourth-inning single.

September 2, 1998

Nomar Garciaparra becomes one of only five players to hit 30 homers in each of his first two seasons

February 2, 2022

Ron Kittle on Tony La Russa, Chicago White Sox

Biography

This strongboy from nearby Gary, Indiana, was an instant hit in Chicago. Kittle had been released by the Dodger organization after a spinal fusion operation in 1978 and was working in iron construction when invited to Comiskey Park for a tryout. His combined output for two minor league seasons, 1981 and 1982, was 90 homers. As the White Sox left fielder in 1983, he batted .254 with 35 homers and 100 RBI, combining with Greg Luzinski to form the most potent home run duo in club history. He played in the All-Star Game and the LCS, and he won AL Rookie of the Year honors. But he also struck out a league-high 150 times.

In 1984 Kittle’s average dropped to .215, and his 32 round-trippers did not compensate for his failure to advance runners and hit in the clutch. He was hampered by a shoulder injury in 1985 and was batting .213 in 1986 when he was traded to the Yankees. He hit 12 homers in 159 at-bats in 1987, spent 40 days on the disabled list, and was released. The Indians picked him up in 1988, and he returned to the White Sox for 1989 but spent much of the season on the DL after a good start. Kittle returned in 1990 but was traded midseason to Baltimore, where his average plummeted. His career ended the next season when his struggles ended a comeback attempt with the White Sox after only 17 games.

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