Dave Kingman

The towering slugger who set Mets home run records and terrorized pitchers with 442 career homers.

David Arthur Kingman (born December 21, 1948), nicknamed "Kong", "King Kong", and "Sky King", is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder, first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter who was a three-time MLB All-Star with 442 career home runs and 1,210 runs batted in (RBI) in 16 seasons. In his career, Kingman averaged a home run every 15.11 at bats, tied for 19th best all-time.

Quick Facts

Position

Left fielder
First baseman
Designated hitter

Bats

Right

Born

21 December 1948

Birthplace

Pendleton, Oregon, U.S.

Debut league

MLB

Debut date

July 30

Debut year

1971

Debut team

San Francisco Giants

Lore & Background

Kingman was born in Pendleton, Oregon, in 1948, and moved with his family to Denver, Colorado, in 1951, then to Los Angeles, California, in 1954, and finally to Mount Prospect, Illinois. He attended Prospect High School, where he played basketball, football, and baseball. He threw a no-hitter on April 6, 1967, and in his final high school game hit four home runs and pitched a two-hit shutout. He was drafted by the California Angels in the second round of the 1967 draft but chose to attend Harper Junior College in Palatine, Illinois. After a year he moved on to the University of Southern California (USC) to play college baseball for the Trojans under coach Rod Dedeaux, and was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the first round of the 1968 draft. He began as a pitcher at USC before being converted to an outfielder. In 1969, he had an 11–4 win–loss record with a 1.38 ERA and batted .250 with four home runs and 16 RBIs as a part-time hitter. In the 1970 USC NCAA Championship Season, he hit .355 with nine home runs and 25 RBIs, exclusively as a hitter, despite missing time mid-season due to injury. He was named an All-America and led the Trojans to the College World Series championship. He was then selected by the San Francisco Giants with the first pick of the secondary phase draft. After signing with the Giants, he played for the Class AA Amarillo Giants in 1970, hitting .295 with 15 home runs and 45 RBIs in 60 games. Moving to the Class AAA Phoenix Giants in 1971, he hit .278 with 26 home runs and 99 RBIs in 105 games before being called up by the San Francisco Giants. He made his major league debut on July 30, 1971, pinch running for Willie McCovey, and hit a home run in his next game, a grand slam. He finished his rookie season with a .278 batting average, 6 home runs and 24 RBI in 41 games. He appeared in the postseason when the Giants won the National League West, going 1-for-10 with three strikeouts as the Giants lost in four games. On April 16, 1972, he hit for the cycle. He also pitched two innings of mop-up duty twice in 1972. In 1973, he committed twelve errors in 59 chances at third and lost his starting job. Following the season, the Giants sold his contract to the New York Mets. In four seasons and 409 games with the Giants, he hit .224 with 77 home runs and 217 RBI. The Mets purchased his contract for $150,000 on February 28, 1975.

Reader's Guide

Kingman was a power hitter who twice led the National League in home runs. Known for his long home runs, he hit one measured at over 530 feet. He struck out frequently, and posted a low batting average and on-base percentage. His 1,816 strikeouts was the fourth-highest total in MLB history at the time of his retirement. He finished in the top 25 voting for National League Most Valuable Player four times (1972, 1975, 1976, and 1979) and American League Most Valuable Player once (1984). Upon retiring, only eighteen other players had more home runs than Kingman for a career and he was tied for 4th on the all-time grand slam list with 16 (tied with Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth).