Kyle Kendrick

Kyle Rodney Kendrick (born August 26, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, and Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Kendrick was born in Houston, Texas but attended high school in Mount Vernon, Washington.

While growing up, he was greatly influenced by his father, from whom he developed his composure when pitching.

Upon graduation, Kendrick turned down a scholarship to play college football, instead signing a contract to begin his pro baseball career with the Phillies.

The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Kendrick in the seventh round (205th overall) of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft, which caused him to reject a football scholarship offer to Washington State University.

Kendrick began his career in the lower levels of the minor league system, and struggled mightily.

A feature article in Phillies magazine noted, "His first three seasons, in the Gulf Coast League, and various Class A stops, weren't encouraging. He was a combined 10–28 with a 5.27 ERA (earned run average). He allowed 356 hits in 286.2 innings. There were some steps forward, some steps back"

In 2006, however, the Phillies "patience was ... rewarded"; pitching for the Lakewood BlueClaws for the third consecutive season, he earned Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Month accolades for May, thus warranting a promotion to the Clearwater Threshers.

In 20 starts with Clearwater, Kendrick posted a 3.53 ERA, among the best in the Florida State League.

This performance as well as the fact that he spent significant time working out and focusing on mechanical improvement allayed the previous fears of poor work ethic.

After a slow ascent through Minor League Baseball (MiLB), he made his MLB debut in 2007, and was a member of the starting rotation of the 2008 World Series Championship team.

Subsequently, Kendrick was demoted to the minors to develop secondary pitches.

Ultimately, 2007 would be Kendrick's last in the low levels of the Phillies' minor leagues, as he began the season with the Double-A (AA) Reading Phillies, and finished it with the big league club.

Despite several options at Triple-A (AAA), when Freddy García got hurt, Pat Gillick promoted Kendrick to the major leagues, which drew skepticism, as Kendrick was just 22 years old, and had not pitched particularly well for Reading.

However, according to Steve Noworyta, Phillies assistant director of player development, Kendrick's "mound presence and his maturity", as well as the fact that "nothing really seemed to bother him" contributed to his promotion.

His MLB debut came on June 13 against the Chicago White Sox at Citizens Bank Park.

He pitched six innings and gave up three runs, receiving a no-decision in an 8–4 Phillies' victory.

He pitched the second game of the 2007 National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies, which the Phillies lost, en route to being swept in the series.

He finished the season with a 10–4 win–loss record and a 3.87 ERA in 121 MLB innings pitched.

He came in fifth place, ultimately losing to Ryan Braun, in 2007 National League Rookie of the Year Award voting.

Before the 2008 season, Kendrick was a victim of an "elaborate practical joke" executed by Brett Myers that had Kendrick convinced he had been traded away to Japan.

During the season, Kendrick's performance slipped; he posted a 5.49 ERA in 30 starts.

Despite his relative ineffectiveness, the Phillies won the 2008 World Series, and though he was left off the postseason roster, Kendrick received a World Series ring and co-authored a diary from the series.

Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee attributed the decline to hitters discerning that Kendrick threw predominantly a sinker, and almost always in the strike zone, thus fostering predictability for hitters.

As such, he spent the majority of the 2009 season in the minor leagues, working on developing his change up, which proved to be an arduous process.

Ultimately, after learning a new grip from Justin Lehr, he had a eureka moment during a bullpen session in 2009; he developed the pitch, and made it back to the major leagues "for good" near the conclusion of the season.

From 2010 to 2012, his role on the big-league squad frequently fluctuated; however, he was considered by many writers to be an underrated pitcher.

Nevertheless, Kendrick drew the ire of Phillies fans who were tired of his inconsistency.

The Phillies acquired Roy Halladay prior to the 2010 season, and during spring training, Kendrick sought the mentorship of Halladay, whom he aspired to emulate during his high school career.

Halladay willingly obliged, and teammates endearingly referred to Kendrick as "Little Roy" due to the amount of time he spent working with Halladay.

After a successful 2012 campaign, he firmly implanted himself in the Phillies' starting rotation before the 2013 season.

Kendrick's pitching style was characterized by his poise on the mound that allowed him to "go with the flow" of the game.

He predominantly threw a sinker and mixed in some secondary pitches in which he lacked confidence.

Kendrick is married to 3-time Survivor contestant Stephenie LaGrossa, has three children, and lives in Snohomish County, Washington.

Born in Houston, Texas, Kendrick was a three-sport standout in football, basketball, and baseball at Mount Vernon High School in Mount Vernon, Washington.

Throughout his adolescent athletic career, it was Kendrick's father Maury from whom Kendrick drew guidance and direction, particularly on how to conduct oneself during a game.

Maury advised Kendrick to show as little emotion as possible when pitching, and is the one from whom Kendrick draws his composure while pitching.

Kendrick and his father discuss pitching before and after every one of Kendrick's starts, which Maury watches from Seattle, Washington, and in 2013, Maury was part of the Phillies' Father's Day celebration, a celebration of his guidance of Kendrick.

- Excerpt from Special K, by Paul Hagen in Phillies, June 2013

Early in Kendrick's career, many within the organization questioned his work ethic and maturity, which they thought may have contributed to his underachievement.