Homegrown talent John Kruk played for the San Diego Padres initially, but the team failed to give him the everyday job at his natural position. Kruk went on to flourish with the Phillies at first base and become one of the best hitters in the league. 

In search of right-handed power and an everyday third baseman, the San Diego Padres traded John Kruk and Randy Ready to the Philadelphia Phillies for Chris James on June 2, 1989.

Luis Salazar, Tim Flannery, and Randy Ready were platooning at third base for the Padres at the time. San Diego longed for a long-term answer at the hot corner. The team took a chance on James as he had shown power (slugging 49 homers his first three seasons in the majors) and was still only 26 years old at the time of the trade.

Chris James did not play well as he produced a -0.8 WAR in 87 games and 303 at-bats with the Padres. He quickly wore out his welcome and was packaged in a deal to Cleveland for Joe Carter six months after being acquired by the Padres.

John Kruk went on to have a great career with the Phillies. He especially produced from 1991 to 1993, putting up at least a 4.3 WAR for three seasons. He made the N.L. All-Star team and garnered MVP votes for the Phillies.

“Trader” Jack McKeon never shied away from a trade as the Padres moved on from Kruk, even though he showed great promise as a young player. They simply never gave him the starting first baseman job. Instead, the team looked for answers elsewhere.

As a 25-year-old rookie, the left-handed hitter put up a .309 batting average and an .828 OPS in 278 at-bats during the 1986 season. Kruk debuted that year as the backup to Steve Garvey at first base and played sporadically. Garvey hurt his arm early in the 1987 season, and that allowed Kruk to take over as the everyday first baseman. He flourished in that role, putting up a .894 OPS with a .313 batting average, while driving in 91 runs and slugging 20 homers. Those are very respectful numbers for the mid 80s.

It looked like the Padres had found their first baseman of the future.

In true Jack McKeon fashion, he traded Rich “Goose” Gossage to the Chicago Cubs for Keith Moreland as Garvey announced his retirement from the game. Moreland was a veteran right-handed hitter and was supposed to be the answer at first base. Instead of just giving the job to Kruk, the team went outside their system for help. Moreland fizzled in 1988, putting up a.646 OPS and a -1.2 WAR in 143 games. He was traded in the winter to the Yankees.

The Padres possessed a capable player at first base in-house in John Kruk. However, in search of power, the Padres acquired Jack Clark from the New York Yankees before the 1989 season. Clark could only play first base at this point in his career, and that meant Kruk would be a backup option at the position and a left fielder.

Athleticism is not a strong suit for John Kruk.

Let’s not kid ourselves. But he could swing the bat effectively.

The left-handed thrower was drafted as a first baseman, but the Padres never gave him the job. For Kruk, it meant he needed to work harder just to get onto the field. His first season, he was strictly used as a weapon off the bench, playing in 122 games but earning only 278 at-bats as Garvey was entrenched at the position and in the midst of his consecutive games streak.

There simply was no place to put him. The DH was only in the A.L. at this time, and the Padres’ only opportunity for Kruk was in left field. That was not ideal for the young player.

He played the position but was never considered a great defender.

The years in the outfield put strain on his knees. Especially as he played at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia and the concrete-like field.

Kruk signed for the 1995 season with the Chicago White Sox in late May despite hitting over .300 his last year in Philly. The team was looking for a DH option, and Kruk signed the one-year/ $1 million deal with Chicago. On July 30, after a single in the first inning, he called to be removed from the game at Baltimore, cleaned out his White Sox locker, and walked away from the sport he loved at the age of 34. He retired. John Kruk did it his way. The only way he knew how.

Kruk ultimately wore down and retired early, but his balky knee never prevented him from barreling up to the baseball. Kruk left the game with a .300 career batting average in over 4,600 plate appearances and 10 years in the majors. He currently works for the Phillies as a broadcaster and is beloved in the city for his honest take on life and the game of baseball.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. James has written about the Padres and their prospects for over a decade. He also writes about San Diego State as well as other local sports. James is the Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.