Remembering the 1984 San Diego Padres
Credit: AP Photo
TERRY KENNEDY- CATCHER
The backstop and backbone of the San Diego Padres in 1984 was veteran catcher Terry Kennedy.
The former first-round pick (6th overall) in the 1977 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals was coming off three fantastic years for the Padres.
He recorded a .301, .295, and .284 batting average in his first three years in Padres brown and was a young offensive catcher at the time. Not well-known for his defense, Kennedy made up for it by being a left-handed catcher with power.
Kennedy was acquired in a massive 11-player trade on December 12, 1980. Kennedy, John Littlefield, Al Olmsted, Mike Phillips, Kim Seaman, Steve Swisher, and John Urrea were added to the Padres. The St. Louis Cardinals received Rollie Fingers, Bob Shirley, Gene Tenace, and Bob Geren in exchange.
The Cardinals then dealt fingers to the Milwaukee Brewers for David Green, Dave LaPoint, Sixto Lezcano, and Lary Sorensen. A massive offseason of wheeling and dealing.
Kennedy played six seasons for the San Diego Padres. He proved to be very durable, as he totaled 140 plus games in all but one of those seasons (101 games in 1981, Kennedy’s first season in S.D.). He played in 835 games for the Friars and slugged 76 home runs while driving in 424 runners. A .274/.319/.407 slashing line is very respectable for this era of the game.
On May 9, 1984, Kennedy hit his second home run of the year in leading the Padres over the Cardinals 3-2. September 3, 1984, Terry Kennedy homers as the Padres beat the rival Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3.
Ironically, the 1984 season was Kennedy’s worst statistical season. He hit .240 in 148 games with 14 homers and 57 RBIs. Terry Kennedy didn’t do much in the postseason either, as he hit .216 in 37 at-bats with one home run. The team was outgunned by a Detroit Tigers team that was just on fire.
These days, Kennedy is still involved in baseball. He was a minor league manager with the St. Louis Cardinals, Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Padres. Terry Kennedy is currently a Major League scout with the Cubs organization.
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James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. 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.