My buddy and I went to Wrigley for 1 reason. To see Kingman blast HR’s… I remember One of his homers where he got fooled on a pitched, reached for it, had one hand on the bat when he made contact, and drilled it over the fence…
Saw him hit one into the LF bleachers in St. Louis about 4 rows in front of me. I had a stiff neck from looking straight up and waiting for it to land.
from 78-1980. those 3 seasons Kingman was with the Cubs. him and my boy Buckner. put A LOT of fannies in those seats at Wrigley. 16 seasons in the Major Leagues is actually pretty GOOD. we still LOVE you Dave here in Chicago. and thank you for giving us kids across the Chicagoland area. some thrills.
He could have had a longer career if he wasn't black listed. He hit 35 HR's his last season and nobody wanted to pick him up? Some shit team like the Cleveland Indians could certainly have used his bat as a DH.
Buckner evened out Kingman and his strikeouts with his 20 or less per year. Buckner was a great Cub and ballplayer in general. Bob Stanley wasn't even close to getting his fat ass to cover 1st in time.
He did have great 1979 season with the Cubs, when he hit .288 avg/48 hrs/115 rbi with a .956 ops. Also went .268/35/118 w .826 ops with 1984 A's. Hit 35 bombs in his last major league season [1986] with the A's at age 37.
It is easy to pick on Kingman without knowing about him. I don't think he warrants that much criticism compared to today's ballplayers. Did Kingman really strike out that much? Let's compare him to some of today's best sluggers over a 162 game season. Kingman averaged 152 strikeouts per season compared to Judge (201), Stanton (192) Schwarber (187), Ohtani (174), and Trout (159). Kingman average 162 game statistics were .236 BA, 37 HR, and 101 RBI. That would earn a $200+ million multi-year contract today. He was not the best outfielder but a serviceable one with a fielding percentage of .974. He possessed a cannon for a throwing arm. He was a pitcher for USC in college before converting to outfield. He was also remarkably fast for his size and played receiver and safety in high school. His power was unheard of then and now. Few people could hit it as far as Kingman in any era. Think about him playing today in the small bandbox ballparks used today to enhance home runs. He was much larger than he was listed which was a common practice in those decades. He was probably closer to 230-240 at 6'6" and his strength was legendary. But Kingman was his own worst enemy many times. He did not like the press and quarreled with them frequently and dismissed fans, even his own fans. But he was exciting to watch with a bat in his hands.
Tremendous athlete for certain, playing several sports and being selected #1 overall. However, while Kingman struckout at a similar rate to today's sluggers, we also need to compare his ops/ops+ as well, and the aforementioned players are miles ahead. Most certainly wouldn't make 200 mill, but as a DH, would be a serviceable, everyday player.
Problem is, half his career he hit about 220; and he had a number of seasons where injuries kept his at bats low. He only hit 270 or more three times. He was exciting, and career 442 home runs and 1210 RBI's is first class. To me, the cash in paid for the RBI's and the fan draw; and Kingman was a huge fan draw. I saw him in Dodger stadium hit a grand slam that had to go up 400 feet and out 500 feet. He was able to make weaker teams competitive. With better teams, he would have been platooned against left handed pitching and right handers he hit well against. His stats would have been much better overall.
Dave was the reason I became a Met fan probably won't get into the hall of fame because of his low career batting average and low OPS OBP but his monster HR made it all worth it I went to a game in 82 he put one out in Shea stadium parking lot
@@71robsahm He was a real draw. He is tied with Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth in grand slams with 16. Had a lifetime 478 slugging percentage. And he could take over any game. I saw him destroy the Dodgers in L.A. in a game when he three homers on the first pitch and drove in eight runs our of the Mets ten. He would get into slumps, unfortunately, and he once struck out 150 times in 350 at bats. It was said if he could lower his strike outs to 90 a year, he could hit 300 and make the hall of fame. He once led the NL in HR's and hit only 204.
I think he had a huge strike zone and a really good right handed pitcher with good control could exploit some weaknesses. If he had a really good batting coach, and settled into a position on one team , his career might have been a lot different. There are pitches you are not going to be able to hit out of the park, but you have to make as much contact as possible; put the ball in play. In the majors, if you have a weak spot, the pitchers will find it. He was a monster in college and the minors.
He is also tied with Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron in Grand Slams at 16. I saw one of his 8 RBI games in Dodger Stadium, hitting 3 home runs; all on the first pitch, and after a really bad slump in New York. All of those home runs had as much vertical distance as they did horizontal distance; he launched them.
Those other two guys are schmucks. There’s only one king! All bad joking aside, Jimmie Foxx was my grandfather’s favorite player. Crazy seeing Kingman in company with those two.
I was fortunate enough to meet Dave during covid. He has a beautiful home in the tahoe area . We played tennis there when all the courts were closed. He was a good guy and very generous.
@@DemonKingBadgerhe actually would just be Kris Davis .Reggie Jackson or Harmon Killebtew are much closer to the modern idea of high slugging high on base millions of strikeouts type super slugger nowadays
@@jimwerther actually no. It was 1977 and Yankees won the World Series that year(Reggie 3 homers in the clincher) Kong wasnt eligible for post season roster.
Yeah, but he didn't need them. They don't help when you're striking out anyway. When he hit it, he pretty much hit it out. When he didn't, he didn't. The guy had 1200 RBIs with only a 238 lifetime batting average.
Kingman was an experience to see when he connected. Watched him drop one onto Waveland Ave in '78 against the Phillies and Pete Rose. Mike Krukow got the Cubs into a good bench clearing brawl. Memories of a lifetime
@@GeraldM_inNC Mark McGwire took PEDS later in his career. Kingman never did. All Mark McGwire and Dave Kingman did was his 500 ft home runs or strike out.
I remember when he came into prominence with the Mets in 1975. Think he was pretty unknown before this. My best memory of him was a multi-strikeout game at Shea where he destroyed his hair dryer after the game (the tantrum made the NY Daily News). The Mets flew out to LA and he hit 3 homers against the Dodgers in the next game. It was fun to watch him bunt, too! Almost always got on base!
I have many fond memories watching & rooting for Dave Kingman on Mets in mid 70s. I do know for sure he hated the nickname King-Kong. (that’s a nickname you only can give a white guy on national TV)
He had 32 HR's in the first 91 games in 1976 for the Mets before he torn up his thumb in LF... Came back after five weeks & still only finished one HR behind Mike Schmidt for the NL Home Run leader...
I remember that. I can’t believe they didn’t have any actual ground rules about hitting the top of the Metrodome. And I think he hit top of the Houston Astro dome as well
He had DH written all over him, but spent most of his career in the NL where he had to play defense. No protection in the line up during his Mets years.
I would say 2023 Kyle Schwarber = 1982 Dave Kingman, but at least Schwarber walks a lot. That seems to be the only difference, though. Tons of HRs, not many other hits, tons of Ks, and defense that makes your eyes bleed.
@@glennbrock6560 ehh, I wouldn't say he was awful at it. I think he had roughly 1 per 12-13 PA for his career. But, I know the analytics want that rate higher is all. The analytical darlings tend to have at least 100 more points on their OBP than BA. But, yeah he was no Jesus Alou with drawing walks either.
While playing for the A’s, Kingman hit me unintentionally with a home run ball during batting practice at Tiger Stadium. I dropped my hot dog and got mustard on my jeans.
Kingman hit exactly 100 HR’s for Oakland in his final three seasons after being considered “washed-up” and released by the Mets following a rough 1983 season.
@@rudistorm3348 Collusion! He won the highest $ reward in the player's collusion case against the league. He could still hit. AND, the next season was going to be the Rabbit Ball 1987. They robbed him of 500.
He didn't retire. Nobody would sign him. Some have said it was because nobody wanted to see him reach 500 as every 500 home run player had been an automatic for the HOF.
When Kingman was on the Cubs, he hit a home run to left center that went out of the park over the street and landed in someone’s yard. The person living in that house was watching the game, ran out his front door,picked up the ball, waved at the camera and ran back in his house.😂
When Kingman was with the Cubs, it always seemed like his ABs were either whiff or wham - strike out or hit a homer. His fielding skills were negligible. Still, it was always a thrill to see him come to the plate with the game on the line. However, whiff or wham, y'know? Cheers....
The 70's were when I fell in love with baseball as a kid & Kong was always one of my favorites because every time he came up & makes contact he's probably going to hit it a mile. If he could have kept his batting average even in the 270's or 80's he'd probably be in the HOF with a few 50 hr seasons & the rest in the 30's or 40's.Incidentally he did hit more singles than HR's but not many.
I’m a Yankees fan since I was a kid in the 70’s but Kingman was one of my favorite players because of the bombs he would hit. That September he spent with the Yanks in 77 was awesome to my 9yo self. 😂
I remember in 1977 he hit a ball out of Yankee Stadium but it was foul. No one ever hit a fair ball out of the Stadium. Mantle came close but the ball hit the facade. Legend has it that Josh Gibson did it but there's no proof.
Dave Kingman was one of those rare players that no matter what you were doing, you stopped to watch him when he was at the plate. You knew that he was either going to either strike out or hit a home run, but it was the mammoth home runs he hit that we awaited. I recall being in She Stadium watching him some ridiculously long home runs that no other player came close to hitting. In New York during the time played for the Mets and when Reggie Jackson was playing for the Yankees, those were the two players we always looked to watch when they were batting.
What’s more bizarre is Dave Kingman‘s 1985 season. In 1985 Kingman had 35 home runs at 94 RBIs ; the following season he retired because the Oakland athletics dropped his contract. That is bizarre.
I remember Shea Stadium had “Kingman Zone” parking signs beyond the left field bull pen advising people not to park there. Kingman was breaking car windows when he would get a hold of one, lol. He would hit them out in the parking lot pretty often!
Kingman never wanted to play the outfield because he was a standout college pitcher at USC. He argued that he was a pitcher but the manager said his strong bat was needed in the lineup.
A Met game I happened to attend at Shea Stadium in 1976 against the Atlanta Braves, Kingman dived for a fly ball and broke his wrist. Looking that game up, it was July 19th, the Mets' 93rd game. At that point, Kingman had 32 HR's & 72 RBIS. He was on a pace for 55 HR's and 124 RBI's. This was in the 1970's, pre-steroids, big ball parks, and when around 35 HR's would lead the league. Plus he was playing his home games in one of the worst HR parks in the league. In those days, hitting 50 HR's still meant something. In his short time with the Yankees, Kingman hit maybe the longest HR I've ever seen, maybe the longest ever hit at Fenway Park. It looked like it went over the Citgo sign behind the LF wall. Kingman wasn't a great player, of course, but he was a guy fans wanted to see in a low-slugging, pitching dominated era.
Two other things: he hit home runs for four different ML teams in 1977 (2 NL, 2 AL); could be a MLB record that will never be broken. And I still have my Spalding Dave Kingman All-Star outfielder's glove I bought in 1980. Best glove I ever had, used it for baseball and then for softball in my fatter years. Still in great shape. Maybe I'll see if I can get him to sign it.
Unfortunately, he was my favorite Mets growing up in the 70s, and I modeled my swing after him, despite not having the hand-eye coordination to make contact with a pitch while using the Kingman power swing. I ended my little league career with one long home run and about 1000 strikeouts.
Unusual then, but later on Rob Deer had 32 HR’s but just 64 RBI’s (while batting .247, which was 68 pts better than the year before) and still later guys like Dunn and Gallo had 40+ HR’s while batting right about .200
I've been waiting for a video about Kingman's 1982 season!!! 109 hits on the year... Led the league with 37 home runs.. and it took a hot (for him that year) last week to get over the Mendoza Line. Another season of his that's interesting is 1976... a great "What if?" season... Had 31 home runs at the All Star Break (this in an era when 50 home runs hadn't been reached in 11 years, and would only be reached once in the next 14 years) then got hurt soon after and missed a month and a half. Came back, was still hurt but hit another 6 home runs in a little over 30 games.
All this means nothing. Fact is, Kingman will always be known for having this question asked about him: "What's your opinion of Kingman's performance?"
So, in human terms, Kingman rarely got a base hit, but when he did, more often than not it was a homerun. Is that about right? In any case, homeruns are entertaining. Maybe that's why his career lasted so long.
Kinsman with the cubs hit tons of home runs 1979 48 hr 125 rbi and 288 batting ave I think if he was coached and encouraged better and played with the cubs his entire career he would have hit 500 plus home runs for sure plus had a good hitter behind him
If I'm not mistaken, the home run he hit at 1:37 was a one armed shot. His one hand slipped off the bat mid swing and he had to muscle it over center with one arm. Incredible. He was not so bad. As a Cub fan, his 1979 season was amazing and he batted .288. In 1978, .266 and in 1980, .278. I guess the Cubs got his best seasons :-)
my first ever MLB game was at Wrigley as the Cubs hosted San Diego, with whom Dave played.......he clobbered two home runs that game, one of which was a grand slam. Needles to say, when the Cubs signed him, he was my favorite, too.
As a Chicagoan, I saw him play for and against the Cubs. His best years were with them, especially 1979. He hit 48HR, 145 RBIs with a respectable.288, avg. and while no Billy Williams in the field, he was not a liability. He went to high school in Mt. Prospect a NW Chicago suburb. Too bad he didn’t stay with the Cubs.
love these random stats like this, let's see if Schwarber can eclipse him at some point in his career. Seems to be gunning for the one trick pony crown
am a crazy Phillies fan. I walked to Connie mack stadium with my dad and brothers back in the 60s. Just about lived at the vet. I remember Kingman and Mike Schmidt. would have home run contest like they do at the all star game. I miss those times when I was younger. now am 65 years old and all I want to to be back in those great days.
All I know is, as a Mets fan back then I was elated when Keith Hernandez came to NY in the summer of 1983!!! What a contrast to David Arthur Kingman, who was a home run hitter- and that’s it!
I'm not a big fan of WAR, especially in baseball, as a stat for two reasons. First, it kind of depends on who the replacement is. An exceptional up and comer or veteran playing out the string can skew that one way or another. Second, a single baseball hitter can have very little affect on the outcome of every game. A pitcher has far more control. Also, the rest of the team has to do things like get on base for a power hitter to drive in. For example, Kingman played for the Mets during a period where they were mostly a last place team. They were just plain awful. I know,. I lived through it as a young fan. They weren't winning no matter who their firt baseman/outfielder was.
I think the story I remember most about Kingman (and whether it is true or not I do not really know) is that early in his career he played 3B but his throws were so erratic that team ownership begged the manager not to play him there anymore because they were having trouble selling box seats near first base because the fans were afraid they would get hit.
Kingman was a clean-up hitter. His philosophy wasn't to get on base, it was to drive in the runners ahead of him who did. He could drive in as many as four runs with one swing. All or nothing yes, but if you're going to lead the league in something, home runs is not a bad thing.
Dave Kingman had some very solid years. The point of this video is that 1982 was one of his worst, especially compared to other players’ seasons that have led the league in home runs.
Being born in 73 didn’t really follow Kingman‘s career watching him bat I can see he was all arms. Can’t imagine if he had a coach nowadays showing him launch angles and everything else how many runs this guy would have.
lived through this era 😂 I remember think it’s a HR or nothing for Kingman. Caught a HR from Dave in All Star practice in San Diego when I was 12😁All star season for me too 🍻
My buddy and I went to Wrigley for 1 reason. To see Kingman blast HR’s… I remember One of his homers where he got fooled on a pitched, reached for it, had one hand on the bat when he made contact, and drilled it over the fence…
In 1979 he hit 48 HRs, the whole Astros team hit 49.
Saw him hit one into the LF bleachers in St. Louis about 4 rows in front of me. I had a stiff neck from looking straight up and waiting for it to land.
Big strong guy! He hit some moon shots at Shea too.
I remember people talking about how in 1982, the NL HR leader had a lower batting average than the NL Cy Young winner. Kingman .204 / Carlton .218.
That's a brilliant statistic. Thank you.
To be fair... Carlton was a good hitting pitcher...
@@aspireahead8388 Even good hitting pitchers have it far more difficult being only asked to hit 1 or 2 games a week at most.
Carlton probably had a higher BA. He was a good hitter.
That’s because he goes for bombs so he whiffs a lot just like Mike Schmidt used to
from 78-1980. those 3 seasons Kingman was with the Cubs. him and my boy Buckner. put A LOT of fannies in those seats at Wrigley. 16 seasons in the Major Leagues is actually pretty GOOD. we still LOVE you Dave here in Chicago. and thank you for giving us kids across the Chicagoland area. some thrills.
It’s not pretty good , it puts you in the top .0001 percent of a segment of the .0001 most supremely talented men in the history of the planet …
He could have had a longer career if he wasn't black listed. He hit 35 HR's his last season and nobody wanted to pick him up? Some shit team like the Cleveland Indians could certainly have used his bat as a DH.
Buckner evened out Kingman and his strikeouts with his 20 or less per year. Buckner was a great Cub and ballplayer in general.
Bob Stanley wasn't even close to getting his fat ass to cover 1st in time.
Of course, you had been trained to know winning was out of the question.
He had some good years, all around good years, in Chicago.
Kingman's base stealing was excellent in '82. Four steals in four attempts.
He's no rusty staub
@@andrewyoung2796 slow as ship, and what's with the way he ran, looked like a lady walking through spiders
Dude hit bombs!!! 3rd house across the street ball bounced off front porch.
When asked where he hit a homer. The usual responses were left, center, right, or a street address.
He almost hit my mom’s car in the Shea Stadium parking lot.
He hit a monster shot in that Cubs/Phillies game that had a score of 23-21 or whatever. It landed like 2-3 houses up the street outside Wrigley.
He did have great 1979 season with the Cubs, when he hit .288 avg/48 hrs/115 rbi with a .956 ops. Also went .268/35/118 w .826 ops with 1984 A's. Hit 35 bombs in his last major league season [1986] with the A's at age 37.
EdMan57; Yup; that 1979.season had the 23-22 Cubs' victory vs. the Phillies (I believe Kingman had 3HRs in that game).
@@EdMan57 that year he hit 48 homers, the entire Astros team hit only 49.
@@DemonKingBadger . Cool. I did not know that fact. Thanks!
Mets
@@billybandyk0720
It is easy to pick on Kingman without knowing about him. I don't think he warrants that much criticism compared to today's ballplayers. Did Kingman really strike out that much? Let's compare him to some of today's best sluggers over a 162 game season. Kingman averaged 152 strikeouts per season compared to Judge (201), Stanton (192) Schwarber (187), Ohtani (174), and Trout (159). Kingman average 162 game statistics were .236 BA, 37 HR, and 101 RBI. That would earn a $200+ million multi-year contract today. He was not the best outfielder but a serviceable one with a fielding percentage of .974. He possessed a cannon for a throwing arm. He was a pitcher for USC in college before converting to outfield. He was also remarkably fast for his size and played receiver and safety in high school. His power was unheard of then and now. Few people could hit it as far as Kingman in any era. Think about him playing today in the small bandbox ballparks used today to enhance home runs. He was much larger than he was listed which was a common practice in those decades. He was probably closer to 230-240 at 6'6" and his strength was legendary. But Kingman was his own worst enemy many times. He did not like the press and quarreled with them frequently and dismissed fans, even his own fans. But he was exciting to watch with a bat in his hands.
Tremendous athlete for certain, playing several sports and being selected #1 overall. However, while Kingman struckout at a similar rate to today's sluggers, we also need to compare his ops/ops+ as well, and the aforementioned players are miles ahead.
Most certainly wouldn't make 200 mill, but as a DH, would be a serviceable, everyday player.
Problem is, half his career he hit about 220; and he had a number of seasons where injuries kept his at bats low. He only hit 270 or more three times. He was exciting, and career 442 home runs and 1210 RBI's is first class. To me, the cash in paid for the RBI's and the fan draw; and Kingman was a huge fan draw. I saw him in Dodger stadium hit a grand slam that had to go up 400 feet and out 500 feet. He was able to make weaker teams competitive. With better teams, he would have been platooned against left handed pitching and right handers he hit well against. His stats would have been much better overall.
Dave was the reason I became a Met fan probably won't get into the hall of fame because of his low career batting average and low OPS OBP but his monster HR made it all worth it I went to a game in 82 he put one out in Shea stadium parking lot
@@71robsahm He was a real draw. He is tied with Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth in grand slams with 16. Had a lifetime 478 slugging percentage. And he could take over any game. I saw him destroy the Dodgers in L.A. in a game when he three homers on the first pitch and drove in eight runs our of the Mets ten. He would get into slumps, unfortunately, and he once struck out 150 times in 350 at bats. It was said if he could lower his strike outs to 90 a year, he could hit 300 and make the hall of fame. He once led the NL in HR's and hit only 204.
I think he had a huge strike zone and a really good right handed pitcher with good control could exploit some weaknesses. If he had a really good batting coach, and settled into a position on one team , his career might have been a lot different. There are pitches you are not going to be able to hit out of the park, but you have to make as much contact as possible; put the ball in play. In the majors, if you have a weak spot, the pitchers will find it. He was a monster in college and the minors.
Great video. Fun fact: Dave Kingman, Lou Gehrig, and Jimmie Foxx are the only players with three 8-RBI games
Thank you
He is also tied with Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron in Grand Slams at 16. I saw one of his 8 RBI games in Dodger Stadium, hitting 3 home runs; all on the first pitch, and after a really bad slump in New York. All of those home runs had as much vertical distance as they did horizontal distance; he launched them.
That's pretty good company.
Those other two guys are schmucks. There’s only one king!
All bad joking aside, Jimmie Foxx was my grandfather’s favorite player. Crazy seeing Kingman in company with those two.
@@metaldams78 He was a slugger. If he played he was going to hit his HR's!
I was fortunate enough to meet Dave during covid. He has a beautiful home in the tahoe area . We played tennis there when all the courts were closed. He was a good guy and very generous.
Pretty amazing when you remember that Kingman was a royal jerk during his playing days.
@@bronxjar8441 according to the media... for what that's worth!
In today's baseball he would be a superstar.
True.
True, unfortunately. The ultimate all or nothing batter.
I don't know, the analytics people bitch over his lack of walks.
@@DemonKingBadgerhe actually would just be Kris Davis .Reggie Jackson or Harmon Killebtew are much closer to the modern idea of high slugging high on base millions of strikeouts type super slugger nowadays
💯
37hrs with just 9 doubles for a season is wild
Always a great trivia question. Only player to play in all 4 divisions in MLB(back when they were only 4) in one season. Dave Kingman
And, I believe, all finished in last place.
@@jimwerther actually no. It was 1977 and Yankees won the World Series that year(Reggie 3 homers in the clincher) Kong wasnt eligible for post season roster.
Point of order;
"It hit the third house across Waveland Ave."
Yep ... longest home run in Wrigley Field history .... May 17, 1979 .....
saying the same thing over and over for 9 minutes.
One overlooked stat on Kingman… he never paid for drugs.
Not once.
Lucky Bastard
Yeah, but he didn't need them. They don't help when you're striking out anyway. When he hit it, he pretty much hit it out. When he didn't, he didn't. The guy had 1200 RBIs with only a 238 lifetime batting average.
Not once, Dewey!
Who gave them to him ?
You mean wasnt on drugs?
Kingman was an experience to see when he connected.
Watched him drop one onto Waveland Ave in '78 against the Phillies and Pete Rose.
Mike Krukow got the Cubs into a good bench clearing brawl.
Memories of a lifetime
Dave Kingman was the Mark McGwire of the 70's to mid 80's.
Minus the PEDs?
@@GeraldM_inNC Mark McGwire took PEDS later in his career. Kingman never did. All Mark McGwire and Dave Kingman did was his 500 ft home runs or strike out.
Kingman also had a season in like 1976 or 77 where he hit a homerun for 4 different teams in all 4 Divisions. Let's tough to do.
77
Played on FOUR teams in ONE year.
Angels, Padres, Cubs, Yankees in 1977.
Mets Padres Angels and Yankees
I remember when he came into prominence with the Mets in 1975. Think he was pretty unknown before this. My best memory of him was a multi-strikeout game at Shea where he destroyed his hair dryer after the game (the tantrum made the NY Daily News). The Mets flew out to LA and he hit 3 homers against the Dodgers in the next game. It was fun to watch him bunt, too! Almost always got on base!
He could fly
I have many fond memories watching & rooting for Dave Kingman on Mets in mid 70s. I do know for sure he hated the nickname King-Kong. (that’s a nickname you only can give a white guy on national TV)
"Chicks dig the long ball." - Dave Kingman
He had 32 HR's in the first 91 games in 1976 for the Mets before he torn up his thumb in LF... Came back after five weeks & still only finished one HR behind Mike Schmidt for the NL Home Run leader...
Didn't call him King Kong for nothin.😮😮😮
if im not mistaken , Kingman was the first player to hit the top of the metrodome and they didnt know how to call that hit.
I remember that. I can’t believe they didn’t have any actual ground rules about hitting the top of the Metrodome. And I think he hit top of the Houston Astro dome as well
Still a better hitter than Joey Gallo
One of 4 people who hit over 400 home runs and will never make the HOF.
would be interesting if he hit 500
And he didn't deserve the hall of fame, if you don't hit for average, you don't belong
Darrell Evans, too.
Prior to the steroid era Kingman had the most HRs of any non-HOF player.
He had DH written all over him, but spent most of his career in the NL where he had to play defense. No protection in the line up during his Mets years.
I would say 2023 Kyle Schwarber = 1982 Dave Kingman, but at least Schwarber walks a lot.
That seems to be the only difference, though. Tons of HRs, not many other hits, tons of Ks, and defense that makes your eyes bleed.
AKA, the guy 2023 analytics say is the perfect baseball player.
Schwarber's season this year was one of the weirdest of all time.
Nah, they bitch about Kingman's walk totals.
@DemonKingBadger Well yeah, if he doesn't walk he's making outs. He had a .302 OBP. That is awful.
@@DemonKingBadger Kingman walked, his obp was so low because of his low average, but he would take his walks.
@@glennbrock6560 ehh, I wouldn't say he was awful at it. I think he had roughly 1 per 12-13 PA for his career. But, I know the analytics want that rate higher is all. The analytical darlings tend to have at least 100 more points on their OBP than BA.
But, yeah he was no Jesus Alou with drawing walks either.
His last three seasons in Oakland were pretty solid and then he retired.
While playing for the A’s, Kingman hit me unintentionally with a home run ball during batting practice at Tiger Stadium. I dropped my hot dog and got mustard on my jeans.
A moment you will always relish, I'm sure.
Great story.
You both nailed it.
I mustardmit, that story made me spit my soda all over my keyboard and monitor.
Kingman hit exactly 100 HR’s for Oakland in his final three seasons after being considered “washed-up” and released by the Mets following a rough 1983 season.
🎉yeah he hit 35 Hr his last season. Not many players retire with 35 in their last season.
@@rudistorm3348 Collusion! He won the highest $ reward in the player's collusion case against the league. He could still hit. AND, the next season was going to be the Rabbit Ball 1987. They robbed him of 500.
He didn't retire. Nobody would sign him. Some have said it was because nobody wanted to see him reach 500 as every 500 home run player had been an automatic for the HOF.
The Mets released him because they traded for Keith Hernandez.
I LOVED Dave Kingman as a kid. His #26 was a number I wore through Little League (when available) and as an adult playing softball. LOL.
When Kingman was on the Cubs, he hit a home run to left center that went out of the park over the street and landed in someone’s yard. The person living in that house was watching the game, ran out his front door,picked up the ball, waved at the camera and ran back in his house.😂
That's fucking hilarious....and true!
When Kingman was with the Cubs, it always seemed like his ABs were either whiff or wham - strike out or hit a homer. His fielding skills were negligible. Still, it was always a thrill to see him come to the plate with the game on the line. However, whiff or wham, y'know? Cheers....
at least 90% of today's teams(mainly because of analytics) would be drooling over having an average Kingman season on their team
You should do a video on Ralph Kiner and his HR dominance during that 7 year run in late 40’s early 50’s
He was fun to watch.
Kingman was such a bad fielder, one season he had 15 errors just playing DH!
Best comment LMBO
The 70's were when I fell in love with baseball as a kid & Kong was always one of my favorites because every time he came up & makes contact he's probably going to hit it a mile. If he could have kept his batting average even in the 270's or 80's he'd probably be in the HOF with a few 50 hr seasons & the rest in the 30's or 40's.Incidentally he did hit more singles than HR's but not many.
I’m a Yankees fan since I was a kid in the 70’s but Kingman was one of my favorite players because of the bombs he would hit. That September he spent with the Yanks in 77 was awesome to my 9yo self. 😂
I remember in 1977 he hit a ball out of Yankee Stadium but it was foul. No one ever hit a fair ball out of the Stadium. Mantle came close but the ball hit the facade. Legend has it that Josh Gibson did it but there's no proof.
Dave Kingman was one of those rare players that no matter what you were doing, you stopped to watch him when he was at the plate. You knew that he was either going to either strike out or hit a home run, but it was the mammoth home runs he hit that we awaited. I recall being in She Stadium watching him some ridiculously long home runs that no other player came close to hitting. In New York during the time played for the Mets and when Reggie Jackson was playing for the Yankees, those were the two players we always looked to watch when they were batting.
What’s more bizarre is Dave Kingman‘s 1985 season. In 1985 Kingman had 35 home runs at 94 RBIs ; the following season he retired because the Oakland athletics dropped his contract. That is bizarre.
40 HRs 42 Hits
I remember Shea Stadium had “Kingman Zone” parking signs beyond the left field bull pen advising people not to park there. Kingman was breaking car windows when he would get a hold of one, lol. He would hit them out in the parking lot pretty often!
Kingman never wanted to play the outfield because he was a standout college pitcher at USC. He argued that he was a pitcher but the manager said his strong bat was needed in the lineup.
Growing up a Cubs fan in Chicago in the 1970s, I always looked forward to his HRs, which were the only bright spots on bad Cubs teams
A Met game I happened to attend at Shea Stadium in 1976 against the Atlanta Braves, Kingman dived for a fly ball and broke his wrist. Looking that game up, it was July 19th, the Mets' 93rd game. At that point, Kingman had 32 HR's & 72 RBIS. He was on a pace for 55 HR's and 124 RBI's. This was in the 1970's, pre-steroids, big ball parks, and when around 35 HR's would lead the league. Plus he was playing his home games in one of the worst HR parks in the league. In those days, hitting 50 HR's still meant something.
In his short time with the Yankees, Kingman hit maybe the longest HR I've ever seen, maybe the longest ever hit at Fenway Park. It looked like it went over the Citgo sign behind the LF wall. Kingman wasn't a great player, of course, but he was a guy fans wanted to see in a low-slugging, pitching dominated era.
Two other things: he hit home runs for four different ML teams in 1977 (2 NL, 2 AL); could be a MLB record that will never be broken. And I still have my Spalding Dave Kingman All-Star outfielder's glove I bought in 1980. Best glove I ever had, used it for baseball and then for softball in my fatter years. Still in great shape. Maybe I'll see if I can get him to sign it.
At what point during the season when he was a Yankee?
@@KevinPayton-fq8gd last two weeks of the season
I was a kid during that time period but I remember 1982. Trust me. For Mets fans, Kingman at bats was the only thing worth watching that year.
Dave "King Kong" Kingman. He hit balls so far in Arizona spring training games, a town in Arizona - Kingman - was named after him.
Unfortunately, he was my favorite Mets growing up in the 70s, and I modeled my swing after him, despite not having the hand-eye coordination to make contact with a pitch while using the Kingman power swing. I ended my little league career with one long home run and about 1000 strikeouts.
This guy hit Mantle-distance shots! That did it for me. Then I met him at a party in SF after he retired - a true gentleman, a kind soul.
Unusual then, but later on Rob Deer had 32 HR’s but just 64 RBI’s (while batting .247, which was 68 pts better than the year before) and still later guys like Dunn and Gallo had 40+ HR’s while batting right about .200
With all the emphasis on the home run in today’s game, Kingman would probably be one of the highest paid players in MLB.
Before the Steroids Era, Kingman held the record as the player with the most home runs NOT elected to the Hall of Fame.
Look up his first game against the Seattle mariners at the kingdom he played for oakland A's 3 home runs missed a 4 by inches
Kingman could have been a 2-way player had they let him pitch. He finished his career hitting 35 HRs with similar numbers compared to his 1982 season.
He was the most exciting batter I have ever seen. The ultimate all or nothing player.
I've been waiting for a video about Kingman's 1982 season!!!
109 hits on the year... Led the league with 37 home runs.. and it took a hot (for him that year) last week to get over the Mendoza Line.
Another season of his that's interesting is 1976... a great "What if?" season... Had 31 home runs at the All Star Break (this in an era when 50 home runs hadn't been reached in 11 years, and would only be reached once in the next 14 years) then got hurt soon after and missed a month and a half. Came back, was still hurt but hit another 6 home runs in a little over 30 games.
Yep, he had 31 at the break. He might have hit 60 that season, but he broke his wrist diving for a shallow fly in left
Kingman was ahead of his time. He hated the media way before the rest of us.
In ‘82 I was really rooting for him to lead the NL in home runs and hit below the Mendoza line. He almost pulled it off!
All this means nothing. Fact is, Kingman will always be known for having this question asked about him:
"What's your opinion of Kingman's performance?"
Its remarkable in these clips how unathletic and hobbled Kingman looks to be physically.
Being a huge Mets fan Kingman could of stuck out 3 times but the 4th AB he could hit a mammoth HR over the stadium. 👍
Kingman was a must watch when he came to bat. That was a lot of homeruns for the time also.
So, in human terms, Kingman rarely got a base hit, but when he did, more often than not it was a homerun. Is that about right?
In any case, homeruns are entertaining. Maybe that's why his career lasted so long.
Yeah that's the basis to it. He hit a lot of home runs during a time where very few hit as many as he did.
@@walkoffstudiosand many of the home runs were hit out of Wrigley field, way out
Not just entertaining, but can win games, especially if hit with men on base. That's why so many teams were interested despite his other weak stats
I bought a used glove and found a Dave Kingman signature on it, pretty cool to see this video
today he would be paid big $
Kingman was making BIG money with the Cubs and Mets. take that money back then/he was making. and put it in today's economy...2024.BIG DOLLARS.
McGwire picked up right where Kingman left off
Kinsman with the cubs hit tons of home runs 1979 48 hr 125 rbi and 288 batting ave I think if he was coached and encouraged better and played with the cubs his entire career he would have hit 500 plus home runs for sure plus had a good hitter behind him
I remember he pitched a few innings for the Giants in the early 1970’s during a blowout game.
If I'm not mistaken, the home run he hit at 1:37 was a one armed shot. His one hand slipped off the bat mid swing and he had to muscle it over center with one arm. Incredible. He was not so bad. As a Cub fan, his 1979 season was amazing and he batted .288. In 1978, .266 and in 1980, .278. I guess the Cubs got his best seasons :-)
My all-time favorite player! First sports hero in my life as a very young Cubs fan.
my first ever MLB game was at Wrigley as the Cubs hosted San Diego, with whom Dave played.......he clobbered two home runs that game, one of which was a grand slam. Needles to say, when the Cubs signed him, he was my favorite, too.
Why not Walter Payton? I enjoyed watching Kingman & Buckner & Dejesus too lol
The year I was born. June 12, 1982. What a year.
Even back in 1982, before a lot of these advanced stats were thought of, people were talking about how odd Kingman's 1982 season was.
Kingman was traded three times in one season.
Dave Kingman was my favorite Cub. I loved hearing Jack Brickhouse call his home run shots.
As a Chicagoan, I saw him play for and against the Cubs. His best years were with them, especially 1979. He hit 48HR, 145 RBIs with a respectable.288, avg. and while no Billy Williams in the field, he was not a liability. He went to high school in Mt. Prospect a NW Chicago suburb. Too bad he didn’t stay with the Cubs.
I had a season ticket to the Mets in 1982, 85 feet past home plate, a bird's-eye view of his homers.
Man he was stronger than hell without the juice
Impressive strange stats compiler.
love these random stats like this, let's see if Schwarber can eclipse him at some point in his career. Seems to be gunning for the one trick pony crown
am a crazy Phillies fan. I walked to Connie mack stadium with my dad and brothers back in the 60s. Just about lived at the vet. I remember Kingman and Mike Schmidt. would have home run contest like they do at the all star game. I miss those times when I was younger. now am 65 years old and all I want to to be back in those great days.
All I know is, as a Mets fan back then I was elated when Keith Hernandez came to NY in the summer of 1983!!!
What a contrast to David Arthur Kingman, who was a home run hitter- and that’s it!
He put on a display in batting practice, like no other player from that era. It was worth the price of admission to watch him take BP.
Good presentation, Sir.
1979, while playing for the Cubs -- 48 homers, 115 rbis, batting .288. Struck out only 131 times. O.B.P. - .343. Not too shabby of a season.
Guessing since he played first base on defense it’s safe to say he wasn’t a good fielder either. 😂😂😂
I'm not a big fan of WAR, especially in baseball, as a stat for two reasons. First, it kind of depends on who the replacement is. An exceptional up and comer or veteran playing out the string can skew that one way or another. Second, a single baseball hitter can have very little affect on the outcome of every game. A pitcher has far more control. Also, the rest of the team has to do things like get on base for a power hitter to drive in.
For example, Kingman played for the Mets during a period where they were mostly a last place team. They were just plain awful. I know,. I lived through it as a young fan. They weren't winning no matter who their firt baseman/outfielder was.
The pitch to Kingman......hey...hey...kiss it goodbye, it's onto waveland Ave again!!
That's a nutty season, but at least he'll be remembered for a unique story. Nice surname at least.
One of the first HR/strikeout guys from my era growing up that spawned many others. Adam Dunn etc
Does your publisher ship to the US?
I think the story I remember most about Kingman (and whether it is true or not I do not really know) is that early in his career he played 3B but his throws were so erratic that team ownership begged the manager not to play him there anymore because they were having trouble selling box seats near first base because the fans were afraid they would get hit.
We heckled him so hard at a Giants game he flipped us off. We were ecstatic 🤩 “Hey Kingman!! …”
Kingman was a clean-up hitter. His philosophy wasn't to get on base, it was to drive in the runners ahead of him who did. He could drive in as many as four runs with one swing. All or nothing yes, but if you're going to lead the league in something, home runs is not a bad thing.
Dave Kingman had some very solid years. The point of this video is that 1982 was one of his worst, especially compared to other players’ seasons that have led the league in home runs.
What? I guess he was OK. Thank you for the content.
Being born in 73 didn’t really follow Kingman‘s career watching him bat I can see he was all arms. Can’t imagine if he had a coach nowadays showing him launch angles and everything else how many runs this guy would have.
lived through this era 😂 I remember think it’s a HR or nothing for Kingman. Caught a HR from Dave in All Star practice in San Diego when I was 12😁All star season for me too 🍻