Kevin Maas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2006)
Kevin Maas
Designated Hitter/First base
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
June 29, 1990
for the New York Yankees
Final game
June 20, 1995
for the Minnesota Twins
Career statistics
Batting average     .230
Home runs     65
RBI     169
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Kevin Christian Maas (born January 20, 1965, Castro Valley, California), is a former major league baseball player. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 22nd round of the 1986 draft after attending the University Of California. He made his major league debut for Yankees on June 29, 1990 when they called him up from the Columbus Clippers. It was hoped that he would be the heir apparent to Don Mattingly. He started his big league career on a tear, setting a record for the fewest at bats (72) to hit 10 home runs. He was helped by a three game series at Texas when he homered in each game of the series. At the end of the 1990 season, Maas had hit 21 home runs in 79 games and he finished second in The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award voting to Sandy Alomar of the Cleveland Indians.

Like Mattingly, Maas was a left-handed batter. As a result many of his home runs went into the right field stands. About halfway through the season a group of a dozen or so young ladies began wearing "Maas-tops" to Yankees home games and sitting in the right field stands. Whenever Maas hit a home run to right, the girls would get up, remove their tops and jump up and down until Maas finished circling the bases. However after a few home runs the women were banned from entering Yankee Stadium.

The following season he served as the Yankees designated hitter and occasional fill in for Mattingly at first base. Even though he played in 148 games, his sophomore season was not as successful as his first. He did hit 23 home runs (in 500 at bats), but unfortunately he hit just .220 with 128 strikeouts.

By 1992, Maas was shuffling back and forth between the major and minor leagues. He was released by the Yankees in 1994. He bounced around between San Diego, Cincinnati, and Minnesota. He briefly returned to the majors in 1995 with Minnesota but it was clear he was a "one hit wonder." Maas then signed with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan's Central League in 1996 to replace Glenn Davis.

[edit] External links

Languages