| Bob Kearney | |
| Position: | Catcher |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Birth Date: | 3 October 1956 |
| Birth Place: | San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | September 25 |
| Debutyear: | 1979 |
| Debutteam: | San Francisco Giants |
| Finalleague: | MLB |
| Finaldate: | June 20 |
| Finalyear: | 1987 |
| Finalteam: | Seattle Mariners |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Batting average |
| Stat1value: | .233 |
| Stat2label: | Home runs |
| Stat2value: | 27 |
| Stat3label: | Runs batted in |
| Stat3value: | 133 |
| Teams: | |
Robert Henry Kearney (born October 3, 1956), is an American former professional baseball player.[1] He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, and Seattle Mariners from to .[1]
Kearney was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the fourteenth round of the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft out of the University of Texas.[2] He made his major league debut with the Giants late in the 1979 season, but returned to the minor leagues for the following season.[1] Kearney was drafted by the Oakland Athletics from the Giants in the minor league draft.[3] Kearney's strong throwing arm was made evident in a game against the Tacoma Indians in when, he threw out five baserunners attempting to steal second base.[4] He was selected as the catcher for the 1981 Pacific Coast League Northern Division All-Star team.[5]
Kearney began the 1982 season with the Athletics when regular catchers Mike Heath and Jeff Newman were sidelined by injuries but, would later be sent back to the minor leagues.[6] In September, he was recalled to the major leagues after hitting for a .253 batting average in Tacoma.[7] He shared catching duties with Heath in 1983, posting a .255 batting average with 8 home runs and 32 runs batted in.[8] Kearney was named as the catcher for the Topps All-Star Rookie Team and was also named the Baseball Digest All-Star Rookie Catcher Of The Year.[9] [10]
Kearney was traded to the Seattle Mariners before the 1984 season, replacing Rick Sweet as their starting catcher.[3] [11] Despite his strong throwing arm, he developed a reputation for poor pitch-calling skills.[12] During the 1984 season, Mariners pitchers Salomé Barojas and Mike Moore both demanded to have Orlando Mercado as their catcher.[13] This lack of pitch-calling skills along with his light-hitting caused the Mariners to trade for veteran catcher Steve Yeager before the 1986 season.[12] Yeager was expected to catch the majority of the Mariners' games however, he had a disappointing season and Kearney would eventually lead the team's catchers by appearing in 81 games.[14] In 1987, he was displaced by Scott Bradley as the Mariners' starting catcher and was released in July of that year after posting a .170 batting average in 51 games.[1] [3]
In an eight-year career, Kearney played in 479 games, accumulating 316 hits in 1356 at bats for a .233 career batting average along with 27 home runs and 133 runs batted in.[1] He ended his career with a .987 fielding percentage.[1] Kearney led American League catchers in with 823 putouts, and in, he led the league in fielding percentage with a .995 average, committing only three errors in 108 games.[15] [16]