John Kruk

About John Kruk

John Joe Martin Gehring Kruk (born February 9, 1961 in Charleston, West Virginia) is an American former Major League Baseball player and current baseball analyst for ESPN.

Kruk was raised in Keyser, West Virginia in Mineral County, the state's Potomac Highlands. He played baseball at Keyser High School in Keyser, West Virginia, at Potomac State College, and at Allegany Community College. Kruk signed as a #3 Special Draft selection on June 13, 1981 with scout Hank Zacharias. He began his professional career with the San Diego Padres after being drafted in 1981. He played in such outposts as Walla Walla, Reno, Beaumont, and Las Vegas, before making his debut with the Padres in 1986. While at Allegany Community College Kruk played for Junior College Hall of Fame Coach Steve Bazarnic. Kruk was the first Major Leaguer to come out of Allegany and has since been followed by four others (Stan Belinda, Steve Kline, Joe Beimel and Scott Seabol).

Kruk's breakout year was 1987 with the Padres. He hit .313 with 20 home runs and 91 RBI, and stole 18 bases, showing surprising speed for someone of his build, although he was caught ten times, making his stealing of dubious effectiveness. He was featured as a backup on the National League All-Star Team in the acclaimed Nintendo game, RBI Baseball. On April 13, 1987, Marvel Wynne, Tony Gwynn, and Kruk became the first players in major league history to open a game with three consecutive solo home runs in a 13-6 win over the San Francisco Giants.