Austin Kearns

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**Austin Kearns**

Washington Nationals — No. 28
Right field
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
April 17, 2002 for the Cincinnati Reds
Selected MLB statistics (through 2006)
Batting average	.265
Home runs	79
Slugging average	.463
Teams
Cincinnati Reds (2002-2006) Washington Nationals (2006-present)

Austin Ryan Kearns (born May 20, 1980 in Lexington, Kentucky) is a Major League Baseball player. He currently plays right field for the Washington Nationals. After a stellar career at Lafayette High School, he was offered a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Florida. However, he decided to sign with the Cincinnati Reds after being selected seventh overall in the 1998 MLB Draft.

After just three seasons in the Reds' minor league system, he made his MLB debut on April 17, 2002. He is known as one of the best fielding outfielders in the National League. He throws and bats right-handed. His 2005 salary was $930,000. 2006 is an important season for Kearns as he has never played more than 112 games without succumbing to injury.

Kearns was traded to the Nationals on July 13, 2006 along with Felipe Lopez and Ryan Wagner from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Gary Majewski, Bill Bray, Royce Clayton, Brendan Harris, and Daryl Thompson.

Austin Kearns in his last appearance at RFK Stadium before being traded to the Washington Nationals in July, 2006.

On September 23, 2006, playing against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium, Kearns and first baseman Nick Johnson collided while making a sliding attempt to catch a fly ball. Kearns remained in the game relatively unhurt, but Johnson sustained a broken femur and underwent surgery that night to repair his injuries.