Adam Kennedy

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**Adam Kennedy**

St. Louis Cardinals — No. 7
Second Baseman
Bats: Left	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
August 21, 1999 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Selected MLB statistics (through 2006)
Batting Average	.280
OPS	.730
Home runs	52
RBI's	369
Awards
2002 ALCS MVP
Former teams
St. Louis Cardinals (1999) Anaheim Angels (2000-2004) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2005-2006)

Adam Thomas Kennedy (born January 10, 1976 in Riverside, California) is a Major League Baseball player. He currently plays second base and has signed a three year contract to play for the St. Louis Cardinals beginning in 2007.

Kennedy attended J.W. North High School in Riverside, California, playing baseball and basketball. He attended Cal State Northridge, where he played shortstop for the Matador baseball squad. He set school records in career hits, RBIs and batting average and was a three-time All American. He led the nation in hits as a sophomore and junior.

Kennedy was drafted in the first round (twentieth overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997. He made his major league debut in 1999 for the Cards, but was traded the following year to the Anaheim Angels with Kent Bottenfield for Angels fan-favorite Jim Edmonds.

Kennedy matched a team record with eight RBIs against the Blue Jays on April 18, 2000. It was the most RBIs by any rookie in one game since Fred Lynn drove in 10 for the Boston Red Sox in 1975.

However, it was in Game 5 of the 2002 American League Championship Series that Kennedy became a hero to many Angels fans. He hit three home runs, joining only four other players who hit three homers in a post-season game: Babe Ruth, Bob Robertson, Reggie Jackson and George Brett. Kennedy's outstanding performance helped the Halos clinch the American League pennant, and Kennedy was named the series' Most Valuable Player. The Angels went on to beat the San Francisco Giants in seven games in the World Series, earning Kennedy a World Series ring.

Along with his Gold Glove-caliber defensive skills, the 2002 campaign established Kennedy as a fixture in the Angels infield. However, his declining offensive performance put his status with the club in flux. Before the 2006 season trade deadline, it was rumored that Kennedy would be traded, most notably for Shea Hillenbrand. While the rumors never came to fruition, Kennedy was forced to relenquish complete possession over the starting second base position, and played in a platoon with rookie phenom Howie Kendrick for the remainder of the season.

On August 16, 2006 when the Angels were playing the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, pitcher Scott Feldman hit Kennedy with a pitch after the two teams had been trading beanballs over the span of the series. Kennedy charged the mound, starting a bench-clearing brawl between the two teams. Kennedy was suspended for four games for his actions.

On November 28, 2006 he signed a 3 year, 10 million dollar contract with his old team and the defending World Series Champions, the St. Louis Cardinals.