Kent Mercker, baseball player, 1989-2008

Kent Mercker

Born: 2/1/1968 in Brownsburg, IN, USA

MLB Debut: 1989-09-22 | Final Game: 2008-05-30

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Kent Franklin Mercker

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Biography

Kent Mercker, born in 1968, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1989 to 2008. Over the course of two decades, he established himself as a reliable left-handed option on the mound, contributing to several teams in Major League Baseball. Mercker finished his career with a record of 74-67, an earned run average (ERA) of 4.16, and recorded 917 strikeouts, along with 25 saves. His ability to perform in high-pressure situations made him a valuable asset to the teams he played for. Mercker's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, which saw the game evolve in various ways, from the rise of free agency to the increasing importance of analytics in player evaluation. Known for his tenacity and competitive spirit, he played for multiple franchises, including the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and the Chicago Cubs, among others. His contributions to the game, particularly as part of the Braves' pitching staff during their successful years in the 1990s, underscored his significance in the league. Mercker's legacy is marked not only by his statistics but also by his commitment to the sport and the impact he left on his teammates and fans alike.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
74 67 692 150 2 1 25 1325.3 1307 612 154 607 917 4.16 0

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
1989 ATL NL 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 4.3 8 6 6 4 12.46 0.0
1990 ATL NL 4 7 36 0 0 0 7 48.3 43 17 24 39 3.17 -684.4
1991 ATL NL 5 3 50 4 0 0 6 73.3 56 21 35 62 2.58 720.8
1992 ATL NL 3 2 53 0 0 0 6 68.3 51 26 35 49 3.42 -56.8
1993 ATL NL 3 1 43 6 0 0 0 66.0 52 21 36 59 2.86 1453.2
1994 ATL NL 9 4 20 17 2 1 0 112.3 90 43 45 111 3.45 872.0
1995 ATL NL 7 8 29 26 0 0 0 143.0 140 66 61 102 4.15 -84.0
1996 BAL AL 3 6 14 12 0 0 0 58.0 73 50 35 22 7.76 -3605.5
1996 CLE AL 1 0 10 0 0 0 0 11.7 10 4 3 7 3.09 220.3
1997 CIN NL 8 11 28 25 0 0 0 144.7 135 63 62 75 3.92 -1668.0
1998 STL NL 11 11 30 29 0 0 0 161.7 199 91 53 72 5.07 -
1999 BOS AL 2 0 5 5 0 0 0 25.7 23 10 13 17 3.51 814.6
1999 STL NL 6 5 25 18 0 0 0 103.7 125 59 51 64 5.12 -
2000 LAA AL 1 3 21 7 0 0 0 48.3 57 35 29 30 6.52 -
2002 COL NL 3 1 58 0 0 0 0 44.0 55 30 22 37 6.14 -2424.2
2003 ATL NL 0 0 18 0 0 0 1 17.0 15 2 7 7 1.06 81.8
2003 CIN NL 0 2 49 0 0 0 0 38.3 31 10 25 41 2.35 -139.9
2004 CHC NL 3 1 71 0 0 0 0 53.0 39 15 27 51 2.55 -
2005 CIN NL 3 1 78 0 0 0 4 61.7 64 25 19 45 3.65 -41.2
2006 CIN NL 1 1 37 0 0 0 1 28.3 28 13 11 17 4.13 -953.0
2008 CIN NL 1 0 15 0 0 0 0 13.7 13 5 8 6 3.29 -218.4

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
698 248 12 28 5 2 1 18 0 11 115 0.113 0.150 0.161 0.311 -431.9

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG PIV
1989 ATL NL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 0.0
1990 ATL NL 36 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 0.0
1991 ATL NL 50 10 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 7 0.100 0.0
1992 ATL NL 53 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.000 0.0
1993 ATL NL 43 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0.000 0.0
1994 ATL NL 20 37 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 15 0.054 0.0
1995 ATL NL 29 48 1 5 3 0 0 5 0 0 17 0.104 0.0
1996 BAL AL 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0.0
1996 CLE AL 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0.0
1997 CIN NL 31 45 3 7 1 1 0 1 0 4 23 0.156 0.0
1998 STL NL 32 54 3 8 0 1 1 6 0 2 25 0.148 -431.9
1999 BOS AL 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0.0
1999 STL NL 26 28 5 5 1 0 0 2 0 2 10 0.179 0.0
2000 LAA AL 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0.0
2002 COL NL 58 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 0.0
2003 ATL NL 18 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 0.0
2003 CIN NL 49 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0.0
2004 CHC NL 71 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 0.0
2005 CIN NL 78 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0.0
2006 CIN NL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0.0
2008 CIN NL 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2003 NLDS2 ATL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1999 ALCS BOS 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1999 ALDS1 BOS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1995 WS ATL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1995 NLDS1 ATL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1993 NLCS ATL 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1992 NLCS ATL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1991 NLCS ATL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1991 WS ATL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 2 16 3 0 22.3 20 9 15 15 3.63

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2003 NLDS2 ATL 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 0 0 1 1 0.00
1999 ALCS BOS 0 1 2 2 0 7.7 12 4 4 5 4.70
1999 ALDS1 BOS 0 0 1 1 0 1.7 3 2 3 1 10.80
1995 NLDS1 ATL 0 0 1 0 0 0.3 0 0 0 0 0.00
1995 WS ATL 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 1 1 2 2 4.50
1993 NLCS ATL 0 0 5 0 0 5.0 3 1 2 4 1.80
1992 NLCS ATL 0 0 2 0 0 3.0 1 0 1 1 0.00
1991 NLCS ATL 0 1 1 0 0 0.7 0 1 2 0 13.50
1991 WS ATL 0 0 2 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 1 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 692 151 53 158 17 8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1989 ATL P 2 1 0 0 0 0
1990 ATL P 36 0 2 1 1 0
1991 ATL P 50 4 2 7 1 1
1992 ATL P 53 0 1 2 0 0
1993 ATL P 43 6 1 4 1 0
1994 ATL P 20 17 4 15 0 1
1995 ATL P 29 26 5 23 1 2
1996 BAL P 14 12 6 4 1 0
1996 CLE P 10 0 3 0 0 0
1997 CIN P 28 25 11 22 0 0
1998 SLN P 30 30 3 26 2 0
1999 BOS P 5 5 1 8 1 0
1999 SLN P 25 18 1 16 4 1
2000 ANA P 21 7 1 5 1 1
2002 COL P 58 0 3 2 1 0
2003 ATL P 18 0 0 0 0 0
2003 CIN P 49 0 6 6 1 0
2004 CHN P 71 0 1 4 0 0
2005 CIN P 78 0 0 11 2 0
2006 CIN P 37 0 1 2 0 1
2008 CIN P 15 0 1 0 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 693

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1997 Pitcher of the Month June
1994 Player of the Week Week of 1994-04-09

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2008 CIN NL $600,000
2006 CIN NL $1,550,000
2005 CIN NL $1,250,000
2004 CHN NL $1,200,000
2003 CIN NL $550,000
2002 COL NL $500,000
2000 ANA AL $850,000
1999 SLN NL $2,500,000
1998 SLN NL $1,300,000
1997 CIN NL $1,700,000
1996 BAL AL $2,825,000
1995 ATL NL $2,250,000
1994 ATL NL $1,237,500
1993 ATL NL $721,250
1992 ATL NL $190,000
1991 ATL NL $117,000
1990 ATL NL $102,000
Total Career Earnings $19,442,750