Miami Marlins: Looking at the career of Austin Kearns

As we continue to look at a different player from Miami Marlins history each week, the third installment features the first position player of the series in Austin Kearns, an outfielder who spent the final two years of his 12-year MLB career with the Marlins from 2012-13.

Looking at the Miami Marlins career of Austin Kearns

A former first round pick (No. 7 overall) by the Cincinnati Reds back in the 1998 MLB Draft, Kearns would debut in the major leagues with Cincinnati in 2002 with a phenomenal season where the then 22-year-old finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Spending from 2002-06 with the Reds, Kearns would also see time with the Nationals, Cleveland, and Yankees from 2006-11 before being released by Cleveland in August of 2011. Signed by the Miami Marlins on January 25, 2012 to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, Kearns would begin the 2012 season with the major league club.

The then 32-year-old outfielder would go-on to appear in a total of 87 games with Miami in 2012, slashing a combined .245/.366/.367 with four home runs and 16 RBI’s. Electing free agency at season’s end, Kearns would however return to the Marlins on January 14, 2013 on a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, but would only appear in 16 games that season where he posted a .476 OPS.

For his two season’s with Miami, Kearns appeared in a total of 106 games where he slashed a combined .236/.354/.339 with four home runs and 16 RBI’s. Seeing time defensively in both left and right field, as well as two games at first base, Kearns committed only one error during his time in Miami, also posting a few notable numbers such as a 12+ BB% in both season’s and a combined 0.1 WAR.

As mentioned previously, the 41-year-old last played in 2013 with the Marlins, and finished his 12-year MLB career appearing in a total of 1,125 games with five different teams.