Kenny Kuhn

Kenneth Harold Kuhn

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10½", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Male High School
• Debut July 7, 1955
• Final Game September 29, 1957
• Born March 20, 1937 in Louisville, KY USA
• Died July 16, 2010 in Layton, UT USA

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Biographical Information

"Kuhn is a better prospect than Rizzuto was when I signed him." - scout John Schulte

" . . . the finest young infielder I have seen in a long time." - Hank Greenberg

Kenny Kuhn was a 1950s bonus baby who probably would have been better off playing in the minors than sitting on the bench in the majors.

Kuhn was a four-sport star while attending Male High School in Louisville, Kentucky, and although General Manager Hank Greenberg and manager Al Lopez did not want to make him a bonus baby, Greenberg claimed that Kuhn and his father insisted on that type of contract. Kuhn appeared in 4 games in the majors for the Cleveland Indians in 1955, 27 in 1956 (only 22 at-bats) and 40 in 1957 (53 at-bats).

He finally played his first minor league game in 1957, after his mandatory two-year stay on the major league roster was over, and played in the minors through 1963 with a decent batting average of .282. While in the minors he was a teammate of Sam McDowell, Ty Cline and Walt Bond.

One source: Baseball's Biggest Blunder: The Bonus Rule of 1953-57.